MiaP
Well-Known Member
Oh, yes, our city government DOES need to be slapped, and not just because of our poor shelter. There are DOZENS of elementary schools here with no library, or a library that is locked and not used because there is no librarian. Don't even get me started on the issue of handguns and the 400 murders per year.
Answers to some of the above questions:
The SPCA and PAWS are two different agencies, and the SPCA does help PAWS to the best of its abilities. They pull adoptable animals, provide meds that we run out of when they can, etc. However, I don't think even the SPCA has a rabbit-wise vet. PAWS is not funded for a vet at all because a vet is not needed for animal control, which is what the city is willing to fund. You can control animals by killing them, no vet needed, and that is fine with the city. So PAWS relies on volunteer vets, UPenn, and what I call "rent-a-vets", who come in to work for a day at a time and let's just say many of them are not up to snuff, even on dogs, which is probably why they are rentavets.
PAWS has already been in all the papers for the horrible conditions, multiple times, both under its old name (PACCA) and under the new one. Everyone in town has had the opportunity to read about the numbers of animals killed, the filth, the animals without food and water, etc. Yet the conditions remain. Just as they do in our schools, which are little better, and the fact is in every paper, every day.
The new management is trying to change things, but my guess is that the situation is just too big for one person or even one agency to change. In reality, cats and dogs are different enough "problems" that I think there should be seperate facilities and strategies for each. Rabbits and small animals could go where the cats go, if for no other reason than to get the bunnies away from the constant deafening barking of 120-140 dogs. Just a dream!
I doubt that staff will bring rabbits to the TV station, because they feature dogs and cats who are in immediate danger of death. "Officially", the shelter doesn't kill rabbits, so there are "officially" no rabbits in immediate danger of death. We do have rabbits who have been there for a year, so I can see staff's point that it is better to save a dog who will otherwise die than to promote a rabbit who has an indefinite amount of time left. On the other hand, rabbits matter, too, so I will ask. Maybe we could time it for an anti-Easter bunny message, too.
I asked shelter staff before about putting rabbits at Petco and was told that they never got adopted. My other fear there was that I didn't know who does the adoption application if the animal is in a shop. I have seen men at the Petco near me buying lizards and fish to fight and be killed by their other lizards or fish, on more than one occasion. In the case of the lizard, they told the sales person that was why they were buying the lizard, and the kid sold it to them anyway. So I don't want to put a bunny somewhere where there won't be any screening of adopters. On the other hand, if we can get some bunnies spayed by putting them at Petco, that would be super, so I will ask shelter staff how the application process works at shops.
As of last night, we had just six bunnies at the shelter, and we just got a third volunteer who will be concentrating on them, so I am hopeful for the time being.
Answers to some of the above questions:
The SPCA and PAWS are two different agencies, and the SPCA does help PAWS to the best of its abilities. They pull adoptable animals, provide meds that we run out of when they can, etc. However, I don't think even the SPCA has a rabbit-wise vet. PAWS is not funded for a vet at all because a vet is not needed for animal control, which is what the city is willing to fund. You can control animals by killing them, no vet needed, and that is fine with the city. So PAWS relies on volunteer vets, UPenn, and what I call "rent-a-vets", who come in to work for a day at a time and let's just say many of them are not up to snuff, even on dogs, which is probably why they are rentavets.
PAWS has already been in all the papers for the horrible conditions, multiple times, both under its old name (PACCA) and under the new one. Everyone in town has had the opportunity to read about the numbers of animals killed, the filth, the animals without food and water, etc. Yet the conditions remain. Just as they do in our schools, which are little better, and the fact is in every paper, every day.
The new management is trying to change things, but my guess is that the situation is just too big for one person or even one agency to change. In reality, cats and dogs are different enough "problems" that I think there should be seperate facilities and strategies for each. Rabbits and small animals could go where the cats go, if for no other reason than to get the bunnies away from the constant deafening barking of 120-140 dogs. Just a dream!
I doubt that staff will bring rabbits to the TV station, because they feature dogs and cats who are in immediate danger of death. "Officially", the shelter doesn't kill rabbits, so there are "officially" no rabbits in immediate danger of death. We do have rabbits who have been there for a year, so I can see staff's point that it is better to save a dog who will otherwise die than to promote a rabbit who has an indefinite amount of time left. On the other hand, rabbits matter, too, so I will ask. Maybe we could time it for an anti-Easter bunny message, too.
I asked shelter staff before about putting rabbits at Petco and was told that they never got adopted. My other fear there was that I didn't know who does the adoption application if the animal is in a shop. I have seen men at the Petco near me buying lizards and fish to fight and be killed by their other lizards or fish, on more than one occasion. In the case of the lizard, they told the sales person that was why they were buying the lizard, and the kid sold it to them anyway. So I don't want to put a bunny somewhere where there won't be any screening of adopters. On the other hand, if we can get some bunnies spayed by putting them at Petco, that would be super, so I will ask shelter staff how the application process works at shops.
As of last night, we had just six bunnies at the shelter, and we just got a third volunteer who will be concentrating on them, so I am hopeful for the time being.
