Finding a Responsible Rescue

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Mar 07, 2003 6:53 am


If anyone else has suggestions for regrouping, let me know. I kind of threw this together as an example of how it could be organized.

Sure, I can replace the original list if you want. I'm going to edit a couple sentences for length/clarity (already did a few).

User avatar
Paravati
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Fri Mar 07, 2003 6:54 am


I think it sounds good Lynx.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Mar 07, 2003 10:22 am


I did some more reorganization. Looks a bit better.

I think we could add more ideas, like encouraging surrenders to keep their pigs (education) or at least foster them. Provides them with tools for placing their own pigs (petfinder and perhaps a copy of your own contract so they know what they might want to look for in a new owner).

Some rescues do home visits. The list could go on and on. I do think each rescue has its own style.

User avatar
Slinky

Post   » Fri Mar 07, 2003 4:54 pm


Does not actively seek out animals.
I would like a little more clarification on this one.

The rescue I volunteer for doesn't normally seek out animals. But the founder says that, when we've adopted out most of our guinea pigs, she'll start calling around to shelters to see if they have any that need saving. Yes, she always starts at the shelters with the higher kill rates.

Would this be considered a no-no for a rescue? If you're well below your limit of animals that can be cared for, isn't checking shelters to make sure no cavies are being put down considered a good thing?

Erin8607
Knee Deep

Post   » Fri Mar 07, 2003 4:59 pm


I think by seeking out pigs, it means like the ad over by pitbull13. Someone posting an ad that they are a rescue, and will take in any pigs, blah blah. Definatly taking pigs out of a kill shelter to rehome them is not seeking out pigs, that's just taking them out of the kill shelter to give them a chance in a rescue.

User avatar
Teresa

Post   » Fri Mar 07, 2003 5:21 pm


Working with shelters is definitely not seeking out animals. HOWEVER, the rescue should give the shelter the appropriate time for that shelter to rehome them first--assuming the animals aren't at risk during that time. Otherwise, the rescue is jumping the gun and potentially taking in pigs that might be in more need down the road.

Charybdis

Post   » Sat Mar 08, 2003 1:19 am


What do you consider at risk?

--a pig in danger of being euthanized?
--a pig in danger of becoming snake food because of low adoption fees?
--a pig who is getting mouse food and no hay or veggies?
--a pig who is not being treated for a medical condition?

Just curious. I'm sure everyone will have different answers.

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jessicariekena
Pigs n' Pine

Post   » Sat Mar 08, 2003 1:39 am


I put out cards that tell about the rescue I foster for and to contact us if they have a surrender. Is that seeking out? I guess my reasoning is that I want people to know that we're out there. Putting up your pet for "free" comes with all sorts of risks, and I'd rather foster the pig than have them dropped off at a shelter. This way they have a clean, quiet enviroment. No dogs barking, and can talk to the other after quarantine.

User avatar
Slinky

Post   » Sat Mar 08, 2003 3:01 am


What do you consider at risk?

--a pig in danger of being euthanized?
--a pig in danger of becoming snake food because of low adoption fees?
--a pig who is getting mouse food and no hay or veggies?
--a pig who is not being treated for a medical condition?

Just curious. I'm sure everyone will have different answers.
I'd consider all of these a risk. I'd also worry that one of the shelter volunteers forgot to feed them at all because they were too busy walking the dogs. Or that they're being housed in a cage with cedar chips.

As long as I have the room and the capability to take care of another cavy, I'd rather take it in then let it face the "shelter sweepstakes."

User avatar
Teresa

Post   » Sat Mar 08, 2003 4:43 am


Slinky, are you a rescue? I can't keep up with who's who.

Bottom line, it depends on the shelter. If you continue to take in pigs that may be living in marginal circumstances, you will be overwhelmed in time. Common sense should prevail.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Mar 08, 2003 7:42 am


I think it may also depend on the number of guinea pigs generally in the area. Some people have a hard time finding pigs at all meaning they may be more proactive just to help doing a better job caring and placing the few they find.

User avatar
Teresa

Post   » Sat Mar 08, 2003 12:28 pm


I agree. It depends on your situation, your shelters, your supply and demand.

But it seems that all over the country, the issue of burnout is universal. Over time --in most places-- there are more homeless guinea pigs needing rescue than can be accommodated by the local rescuer. Prioritizing and setting standards is important. Also, rescuers should be in a position to help out other rescuers in other areas when the big rescues occur.

I have a page on Cavy Spirit (Perspective) that is pretty obscure (linked off the Hollister Story) that highlights some of the big rescues from the past:
Guinea Pigs in Pet Stores = Market for Abuse
If there are guinea pigs being sold in pet stores in your area, then there is a potential market for abuse as well. Supply and demand market conditions exist. It can happen anywhere and does.

Here are just a few examples of cases that have made the light of day, so to speak:

St. Louis, Missouri: A breeder is keeping 100+ guinea pigs in deplorable conditions in a basement: 10-12 guinea pigs per wooden hutch the size of a 20-gallon aquarium. Bedding covered in feces. Empty water bottles. Fungal infections and probably worse.

Lewiston, Maine (November 2002): Authorities have destroyed 303 sick guinea pigs that were found in a Lewiston woman’s basement this week.

Relatives of Pauline L’Italien said they don’t know how many of the rodents, possibly infected with ringworm, may have been given away to local people. Ringworm is an easily transmittable fungus that can infect both animals and people.

The animals in the Cottage Road home basement were so ill that officials had them destroyed. Steve Dostie, director of the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society, said the animals were in “horrible” shape when they arrived at his clinic on Tuesday. The shelter had no choice but to destroy every one, he said.

They were so sick, and there were just so many, letting them into the shelter would have endangered the animals already there, he said. Some died on the short drive from Lewiston to the Auburn shelter.

Police found L’Italien after she was reported by a Saco woman, Laura Leedberg, last week. Leedberg answered a newspaper ad for free guinea pigs. She accepted 30 of the pets from the local home, but she was devastated by their condition.

She took so many in hopes of saving as many as she could. The pets had lost much of their hair, had lice, mites, were malnourished and infected with ringworm, Leedberg said. She kept three of the animals and sent the rest to a pet rescuer in Connecticut, Kim Olsen of Bright Future Animal Rescue. Olsen said that three of the 27 have since died, but the others are doing well.

They’ve run up an $800 vet and food bill, but they’re recovering quickly, Olsen said. She’s been feeding them special foods along with ground vitamin C tablets. Friends and neighbors have been nursing them with ointment and attention.

“People call them ‘pocket pets,’” Olsen said. “They say they’re disposable. They’re not disposable.” Some of these are just a few days old. Others are pregnant. They deserved better, she said.

Every guinea pig needs a fresh bed of shavings and a few feet of space to play, she said. “They’re active animals and they need to run around,” Olsen said. “They’re just so darn cute. They make a wonderful companion.” Of course, they need care, too. Olsen has never heard of a private home having more than a few guinea pigs, she said.

L’Italien, who declined to comment, began with just two. “Two turned into a whole bunch,” said her daughter, Carolyn L’Italien. “She thought they were her best friends.” She did not know details of the conditions in her mother’s home, but she believes no harm was meant. “She has a big, huge heart,” the daughter said. “My mom would never hurt anyone or anything.” See: url=http://www.sunjournal.com/story.asp?slg ... Guineapigs]Hundreds of Guinea Pigs Destroyed[/url].

Ann Arbor, Michigan (June/July 2002): 130 guinea pigs (and several kittens) were seized from pet store in Ypsilanti, MI. They were kept in a back room in tubs and 20-gallon aquariums. They were emaciated, starved, dehydrated and covered in scabs. 117 of them were put down! 13 were saved.

Omaha, Nebraska (July 2001): Over 300 animals were removed from a house containing at least that many dead animals. These included guinea pigs, hamster, rats, mice and rabbits. They were living in 4x4 wooden partitions on the floor of a house, bedding was layered with dead animals, the humane society stopped counting at 350. The guinea pigs were extremely thin and undernourished. 15 of them were so bad they did not think they would make it through the night. See: Urgent, Rescue in Nebraska.

Omaha, Nebraska (June 2001): Over 200 guinea pigs taken from a man who supposedly started out with 5 pets a few years ago. See: Another Rescue in Omaha, NE

Sarasota, Florida (June 2001): A breeder situation with over 100 living in substandard conditions. Multiple threads on Cavies Galore (June - August).

Burlington, New Jersey (June 2000): 60 dumped guinea pigs found on the side of the NJ Turnpike, all females pregnant. See: 60 Abandoned Piggies in NJ.

Hampton, Virginia (April 2000): 150-200 guinea pigs seized from abusive breeder. See: Hamden, Virginia rescue effort needs help

Los Angeles, California (August 2000):
40 pigs let loose by a backyard breeder. A neighbor picked them up and kept them for a long time but didn't sex them . . . gpdd

San Diego, California (April 2000): Dozens of guinea pigs were seized from the home of a couple in San Diego who were breeding them to be sold at pet stores. The conditions were horrible, and the couple was charged with 85 counts of animal cruelty. Some were euthanized immediately for humane reasons and an additional 18 were euthanized the next day. See: RESCUE EMERGENCY: San Diego, CA

Those are just the examples of the bigger cases of abuse and neglect--the news-worthy. Every day in every state, animals are suffering in silence at the hands of ignorant pet owners, backyard breeders and worse.
If anyone knows of any other big rescues and has info about them from the past, I'd like to have it listed.

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