Goin' To The Dogs...And the Cats!

I don’t really understand it, but I do.

All Ellen did is what any of us would have done. You adopt a homeless animal from your local shelter knowing you can give it a loving home along with the hope that every creature in your home will get along with the new guy!

And, if it doesn’t work out, it’s your responsibility to find it another good home, and not to send it back to the animal shelter.

Well, don’t be so harsh to judge on the shelter’s end of things, either.

Two years back, I adopted a little six-week-old kitten, and I was put through the ringer with all kinds of questions about where I lived, who lived there, where I worked, my vet’s name, would it ever be an outside cat…I’m seriously surprised that they didn’t run a credit history on me.

Between the interview (“So, do you know how to take care of a kitten?”), the paperwork to adopt was incredible, and yes, that verbiage is in there…”if you ever decide to give your pet away, you need to contact us first”, since they’re the first line of contact to find your adopted pet another home.

I also had to have my vet sign a certificate to tell them that Rufus did, indeed, have his second round of kitten shots. Not a binding part of the agreement, but I thought ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation) would like to know.

Here’s the deal, folks. Way, way too many people adopt cute little kittens and puppies only to realize that they grow up to be cats and dogs and they’re not prepared for the responsibilities.

The non-profit animal rescue organizations (as well as your local shelters) are all too aware of this, and they really don’t want see that cute little puppy you adopted come back to the shelter because it’s too big and doesn’t fit your lifestyle any longer.

This is why they want to interview you.

No, Ellen didn’t do anything wrong, really. She just didn’t read the fine print.

Is the shelter at fault? No, not really. They’re just being heavy handed with their rules.

Solution? Just give the kids the puppy!

Problem solved!