I saw some folks complaining about overzealous/maniacal animal adoption 'lunatics' that carry the "adopt-don't-shop" flag a bit too forcefully/aggressively & I thought I'd take a second to explain this behavior, not to excuse it but to help ppl understand why they're like this.
Imagine you went to the city animal shelter & saw an adorable 5yo dog. His owner from birth passed away & there was no one to give him a new home. He's house-trained, knows how to fetch, great w/ ppl & very affectionate.
... you come back the next day and he's been euthanized.
... you come back the next day and he's been euthanized.
Now imagine going to the same shelter & seeing another dog, given up bcz his family ran into hard times & had to move into a bldg that didn't allow dogs. He smiles a lot, loves kids, is playful w/other dogs but never barks.
... you come back the next day and he's been euthanized.
... you come back the next day and he's been euthanized.
Now imagine seeing a 12yo dog at the shelter who lived with a kid his whole life who's now going to college. Parents didn't want to care for the dog so the kid tearfully dropped him off 6 mos ago along w/ a note explaining the dogs fave foods & games.
...euthanized the next day.
...euthanized the next day.
Now... imagine seeing all 3 of these dogs in one day & they're all euthanized the next day. And finally, imagine this happens every single day.
That's the profile & the fate of most dogs that go into a shelter. Most don't come out & animal advocacy volunteers witness all of this.
That's the profile & the fate of most dogs that go into a shelter. Most don't come out & animal advocacy volunteers witness all of this.
Q: What does this do to a person - esp an animal lover - who's trying to 'save them all'? How does this affect their mindset? Their personality? Know that if something isn't done, the innocent lives of domesticated pets will be extinguished.
A: They get desperate. Panicked even.
A: They get desperate. Panicked even.
And remember: These folks are volunteers usually running on a shoestring budget & very little reliable help. The pressure to 'save them all' becomes overwhelming if they're not careful. But the shelters have more dogs coming in than adopted, so it feels like a losing battle.
So the next time you meet an adoption advocate who seems a little 'maniacal', please try to understand the war they're fighting.
Volunteer 1: "We can't make a dent. Nothing we do rly matters."
Volunteer 2: (pointing to a dog who'd just been adopted) "I'll bet it mattered to him."
Volunteer 1: "We can't make a dent. Nothing we do rly matters."
Volunteer 2: (pointing to a dog who'd just been adopted) "I'll bet it mattered to him."
