A Bed Of Thorns

I just had a most unpleasant conversation with a rescuer who is asking for food subsidy. I cannot BELIEVE how unreasonable and demanding some people can be. When they ask for help, they dictate terms and it’s worse when they use the “I’ve done this for umpteen years and I know what I’m doing” line on you.

Since when, in our human culture, dare we dictate terms when we ask another for help?

We have a food subsidy but we also have very strict rules on who qualifies. The reason is, our main function is our Medical Fund. We had no intention of starting a food fund until needy rescuers like Meiji and Pak Din came along and the only way to help them was for us to start a food fund – their animals need food, too.

So for those applying to our food fund, we need to know their income level, their financial status, and also, they need to satisfy certain conditions:

1. They must spay-neuter their animals.
2. They must take their animals to the vet when the animals are sick.
3. They must NOT breed their animals.
4. They do not subscribe to euthanasia.

So, we have this applicant where none of the above is satisfied. To put in bluntly, we would call her a “hoarder”. She takes in stray animals from the street, but none are vaccinated, none are spayed-neutered, and even when the animals are sick, she’d wait until they are almost dead before she brings them to the vet.

We cannot “support” the activities of such a person because I believe her animals might well be better off on the streets than being confined in the house compound where none are spayed-neutered, vaccinated or treated for illnesses. Recently, a large number of her dogs died due to a distemper outbreak. And why so? All because none of her dogs were vaccinated. When animals are confined and there is one with a contagious disease, it is most likely many will contract the disease and die.

Is it fair to take a free-roaming animal off the streets to be subjected to life in such a “shelter”?

I could very well turn her down flat and say, “Sorry, we cannot help you” and be done with it. But instead, I thought education would be better, so I offered her to start off by taking her male animals to be neutered one by one and claiming the subsidy from us. Then, get them vaccinated, and claim from us. Only then would I be able to consider food subsidy for her.

You see, we have rules. Rules are meant to be kept, not broken. Our rules are meant to help the animals achieve better wellbeing. If I reject her and leave her alone, wouldn’t her animals continue to suffer?

The conversation turned ugly and she started accusing me of being unwilling to help another rescuer (her friend who applied earlier). But this friend intends to breed her animals for sale, and also supports breeders. I said we have rules, and we do not support any form of breeding at all since there are enough animals on the streets to be adopted as pets. I have actually told her friend that we would help her provided she stops breeding. �The friend decided not to apply anymore. End of story.

Now, I’m accused of not helping. How can I help when the applicants do not abide by our rules? I need to break my own rules to cater to what they want?

Seriously??

You know, sometimes this is a thankless job.

But never mind them.

There are many others deserving of help and definitely worthy of help.

P.S. Despite the most unpleasant conversation where I was accused of being unhelpful and unwilling to bend my rules, our offer to this rescuer still stands.

Follow our rules, and we will still help, despite what they say behind my back.

Source: http://myanimalcare.org/2012/02/28/a-bed-of-thorns/

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AnimalCare is a registered society that promotes caregiving to street animals and helps in their neutering and medical needs. AnimalCare has a Medical Fund, Food Fund and Education Fund.

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