Betrayed
Warning, this is an unhappy blog. It might even turn into a rant. I'm upset.
One of my animal babies has been donated to a zoo. What's more, a zoo with a overstock kill policy. That means they kill the overstock instead of releasing them into qualified private hands. They don't stop raising baby animals, because babies bring in the public and therefore the dollars. But if no other zoo wants them, they kill off the "surplus". Which means my baby's children will probably be killed, or worse, he may be. We don't sell to this zoo, or any other zoo with a kill policy.
I only work with breeders who truely care about the animals, that aren't in it for a buck. I guess this is pretty obvious since most the breeders I know not only aren't rich, but are barely making it. Animals, well maybe they are an addiction too, who knows. None of us have any vices, we can't afford them. But if we won the lotttery, it would all go on animals or animal related projects. We think we are rich already.
But I bottle fed this baby from 14 days old. Went through teething and worrying about his diet. This little guy really never had any problems, and exhibited a sense of humor by the time he was with me for a week. He loved us and people in general. I didn't want to give him up, so I was very relieved when he was bought by some nice people who lived not too far from me. I try to stay in contact with the buyers if at all possible. The breeder I work with mostly, takes a lot of time and effort to make sure her animals are placed in good homes. She has taken in enough rescues to know how tramatized an animal gets when jerked from it's home environment into a whole new world, even if that world is a comfortable one. Some never recover. She has a policy that she will always take back one of her babies.
But we were never given a chance. She found out by accident that the couple had moved and donated their pet to a zoo. Did they know about the kill policy? Probably not. But I thought I was friends with these people, I still get emails. Never did they mention they were moving or that they couldn't keep their pet anymore. I've visited their place, the husband was very attached and my baby had a lovely clean cage, tons of toys, and every sign of being loved. Two years, and never a word that he was anything but adored. I don't understand. I feel betrayed, worse, I feel the animal is betrayed. It was always understood if something happened, I would take him back. Now he's in a zoo. He's a breeder, which probably means he won't be handled much. He's used to being in a home, with dogs and a cat and humans that love him. He always remembered us when we went to visit, no matter how long in between. What is he thinking now? He got depressed before just when his people had to be out of town too long. We had to go check on him because he wasn't eating, he was fine once he knew he hadn't been abandoned. Does he think he is abandoned now?
I want to storm the zoo, which is another state completely, and demand my baby back. I want to know what was so awful that his owners gave him up without a word to any of us who raised him. I know it is niave to think this will never happen, but we do our best to keep it from happening. Especially when you think you can trust the people and that they are friends. I want to somehow let him know that this was never anything we wanted. Yes, people's lives change, often without their control, we understand that. That's why the breeder has the return policy. She doesn't want any of her animals to be surplus or need to be rescued. She doesn't do "trendy". I give my heart to every baby I raise. Some you remember for certain traits, and you miss them more when they are gone. There's a cougar somewhere down south named Camille we remember with all our hearts. My friend still gets updates on her, her picture is on the wall, it's been 7 years. I have a web friend that I love dearly, we met when she bought one of my bottle babies. One of my best friends I met because she and her husband bought a caracal kitten. This baby we remember for his sense of humor and sweet nature, sweet above and beyond the usual sweetness of his kind.
I know it isn't always going to be a happy ending. Some things can't be avoided. But this, this could have been.
One of my animal babies has been donated to a zoo. What's more, a zoo with a overstock kill policy. That means they kill the overstock instead of releasing them into qualified private hands. They don't stop raising baby animals, because babies bring in the public and therefore the dollars. But if no other zoo wants them, they kill off the "surplus". Which means my baby's children will probably be killed, or worse, he may be. We don't sell to this zoo, or any other zoo with a kill policy.
I only work with breeders who truely care about the animals, that aren't in it for a buck. I guess this is pretty obvious since most the breeders I know not only aren't rich, but are barely making it. Animals, well maybe they are an addiction too, who knows. None of us have any vices, we can't afford them. But if we won the lotttery, it would all go on animals or animal related projects. We think we are rich already.
But I bottle fed this baby from 14 days old. Went through teething and worrying about his diet. This little guy really never had any problems, and exhibited a sense of humor by the time he was with me for a week. He loved us and people in general. I didn't want to give him up, so I was very relieved when he was bought by some nice people who lived not too far from me. I try to stay in contact with the buyers if at all possible. The breeder I work with mostly, takes a lot of time and effort to make sure her animals are placed in good homes. She has taken in enough rescues to know how tramatized an animal gets when jerked from it's home environment into a whole new world, even if that world is a comfortable one. Some never recover. She has a policy that she will always take back one of her babies.
But we were never given a chance. She found out by accident that the couple had moved and donated their pet to a zoo. Did they know about the kill policy? Probably not. But I thought I was friends with these people, I still get emails. Never did they mention they were moving or that they couldn't keep their pet anymore. I've visited their place, the husband was very attached and my baby had a lovely clean cage, tons of toys, and every sign of being loved. Two years, and never a word that he was anything but adored. I don't understand. I feel betrayed, worse, I feel the animal is betrayed. It was always understood if something happened, I would take him back. Now he's in a zoo. He's a breeder, which probably means he won't be handled much. He's used to being in a home, with dogs and a cat and humans that love him. He always remembered us when we went to visit, no matter how long in between. What is he thinking now? He got depressed before just when his people had to be out of town too long. We had to go check on him because he wasn't eating, he was fine once he knew he hadn't been abandoned. Does he think he is abandoned now?
I want to storm the zoo, which is another state completely, and demand my baby back. I want to know what was so awful that his owners gave him up without a word to any of us who raised him. I know it is niave to think this will never happen, but we do our best to keep it from happening. Especially when you think you can trust the people and that they are friends. I want to somehow let him know that this was never anything we wanted. Yes, people's lives change, often without their control, we understand that. That's why the breeder has the return policy. She doesn't want any of her animals to be surplus or need to be rescued. She doesn't do "trendy". I give my heart to every baby I raise. Some you remember for certain traits, and you miss them more when they are gone. There's a cougar somewhere down south named Camille we remember with all our hearts. My friend still gets updates on her, her picture is on the wall, it's been 7 years. I have a web friend that I love dearly, we met when she bought one of my bottle babies. One of my best friends I met because she and her husband bought a caracal kitten. This baby we remember for his sense of humor and sweet nature, sweet above and beyond the usual sweetness of his kind.
I know it isn't always going to be a happy ending. Some things can't be avoided. But this, this could have been.
posted by Renae Winters at
12:40 AM
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