Animal shelter visit yesterday

[pomtzu]

I don't visit shelters - it hurts my heart to see all the wonderful animals that are there thru no fault of their own, and then I wonder which ones will be saved and which ones won't. It really depresses me. I know that I can't bring any of them home with me, since we have set a limit here - my 2 dogs and my son's 2 cats. His cats are Petsmart adopted kitties, and every time I take Sparky to be groomed at Petsmart, I do have to check out all the kitties that are there (they are right next to the grooming salon - darn) . I have seen some beauties there that I would absolutely love to give a furever home to, but I have to leave them behind and hope that they will soon find the perfect person for them. So again - I leave somewhat saddened by the experience. I wish I wasn't so much of a marshmallow.

[Pinot's Mom]

I have just read this entire thread; it has reminded me I owe the Baltimore SPCA a visit. That shelter is where Pinot came from. She was supposedly left by someone who was older and couldn't care for her (at the time she was approximately 10 months), but I take any story told to a shelter with a certain grain of salt. I don't choose to fault people who leave their pets at shelters; at least they're not turning them onto the street. I also don't see myself ever turning a pet in, as they are my children, but you do not know what the future holds. As to the illnesses in shelters - yes, they are most certainly an issue. This is inherent to the environment and mostly cannot be helped. Pinot was one of the victims of this. She was EXTREMELY ill when we adopted her but hid it well. My husband and I have said this over and over; she chose us because we could afford to make her well and give her a comfortable place to thrive. They know somehow; I'm convinced of that. She is now, and has been since we first saw her, our treasured daughter.

Now, back to my original point; I owe the shelter a visit. I have, since Pinot's adoption, tried to regularly check their "wish list" on line and give to the 'pantry'. This is one of the services of the shelter. They keep a stock of pet items for the elderly who cannot afford to properly take care of their pet. They can come in, take stock from the pantry, no questions asked. I think this is just one of the valuable services of this shelter. So, thank you for this reminder! I'll go there next week.

By the way-I'm just a regular pet owner, too, and my only involvement in rescue is forwarding information and rescuing one very cute tabby girl! Oh wait - she rescued us!