Following is a copy of a letter I sent to the Humane Society after a recent adoption. It explains the situation quite clearly I believe:
Hello,
My name is Anita * and I'm writing to you today in regards to an adoption I made on Monday December 27th.
First off, I'd like to say that I have adopted several small dogs from your organization within the last 10 years and I have never had any cause for concern until my recent visit to your shelter.
When my husband and myself came to your facility on Monday, I'll be quite honest - we really didn't expect to find any small dogs available for adoption as these seem to be a favorite among many people. But when we came through the door to your viewing area and spotted the tiny white Chihuahua (previously named Gushes?) we knew he was going home with us.
After filling out the required questionnaire, Gushes - now named Peanut - was brought out of his cage so we could do a little bonding before we welcomed him into our family. I must say at this point, my husband and I were both MORTIFIED!
The little white Chihuahua that was handed to us by the technician was literally skin over bones - downright emaciated! Even though we did see him all curled up on his little mat in his cage, nothing prepared us for how "gaunt" looking he was when he stood up. I would think it's safe to say that a mere 3.9 pounds, even for his breed, is a bit on the delicate side.
I immediately voiced my concern to your technician who advised us that, yes, he hadn't been eating properly since he'd been brought in and he had had many episodes of vomiting and diarrhea. While this definitely explained his appearance to us, my question is - "how is an animal like this supposed to encourage visitors to adopt him?" I truly believe the general notion when adopting a pet is to naturally look for "cute and cuddly" not "downright starved looking." At any rate, we proceeded with the paperwork because both of us were firm in our belief that we could get this little guy back on track.
Even though it has now been a full 48 hours since our adoption, we still have many concerns over Peanut's welfare prior to our adopting him. Peanut is definitely NOT at 100% and since a visit to our vet's office this morning - Ajo Vet Clinic - Peanut is now receiving antibiotics for his kennel cough - which your technician also advised us is a 90% "sure thing" with any dog that leaves a shelter type facility. The kennel cough, I can basically live with.
What I cannot live with, however, is the poor condition in which we found him when we adopted him!
Now I can understand that the Humane Society has absolutely NO IDEA what type of home this dog came from. Whether there was abuse or neglect is really anybody's best guess in this case but that's not the point I'm arguing. What I am trying to convey is, how does an animal, in your care since December 17th, still look like he's been wandering around the streets of Tucson for weeks without proper food & water?
Initially I was told by your technician that when he was owner released to you on the 17th, he was already vomiting and had diarrhea for at least several days. Wasn't this a good indication to provide him with extra special care lest he decline more? When I proceeded to ask what he was currently being fed, I was shown a bag of Science Diet dog food for adult dogs - the size of each nugget was larger than my husband's thumbnail and hard as a rock! I'm sorry but Peanut is NOT an adult dog. I was told that Peanut was approximately 10 months old which I thought was still a puppy? Why wasn't he on puppy size dog food - I can only think it would have been so much easier for him to chew & swallow.
When I asked if his eating habits had improved any in the last several days I was then told that he still had the aforementioned problems on the 22nd when he was neutered. This also shocked me! Wouldn't common sense indicate to get him to his optimal health before neutering - not to mention immunizing - takes place? When I reiterated these points to my vet, he just shook his head as well. Nothing like operating on and immunizing an already weak animal. How is he supposed to build up any type of resistance?
I would just like to say that it is my strong belief that certain types/breeds of dogs, ie., small dog or toy breeds, be treated a little bit more compassionately in your facility. All Peanut had in his cage when we first saw him was a little blanket/mat type deal on a raised platform - no extra towels or blankets for him to snuggle in and certainly no soft bedding or anything to make him a bit more comfortable. He was shivering uncontrollably and at his size, he was at least 50% smaller than any cat you had up for adoption that day. I think even their cages would have been more suitable for him than the large, cold cement enclosure he was in.
In closing, I would just like to say that we are all responsible for the well being of the animals we try and take care of - whether they be canine, feline or otherwise. If we want to ensure that these animals bring us the utmost joy and delight, we need to treat them with compassion and respect - no matter how large, or in this case, how small they may be. As an outsider to your facility, I can only imagine the responsibilities that each of your staff members must live up to each day, HOWEVER... I think if just a little bit more time and consideration had been spent on this lovely dog, he would have prospered only that much more.
My husband and I have a true love for animals and it shows - we proudly own and take care of 11 each day. We were able to see past Peanut's physical shortcomings and welcome him with an open heart while others just passed him by. I just feel that if he had been properly attended to, his time with you could have been just a few short days, instead of 10 long days.
Regards,
Anita *
Of course, their response was something I wasn't surprised by. I was told that I was "misinformed" at the time of the adoption & the dog did have a "healthy appetite" and a strong "desire to live." I was told that it was "abundantly apparent" that I was given the wrong information & the dog was completely healthy.
Since when is skin over bones healthy?
Anyways, all I can say to that is when my Vet examined the dog 48 hours after the adoption, he rated the dog at a ONE on a scale of ONE TO TEN. Mind you, this was AFTER he had gained 7 ounces in my care and AFTER he was finally strong enough to hold himself up on his back legs to walk across my living room floor. When I initially brought him home, he couldn't walk!
I have not asked for any of my adoption fees to be refunded nor have I asked for any apologies - I'm sure I wouldn't receive them anyways. What I did ask for however, is someone to acknowledge that there may have been a problem in this situation and rectify it for future animal adoptions. I have yet to hear anything back other than their initial response.in my opinion, POOR POOR SERVICE!
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