Wow, wierd vibes is the last thing we ever expected to hear. Honestly don't know how to respond to that. We're sitting here just looking at each other in disbelief.
******Came back and added this with a cup of coffee*******
Think about this for a moment
What if my wife and I are 100% honest about everything we've said.
What if everything is true, our motives are sound, and all we want is to find this type of dog,,,, to make us happy.
What do you think it feels like to have genuine honest feelings questioned ?
Give a moment of thought to this will ya ?
Thanks
************************************************** ******
Catty1
"You might replace the looks - but be honest and ask yourselves if you are trying to replace Tiki."
Neither of us thinks for a minute that he could ever be replaced however we have decided that we want to stick with his type, if we can find it, never thinking that anyone would ever think something was wrong with us wanting it that way. The search, in a way is like therapy and why should finding what you're looking for always be so easy. Working for something that you want or care about is a good choice don't you think ?
If everything is handed to us we lose respect for it, such is the state of the world as things in many cases come too easy and are taken for granted.
"Because you never will. Meanwhile, there are wonderful dogs with great personalities of their own who badly need a furrever home. Please think about them."
Our service to animals has been astronomical in the past 25 years, including those that have lived their lives with us. We have provided exceptional lives to many animals. We can't save the world.
In 2008 we almost lost our business taking care of Tiki, day in and day out for months,,,, only a dog in the eyes of some, but a child and family member to us. Insulin twice a day, cooking special meals, with special hard to find foods and herbs, Medicines throughout the entire day, sleeping in shifts to make sure he didn't go into shock, IV twice a day for weeks to keep him hydrated right before everyone agreed that there was no hope.
1,000 a week in medical bills for months, 11,000 when he almost died from diabetic shock due to insulin resistance and no one cared enough to try to save him, because, and they said, " he is only a dog ". We saved him and he loved every minute of life for another 8 months.
Was it worth it ? You're darn right it was and the greatest times of our lives were spent savoring every moment, good or bad, with what some consider, " just a dog ".
Yeah ok, and we're the ones that are wierd right ?
We don't want just any animal, but trust us, we do and always have considered other animals.
If we are strange or wierd for wanting one particular animal then so be it.
It's our choice and there is nothing odd about it.
We like Harleys not Honda's, Ford not Toyota, 95% fat free beef not 80% etc....black t shirts not white, yellow roses not red, Dell not Acer and so on.
I'm arachnophobic and my wife is afraid of snakes.
We don't think people that like them or have them are wierd or judge them.
I don't particularly care for cats anymore because of bad experiences.
I don't judge cat lovers because of my problem.
So what gives ?
We feed the deer on our property when others beg to come here and shoot them. The groundhogs and rabbits are trapped and relocated that eat the crops that we grow, not blasted like many others do, because this is our choice. Wierd right ?
We found a snake last year that seemed sick and was in the middle of shedding. Packed it up and took it to the vet. Turns out it was some rare breed that hasn't been seen in our area for over 25 years. They asked us to bring it back and release it. We did ! Now there are freakin snakes all over the place, but we co exist and know we did the right thing.
Does that too seem wierd ? Should those choices be questioned ?
It's called freedom of choice the last time I checked.
What is wrong with wanting the same type dog ?
His type made us very happy for 8 years, not the shepherds , not poodles, not poms or Rotties. We don't want anything else, plain, simple and to the point.
Replacing him is not an option but sticking with the type, if we can find it, is our choice, good,bad or indifferent.
Looking, used to make us feel good until this week.
aTailOf2Kitties
I would really enjoy an explanation as to what constitutes an opinion of wierd in the fact that a person wants something specific. Is it the general opinion that a person that wants to adopt take whatever is available just because it is ?
Our GSD's are not truck dogs. They don't travel with us. They don't have the opportunity our primary companion has, for numerous very valid reasons that need no explanation.
The companion dog, in this case Tiki, did everything with us, including go to work and go on vacation. The companion dog slept with us and lived a fantastic life. We want the companion part of our lives back, and choose to look for the same type animal. If this is wierd or sets off triggers and alerts then we're in the wrong place for sure.
They do, 100%, know that our dog passed away. They know we did everything imaginable to try to save his life. They know the history. We were completely honest. Maybe honesty is the problem !
Why on earth would we imply ownership ? That makes no sense ! What would the gain be ?
Has the world deteriorated to the point that good caring people are considered suspect for being good caring people ? Are we such a minority ?
As far as animals being in foster, or anywhere else, it is the responsibility of anyone, especially a NFP, to conduct themselves properly and professionally, not to discriminate etc..... If they cannot achieve the most important thing ( clear photo that shows the features of the animal, or answering simple and honest questions), in making physical identity known to prospective clients, maybe they should think twice about being involved.
"The only other thing I could think of is that all of the adoptable animals are in foster homes and the main office can't just walk over to them and snap a picture. "
But they certainly could have acknowledged the photos and told us either way if there was a strong resemblance. Pretty simple don't you think ?
Cataholic I'll ask the same question here. What in the world is so wierd?
The only reason this is a problem is because our dog was such an unusual mix. Even the vet's have said it to us, who incidentally are the ones that originally suggested searching out the same type.
( This isn't just 1 or two people we're talking about when we refer to the vets. This refers to the vet staff at all locations, maybe 50 or 60 people, that know us very very well. )
He was quite unique, so finding the same type, like other people do when they search a breed, will be difficult. It's not like checking Petfinder for a GSD or Pit which are common.
They were off the hook with the whole vet check thing.
Much of it stems, I think from the nose up in he air, high and mighty, we save the world and are better than you attitude. People like that don't last with us for very long. Have no use for self righteous, ego heavy, self indulgent jackarses. They can go save the world at someone elses expense, not ours.
If our vets don't want to be bothered with them, without any heads up or warning from us, what does that tell you ?
Really doesn't matter how many animals they save, or how many good comments they have, if they treat people in the wrong way, and even if it's once or twice, it's still wrong !
aTailOf2Kitties At the last minute they suckered us into sending the information, which we sent in incomplete, stating that others were interested and we needed to get the ball rolling. One of their people swore that they would let us know if this was a dog that might be worth taking a look at. They lied, plain and simple, for whatever reason.
We wanted to schedule our time accordingly to make the trip if this was a possibility.
Freedom To tell you the truth, I was really ticked off about this whole ridiculous situation but last night discussed it with a group of business owners and politicians at a Chamber of Commerce networking event similar to the one we attended the night before.
Not a single person questioned our motives. No one thought wierd thoughts because we wanted a specific mix breed of dog or as close as possible. Many of them knew Tiki as he used to come with us.
Everyone questioned the ethics of the rescue/foster group and everyone cited their handling of a potential client as well below acceptable standards for anyone, especially a NFP.
Anyway, since coming back in here and seeing that it may be frowned upon that honest hard working business owners and caring animal people may trigger caution when it comes to wanting to adopt an animal because want something specific, in reality just like many others, has made me pretty sure that this whole situation is just jinxed from the get go.
Note : I talk with people every day, all across the country. I never have any problems with anyone, ever. I work very hard at doing it right, whatever it may be.
As far as these people in the rescue are concerned, by ignoring a question once, they were wrong. By ignoring the client they were wrong. By misrepresenting the animal by not caring enough to make a good picture happen, they were wrong, cause it could have been done. Let's be serious on that issue.
By being too pushy, they were wrong. By disrespecting the genuine feelings of a client and animal lover they were wrong.
Just because people choose to help animals does not make them high and mighty. Some of these people, need to get off the high horse and back down to earth cause sooner or later, if you don't do it right, ya just might tick off the wrong person.
In their case I will forward our complaints to several sources and send a very nice letter to the President of the NFP detailing our feelings of sub standard treatment. The response we receive, if any, will decide whether we go any further.
Their real downfall, according to one of our legislators who we talked to last night,was refusing to divulge the information on who was in charge. That was not a sound idea.
In my opinion something feels wrong with this NFP.
Maybe they just never got caught, yet, but they will, if the i's aren't dotted and the t's crossed !
Sucks to be misjudged !
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12/02
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