Rescue Rant

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Suzygpr

Suzygpr

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Well I rarely moan about anything, especially rescuing as I chose to do it. BUT...
I'm getting to the point of shifting my rescues into P@H as the pigs in the adoption centre seem to get rehomed over true rescue pigs sitting waiting for their new families in rescue centres all around the country.

The pigs in P@H are safe, fed and indoors. There are 100s of pigs that not in those conditions which could be given a new life IF rescues had any space - if you want to help piggies please help the ones that will make a difference and choose a rescue - taking shop pigs will absolve the shops of their responsibilites and they will just be replaced by the next poor unfortunate animal.

Suzy
 
Well said...I actually got in trouble for telling someone in P@H the only reason half of the animals were in there was as they couldn't sell them and they needed room for more cute babies...ah well, who cares, it wasn't my nice local P@H (the only one I actually like)
 
I agree Suzy, I for one openly admit too taking in a Pets at Home adoption which was my Fred. I was very lucky as Fred is healthy.

When I lived in Belfast, I went into pets at home too find a baby guinea pig in adoption with no food, hay or hide. I immediately went to the desk too ask why she didn't have the essentials too allow her to live. To be told she had just arrived with the other babies but as she did not have any eyes, they were unable to sell her so she was placed in adoption.

This reminded me that these animals are merely stock and seen as goods. I do believe to make a difference, you have to hit them were it hurts and being a business that would be there Wallet.

For this reason and many others I will not fund Pets at Home, as I strongly believe all petshops should not sell animals. Rather than put myself though the agony of going in and going "Aw" she needs someone, I choose not too add to the problem by funding such a company.
 
Couldn't have said it better myself. Until the recent local newspaper article, we had a lot of pigs who had been here since October waiting for homes - nice, young, smooth haired pairs of piggies... nothing 'wrong' with them at all, just not cute babies or sat their with sob stories in the 'adoption' centre rolleyes

It is very disheartening.

Rescue from a rescue - not from a profiteering pet shop

Sophie
x
 
Couldn't agree more, only wish we had room for more than 2 - can only really take 2 on holiday/house indoors over winter.
 
Sadly in the past week I have heard of more petshop pigs being homed than rescue piggies, the rescues seem to be losing out in the adoption stakes.

Fingers crossed the tide will change and more forum members will choose rescues next time - if you can't resist a sad tale or pair of eyes please look through the Rescue and Rehoming section on the forum so those little pigs, whose rescues can't afford tv advertising or the like, at least get seen and considered.

Suzy x
 
Suzy, do you advertise in the P@H local to you?

In Leicester we have two P@H.... Honeybunnies advertise in one, have piggies available for adoption up on the wall and the newer P@H which opened in November has adverts for the piggies in Avalon GPR in Nottingham. They both have a good amount of space on the wall where they have their details and adoption notices. I don't know whether they get much interest though, I would imagine Honeybunnies would get more than Avalon as it is a Leicester based rescue, however I could be wrong.
 
I heartily agree Suzy. I'm sick to the back teeth of hearing people on here buying pigs from pets at home. You'd think people would be more educated after spending time on this forum! It makes me mad! :)>>>
 
Here's an idea then why don't you set up a donation page for a newspaper advertisement for the rescues who need help. Newspaper adverts aren't too pricey but being a rescue every little helps.
 
I would always go to a rescue over a pet shop, to be honest i'm not really sure pet shops should sell animals at all.
 
People do seem to be getting a lot of guinea pigs from pets at home atm which is a real shame. They say they look 'sad' etc but think of the real rescue guineas who are wanting homes.
 
All guinea pigs, as with all pets, deserve a happy and well cared for life. If you take the discussion down to pig level, it is as simple as that, and that is how people justify buying from a pet shop adoption section. Non of us could argue with that basic principle. However people, do not fool yourselves that this is not still lining the pockets of business. Your choice is simple: support business or support rescue. The two are most definitely not the same and cannot be justified by a pair of sad eyes.
 
Their is a well know poem which i always relate to pet shop piggies although its about puppy mills in america, i find it helps put things into persepctive for me, this is one of the paragraphs from the poem which i remember whenever i see a piggie in PAH (i've change the puppy part to piggie):

"You want to take me home with you, a happy little piggie.
But please, though it is fearful to live here against our will.
If you take me that leaves a spot another pig will fill.
You can stop our suffering but not by taking us home.
You must be strong and leave us here, unsold and all alone.

For if you do not take me, then another pig won't come.
And maybe he will not be shipped so far away from home.
Tho some of us may not survive the cycle 'ere it falls.
If we don't sell they will not need more piggies in these halls.
And if they need no piggies then the Man will not bring more.

Eventually it can all stop! You CAN close the door.
So when you see a piggy face so sad and sweet and small.
In a cage at a Pet Store at your neighborhood shopping mall.
The best thing you can do for him is leave him sitting there.
That is the best way you can tell all pigs how much you care.



Hope you dont mind me posting

Laura x
 
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AudioHeart said:
Their is a well know poem which i always relate to pet shop piggies although its about puppy mills in america, i find it helps put things into persepctive for me, this is one of the paragraphs from the poem which i remember whenever i see a piggie in PAH (i've change the puppy part to piggie):

"You want to take me home with you, a happy little piggie.
But please, though it is fearful to live here against our will.
If you take me that leaves a spot another pig will fill.
You can stop our suffering but not by taking us home.
You must be strong and leave us here, unsold and all alone.

For if you do not take me, then another pig won't come.
And maybe he will not be shipped so far away from home.
Tho some of us may not survive the cycle 'ere it falls.
If we don't sell they will not need more piggies in these halls.
And if they need no piggies then the Man will not bring more.

Eventually it can all stop! You CAN close the door.
So when you see a piggy face so sad and sweet and small.
In a cage at a Pet Store at your neighborhood shopping mall.
The best thing you can do for him is leave him sitting there.
That is the best way you can tell all pigs how much you care.



Hope you dont mind me posting

Laura x
Click to expand...

That poem has me in tears :0
 
Ooohhh I'm sorry, its a bittersweet poem isnt it? :( Really makes you think :(
 
That's so sad :(, but yet so true. Thank you so much for posting that poem perhaps people may think twice. X
 
It is sad but also true, i think and know sometimes when you see pets in pet shops you forget where they come from, and how they have been brought up too :(
 
Aw that poem is sad :(
Before coming here, like most people I didn't really think about rescue - I don't know why because I'd always considered it for cats/dogs. I don't think I fully understood the overwhelming numbers of homeless guinea pigs. But since being on this forum I have learnt a lot, and I definately can't wait to rescue a piggy, hopefully as Frazzle's new girlfriend once he's fit and ready.
Luckily, I don't have to shop at P@H as I work for a pet store. When I started working here there was no livestock which suited me fine. But just before christmas we had an animal unit fitted. I do not agree with it however it is my job and it's one of those things I'm going to have to bear until something else comes along. On the other hand I personally do not sell animals, and if anybody comes in wanting to talk about buying an animal I talk them through it and ask them to take some time to think it over. We have also fitted signs on the animal unit telling customers to think twice about buying an animal as it is a life long committment. However deep down I just know it's not enough.
 
Obviously the best place to get a pet is a rescue, for any pet. But I don't think it makes someone a bad person for going to a pet shop or breeder (especially a good breeder, which is a million times better than a bad breeder or bad pet shop).

I bought my dogs from breeders, aswell as my rabbits, 4 of my guinea pigs come from pet shops (no other choice round here for g-pigs to be honest), 5 of my cats are rescues, and 1 cat was from a litter my cat had (when I was 12 before anyone gets mad, my cats are all neutered now). So I've got all sorts, and I don't think anything is wrong with that.

Ok I think the pet shop I bought one of them in was bad (well it wasn't when I went there, but have since gone to other branches that were bad) so I feel bad about supporting them, and don't anymore, but I couldn't find a female guinea pig anywhere else and had been searching for months for a friend for my lone pig. I think it's wrong that I went there and wouldn't again. But I would go to a good pet shop if I couldn't find any breeders.

And I see nothing wrong with going to a good breeder (none of mine were from bad breeders or puppy farms!) because they are taking business away from pet shops and bad breeders. Obviously everyone should go to rescues, but that won't happen anytime soon, so there is a need for good breeders. And some breeders are good, I know breeders who are amazing, and also rescue pets too, so you can't say all breeders don't care, most do. (Hope this isn't against the rules, cos I'm not exactly talking about breeding, just saying not all breeders are bad.)

And my old pig Meeko, and my cats are rescues, cos they're just moggies :) But I would have no problem buying a pedigree cat either if I wanted one.

I think the pet shops and the bad breeders are the bad guys, not the people who love their pets and look after them well.
 
Where has anyone said that buying from a pet shop/breeder makes someone a bad person?mallethead

This is merely an argument about Rescue v Pet Shop - not about people being bad.

At the end of the day this a pro rescue forum (supposedly) so feelings will always be strong regarding pet shop piggies (in my humble opinion)
 
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AudioHeart said:
It is sad but also true, i think and know sometimes when you see pets in pet shops you forget where they come from, and how they have been brought up too :(
Click to expand...

This may give you the answer. Over the years the way in which the individual P@H acquired their pigs has changed, going from local breeders, usually on a small scale with good standard of care to today's supplier on a national scale.

One of the suppliers named by someone in the know is Simons Rodents. The list of animals in stock is eye opening, as is the list of frozen animals destined as feed.

http://www.simonsrodents.co.uk/products___prices.html

Make your own mind up as to whether you want your cash to feed this type of enterprise.

Suzy x
 
Bailey said:
Where has anyone said that buying from a pet shop/breeder makes someone a bad person?mallethead

This is merely an argument about Rescue v Pet Shop - not about people being bad.

At the end of the day this a pro rescue forum (supposedly) so feelings will always be strong regarding pet shop piggies (in my humble opinion)
Click to expand...

Nobody said that, but the way some people talk (not on this forum, but on others) it makes someone a less good person. I guess I went off on a tangent, but I have had people say "if you buy a pet, you personally are killing a pet in the pound".

I think, even though it's a pro-rescue forum, opinions should only be brought up if they are asked for, like in a discussion like this thread.

But if someone makes a post saying something like, "I just bought a new pig in the pet shop" then people shouldn't say "oh you should have gone to a rescue". They're allowed have an opinion, but it's a bit pushy to say that, IMO.
 
CiaraPatricia said:
Nobody said that, but the way some people talk (not on this forum, but on others) it makes someone a less good person. I guess I went off on a tangent, but I have had people say "if you buy a pet, you personally are killing a pet in the pound".

I think, even though it's a pro-rescue forum, opinions should only be brought up if they are asked for, like in a discussion like this thread.

But if someone makes a post saying something like, "I just bought a new pig in the pet shop" then people shouldn't say "oh you should have gone to a rescue". They're allowed have an opinion, but it's a bit pushy to say that, IMO.
Click to expand...

This is where principles and double standards come in though, which was never really answered in my original 'A Question for you' thread. I think I was just being too polite and not wishing to make anyone feel uncomfortable, because when someone comes on saying how they are all excited because they have a new piggy and they got it from the adoption section, it is hard to be excited along with them when we know, that it could have been a guinea pig from a rescue. This is particularly true when it is forum members who have seen all the bad press etc etc on here., and still do it. Not always applicable though to the people who first off get their guinea pigs from there, then as they do research, realise that there are rescues around.
 
nutmeg said:
This is where principles and double standards come in though, which was never really answered in my original 'A Question for you' thread. I think I was just being too polite and not wishing to make anyone feel uncomfortable, because when someone comes on saying how they are all excited because they have a new piggy and they got it from the adoption section, it is hard to be excited along with them when we know, that it could have been a guinea pig from a rescue. This is particularly true when it is forum members who have seen all the bad press etc etc on here., and still do it. Not always applicable though to the people who first off get their guinea pigs from there, then as they do research, realise that there are rescues around.
Click to expand...

I know why people are upset about it, I do understand that. And I know it can be frustrating and people can get sick of it when there's lots of posts with the same thing. Especially when people complain about the pet shop and say they bought the pet in the same post . . .

I don't think pet shops should be allowed sell pets at all, even "good" pet shops . . . and I think it's fine to make posts about it and debating it. But if someone makes a post about their new pet from a pet shop, and people don't like it, well I'd either just try to be polite or ignore it. In fairness, most people are always very polite on this forum. :)
 
CiaraPatricia said:
Nobody said that, but the way some people talk (not on this forum, but on others) it makes someone a less good person. I guess I went off on a tangent, but I have had people say "if you buy a pet, you personally are killing a pet in the pound".

I think, even though it's a pro-rescue forum, opinions should only be brought up if they are asked for, like in a discussion like this thread.

But if someone makes a post saying something like, "I just bought a new pig in the pet shop" then people shouldn't say "oh you should have gone to a rescue". They're allowed have an opinion, but it's a bit pushy to say that, IMO.
Click to expand...

It's a pro-rescue forum so people are going to say that. A forum IS a place to share opinions and ideas and if people are going to post on a public forum then they should be prepared for ALL opinions, not just ones they agree with. It's just how forums work and to be honest the forum would be a boring place (just like the real world) if everyone agreed with everyone else all the time.

With regards to the whole posting of "adoptables" we've had a lot of PMs recently about them taking up space on the rehoming board and possibly distracting from the "real" rescues.

How would people feel if I created a poll on this to see what people think?
 
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