We Have No Provisions To Give Out Loans, And Other Related Matters
AnimalCare 
Feb 22, 2012 
AnimalCare, NGOs 
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Dear all,
In the past few months, there have been rescuers writing in asking for help for their animals. When I offered our subsidy plan, they write back saying they have absolutely NO money at all. Some of these are working adults. I find it rather hard to imagine any working adult who has NO money at all unless their house has been razed to the ground or there has been a calamity in their lives.
But no, some of these people perpetually have “no money”. Is it a case of bad financial management, I do wonder. As a working adult, I should think it’s our responsibility to manage our own finances and get our priorities right. Not throw our problems onto others, and make it their problems!
So, obviously for these people, our subsidy plan isn’t good enough and they proceed to ask for credit or a loan. Some even ask if our vets (our former panel vets, that is - this is also why I did away with panel vets) can give them credit.
I tell them, I’m sorry, we don’t own the clinics and have no say on what privileges the clinic gives out but even we don’t owe the clinics any money (bills are paid either immediately or within the week, if I am not there personally when the case comes in, when we had panel vets). We don’t owe money and we certainly don’t encourage others to owe as well. And now, under the subsidy scheme, all subsides are paid out immediately upon receiving the receipts and form. Don’t owe anything before going to bed, we might not wake up the next day! Don’t carry the debt to the next life…or worse, make others settle our debts for us.
And of course, we also do not have any provision to give out loans to these rescuers who have “no money at all”. We can only offer subsidies, so they would have to source out their own loans from family or friends, or even from the various pet forums. I do hear of rescuers asking for money in such forums. That would be between them and the sympathisers, and I’d reserve my comment on this.
So, we can only help with a subsidy and it’s clearly stated here: http://myanimalcare.org/subsidy/
So far, here are some interesting recent encounters (my life isn’t as rosy as it seems to be):
1. A rescuer receiving our help for sometime now, and now complaining that we should give her more than 50%. I honestly don’t know why we should – everyone is entitled to the same 50% or RM500, whichever lower. Whether one has 2 animals or 200, that rescuer is worthy of help and that rescuer gets the 50% or RM500, whichever lower. To me, it’s never about numbers. It’s about the heart. Pak Din (15 animals), Mr Low (20-30 animals), Meiji (135 animals) all qualify for the same subsidy, medical or food. If you come with ONE animal and you need help, we’ll help you, too. I’d really prefer it if rescuers rescue within their means. Don’t take in too many until one cannot cope, please. Yes, one can shout out for help, but it doesn’t mean people or organisations are obliged to help the rescuer. And please, it’s not a case of “should”. Try “could you please…?” It’s much nicer.
2. A sympathiser of a certain shelter who sought our help for that said shelter, telling me, ”They have so many animals to look after, do you think your help is enough?? It will never be enough!”. Hmm…ok, I would have appreciated a simple “thank you” – that would have been nice. So, she stopped asking for help for that shelter, but now the shelter itself is asking me personally for help again. Sure, we’ll help….but only as much as we can, so please don’t complain again. It’s not very nice.
3. This is the latest today – another rescuer writing an S.O.S., asking for help for her cat. I offered our subsidy and even recommended our vet since she said her vet couldn’t make the cat better. She replied saying she has no money. I said we only have a subsidy scheme and we don’t give out loans. Now, this is a classic – she scolded me in return for not giving her a loan!
So, folks, life isn’t very rosy for me, behind the scenes, hence once in a while, please allow me to vent.
There is another issue here as well and since I’m venting, I might as well bring it up. There have been well-meaning folks who are concerned that rescuers are abusing our funds – I thank you for your concern and truly appreciate your good intentions. They tell me that some of these rescuers are actually very rich, but since there are funds they could tap into, they do it.
Here is where we do not often have the resources or time to check on the rescuers’ financial background.
We work on TRUST.
We give our our help in good faith and we TRUST those who apply for help understand our policies that our help is given out to NEEDY rescuers, as stated clearly in our policies.
So, for rescuers who are needy, please apply and we will help them. If they are not needy and they still choose to apply, I hope they can sleep easy at night and for many more nights to come…for the rest of their lives. As the Chinese say, “the sky has eyes”….
Before I go, I was also told that one rescuer has been bringing in her friends’ pets and asking for spay-neuter sponsorship (previously, when we sponsored 100%), masquerading them as strays.
Apparently, I was told something similar happened in Klinik Kembiri, too. A rescuer was bringing in people’s pets, getting the special rate but charging the owners commercial rates, hence, making money out of this operation. The rescuer was found out (see, you can run but you cannot hide, right?) and Klinik Kembiri has since discoutinued their SNIP and Scoobydoo programmes.
Sigh, that’s the way it is – One bad apple spoils the whole bunch, girl (that’s the lyrics of a popular song in the seventies).
All said, W.H. Auden hit the nail on the head when he said: We are here on earth to do good to others; What others are here for, I don’t know!
Deep breath…!
End of venting.
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