It
has taken me several months to post this.
Something awful happened. It happened when I first started working at the humane
society. This was before I started
asking myself “What would Hawkeye do?”
Before I realized that some people take a job for a title, not
passion. A transaction that a
friend once teased me about us doing that we actually in fact do. I used to resist and say to my friend,
“No, we don’t do things like that.” But after this happened it turns out he was
right. We trade and swap animals
for people. Like cars, or shoes,
or any other material item.
Several
months ago we had a Hispanic couple come in searching for a new dog. They went on a visit with a very nice
dog by the name of Charlie. When
they were done visiting they told me, “Okay we are ready to trade in our dog
for this one.” Not batting an eye they just looked at me. I stared back thinking, “What the
fuck?” But instead I said, “ You want to trade in the dog? Like a
car?” Their response was, “Yes.”
What
made the situation even worse was my manager’s response. Outraged instead of just lying to them
and saying we don’t do that like I should of, I took the case to my boss. I showed him what these people wrote on
their surrender form, “There is nothing wrong with our dog, we just like the
other one better. We want to
trade.” I asked if we could please
make them wait a day or even a week. We have no policy that stops people from surrendering and
adopting in the same day.
“No.” he said. “We have to put our emotions
aside. This is the way those type
of people think.”
First
of all, besides the racism behind his comment even if this is how a culture views
dogs it does not make it right.
One cannot state, “Oh it is my culture.” And then continue to cock or
dog fight. But being open
admissions means we are open adoptions.
It was at this response I truly stopped believing in the people I work
for. It was sad, but true. I think after a certain point people
who work here either stop feeling or they never came here for the right reasons
in the first place. They came here to get that title: Executive Director,
Director of Operations or Shelter Manager. They aren’t there for the animals. If they did come for the animals, after a year or so they
become broken and cruelty washes over them like a wave.
Even
though we are open admissions I don’t see why we can’t restrict adoptions. A simple application would do. But we don’t, because there are too many
dogs and cats. It’s mind boggling
to get 20 cats in on the same day and you have no open kennels. Some of my new coworkers just don’t get
it when they first arrive. We get
the call from someone saying I have 10 cats I want to surrender. A coworker will look at me and say,
“But we have no open kennels. Can
we start doubling up?” My eyes say it all. “No. No room
means no life.” So my bosses
believe that open adoptions is the answer. But I can’t help but see that it is part of the
problem. Adopting out animals to
people who aren’t going to take care of them is not a solution. It is a temporary fix to get animals
out of the shelter. Years past and
the animals that went to bad homes either die of neglect or are returned for whatever
reasons. Is being put down better
than a shitty owner? It is the one
question I ask myself daily. On that day for that dog, I would of answered yes. Owning an animal is not a right it is a privilege. Unfortunately not everyone sees it that
way. I went to talk to a friend
yesterday who has worked there for a couple of years. He said to me quite profoundly “Don’t you every feel like we
are the rats on the sinking ship who refused to jump. Every one else around us has jumped but
we insist that we can make it. That
we can save the ship. What does
that say about us?”
I
am not really sure what it said about me that I have continued to stay. I have no respect for my boss. Some day this will cause me to
quit. Ever since this transaction
it has caused me to fight a little harder, to break the rules a little
more. I have no backing from my
highest superior, so my coworkers and I have, when we can, make our own rules. I tried bringing it up with the executive
director. They don’t want to see
this change. Why they don’t change
this I am not sure. My only guess
is because they don’t see it. They
don’t deal with it. They don’t
know the dog or cat or guinea pig. They are just animals in some abstract form or number. How do you change policy you
don’t like if your bosses don’t want to hear it? My answer.
Don’t follow it. And try
your best not get caught.
