So called 'rescue'... *rant*

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TiddlesMidnight&Squeaky

TiddlesMidnight&Squeaky

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Hello everyone. I'm sorry to post a rant, but I really need some members opinions on this.
I have been recently looking for another boar to keep my lonely pig company. I was having not much luck in finding a rescue locally, so I decided to contact the rescue which I got my lonely pig from (he was with a friend but they've had to be seperated). I was having a browse of their website and it turns out they breed piggies aswell?! I had always assumed that rescues disagreed with breeding. I will not name the rescue, but it clearly states that it is a guinea pig rescue. I had absolutely no idea that they were breeders when I got my guinea pigs from there. They didnt say a thing about it! And now I feel really guilty that I might have brought from a breeder :(
Needless to say, I will not be getting any more guinea pigs from that so called 'rescue'.
Phew, rant over!
Xx
 
Sadly it's all too common. I could rant for days about it - and have been known to LOL. The forum does not allow name and shame as it causes a lot of upset.

A bit more reading of their websites will tell you if they are a breeder - or googling of phone numbers which will bring up adverts or breeding websites.

It's very difficult for a rescue to criticise another as we all have different policies - I will however be honest in my opinion if asked for it by PM or email.

Suzy x
 
As someone who is not an expert in this field, what is the issue with breeding?
 
Breeding just means more guinea pigs are produced that could end up being neglected! Guinea Pig Rescues all over the UK are jam-packed full of piggies looking for their forever homes. Breeding more just means that these poor piggies have to wait even longer as many people don't realise they're rescues out there and they will just go to their local pet shop and buy them. Then the pet shop will get more piggies and the process will continue.

Plus pregnancies can be dangerous to mummy pig.
 
Hanwombat said:
Breeding just means more guinea pigs are produced that could end up being neglected! Guinea Pig Rescues all over the UK are jam-packed full of piggies looking for their forever homes. Breeding more just means that these poor piggies have to wait even longer as many people don't realise they're rescues out there and they will just go to their local pet shop and buy them. Then the pet shop will get more piggies and the process will continue.

Plus pregnancies can be dangerous to mummy pig.
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I'll admit I didn't really know about guinea pig rescues, or how badly some people treat these animals, before this forum.

My piggies are adopted but originally came from Pets at Home.
 
I was having a quick browse of their website, and on the homepage it said something like this
'we are a guinea pig rescue located in.......(I dont really want to say where it is, sorry). We do our best to take in unwanted guinea pigs and sometimes other small animals and try to find them a home. We are also a breeder of texel and merino guinea pigs.'
I clicked on the 'need rehoming' section and it just came up with a lot of texel and merino babies, implying that either they dont have any 'rescue' guinea pigs in, or that selling the babies is their main priority :{
It just angered me, because when we got my piggies from there, they didnt say a word about breeding :(
Suzy, I had absolutely no idea that it was common! I had better check more carefully, i had just always assumed that rescues aims were to rehome guinea pigs, not breed them mallethead
Xx
 
Many breeders that rescue cannot see the connection between producing more babies and there not being enough homes to go round.

I've been rescuing for quite a while now and I have never run out of pigs for rehoming as there are always pigs in need of help. I live in a sparsely populated area of the country but I have had almost 1000 pigs come through my doors, why on earth would anyone want to make more when there are so many already begging for homes. grrrr
 
If they are breeders I think its a good thing that they chose to rescue also, I know if i saw or herd of some piggys in need i would take them in and get them in fit shape for rehomeing (same with any animal).
They sound like responsible breeders whos care for the welfaire of piggys.
(but without seeing the website its hard to judge).
 
Floydie said:
If they are breeders I think its a good thing that they chose to rescue also, I know if i saw or herd of some piggys in need i would take them in and get them in fit shape for rehomeing (same with any animal).
They sound like responsible breeders whos care for the welfaire of piggys.
(but without seeing the website its hard to judge).
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you have a good point.
However, I would not cause a fuss if they were called 'Guinea Pig Breeders'. But it clearly says 'Guinea Pig Rescue' in the name of the place, and on the website. When we adopted from them, I was given the idea that they were just a rescue. There was nothing said about the fact that they also are breeders. If they were breeders, who also took in unwanted animals then thats fair enough. But they are a rescue. In my humble opinion, I think rehoming the guinea pigs who are 'rescues' should be put first, rather than breeding more.
Xx
 
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Floydie said:
If they are breeders I think its a good thing that they chose to rescue also, I know if i saw or herd of some piggys in need i would take them in and get them in fit shape for rehomeing (same with any animal).
They sound like responsible breeders whos care for the welfaire of piggys.
(but without seeing the website its hard to judge).
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For me, the problem starts where the "rescue side" is just and mainly used to dump their unwanted breeding stock onto the unwary. Sadly, there are no regulations or control as to who can call themselves a rescue.
 
TiddlesMidnight&Squeaky said:
you have a good point.
However, I would not cause a fuss if they were called 'Guinea Pig Breeders'. But it clearly says 'Guinea Pig Rescue' in the name of the place, and on the website. When we adopted from them, I was given the idea that they were just a rescue. There was nothing said about the fact that they also are breeders. If they were breeders, who also took in unwanted animals then thats fair enough. But they are a rescue. In my humble opinion, I think rehoming the guinea pigs who are 'rescues' should be put first, rather than breeding more.
Xx
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Fair point maybe they should have linked websites for both rescue and breeding and explain things abit better, but i havent seen the site so dont know how its set out lol.
Maybe send them an email just to state that they should explain things more clearly on the website?
 
Wiebke said:
For me, the problem starts where the "rescue side" is just and mainly used to dump their unwanted breeding stock onto the unwary. Sadly, there are no regulations or control as to who can call themselves a rescue.
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But how do you know this is the case?
 
Floydie said:
Fair point maybe they should have linked websites for both rescue and breeding and explain things abit better, but i havent seen the site so dont know how its set out lol.
Maybe send them an email just to state that they should explain things more clearly on the website?
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Yeah :). It has been a while since i got my piggie from there (about 7-8 months) so they might not have bred then. Maybe I'm overreacting, I just thought it was highly hypocritical to be 'rescuing' guinea pigs, and breeding them at the same time. I will probably send them an email enquiring about this :)
Xx
 
Wiebke said:
For me, the problem starts where the "rescue side" is just and mainly used to dump their unwanted breeding stock onto the unwary. Sadly, there are no regulations or control as to who can call themselves a rescue.
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Very true. There was a little guinea pig on there who couldnt be 'sold' because he had a problem with one of his front legs. So they out him in the 'adoption section' because he was unable to sell at 'full price'.
Although they did specify that he needed an experienced loving home an to be introduced to other piggies. It does sound like they care for them, but its still not right to call yourself a rescue but yet focus on the breeding side of it.
Xx
 
TiddlesMidnight&Squeaky said:
Yeah :). It has been a while since i got my piggie from there (about 7-8 months) so they might not have bred then. Maybe I'm overreacting, I just thought it was highly hypocritical to be 'rescuing' guinea pigs, and breeding them at the same time. I will probably send them an email enquiring about this :)
Xx
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Good idea :).
 
I can understand why you are upset as I bet it feels like you were decieved ever so slightly, if you had known at the time (if in fact they were breeding back then) then at least you would have been able to make an informed decision as to whether that is where you wanted to adopt from or go elsewhere to a sole rescue instead of a breeder/rescue.

xx
 
Bailey said:
I can understand why you are upset as I bet it feels like you were decieved ever so slightly, if you had known at the time (if in fact they were breeding back then) then at least you would have been able to make an informed decision as to whether that is where you wanted to adopt from or go elsewhere to a sole rescue instead of a breeder/rescue.

xx
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Thankyou :). I do feel a bit annoyed and decieved. If I had known that they were breeders, I wouldnt even think of going there to adopt from.
Xx
 
I agree with Wiebke, if they're a rescue - fantastic, if they a breeder - that's up to them, but the two shouldn't overlap for their own means and being a Rescue shouldn't be a way to get rid of 'stock that can't be sold'. If they're showing lots of their own breed in the 'Adopt us' link, it sounds a little off to me, especially for such rare breeds.

If they are a genuine person who loves their animals and is worried about their welfare and is happy to take in waifs and strays then I guess it's a bit different..
 
Little Piggles said:
If they are a genuine person who loves their animals and is worried about their welfare and is happy to take in waifs and strays then I guess it's a bit different..
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I agree. They do seem like genuine people, were very nice and understanding when we were adopting from them. It just bugs me how they call themself a rescue, yet mainly focus on the breeding part of it. Maybe they dont understand that breeding is bad, and there are many guinea pigs out there who need homes. But surely they'd know that, seen as they are a rescue? Its so confusing!
Xx
 
A rescue should be just that, a rescue.
A breeder should be just that (not a fan myself)

When the two entwine, things dont quite work out.
I am happy to help breeders who are closing, I wont take excess 'stock' knowingly.

I often wonder why breeders do 'rescue'. Is it to fund the rescue? I couldnt run my rescue without using some of my own money and this is my choice, its my hobby but I would never use money made out of selling animals.
I also couldnt run it without fundraising and donations of which i am always grateful. But fundraising is hard work and if your not prepared to put your back into something then dont bother. I see that breeding is the easy way of fundraising.

It worries me that another rescue in Crawley that keeps opening and closing (not Palace Piggie Rescue whom I work with closely) was advertising wanting sows!!
It also annoys me when rescues pick and choose which pigs they are rescuing, recently one rescue in Essex said they would take all the girls.....infact they now havent taken any. I have taken the boys and found other rescues to help me. In the new year we are going in to get the girls.

I currently have 25 piggies up for adoption and out of them there are 3 girls!
 
Just noticed you live in Surrey, so do I . I am quite curious :{ although I don't plan to get any more pigs for a very long time so I guess I'm safe. Maybe you could write them an email politely asking your queries?
 
My local breeder also does small scale rescue taking old class pets (rabbits, guineas, tortoises) and they do advertise rehoming for some of them now and again but they keep most as pets themselves, but they are not saying they are a rescue, they are a "small scale breeder"


Taken out link to breeder website - posting links are against the rules. thanks

I would buy from these people if I wanted a Swiss piggie as some point , they are close friends of a work colleague that I feel I can trust :-)
 
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i really do not agree with breeding in any form. if they claim to be a rescue alongside actively breeding they are not a rescue. for every pig that they deliberately breed there are going to be babies, and lots. and for every new birth those rescue pigs that are maybe older, less 'cute' and with what i would describe as quirks but some would think of as problems, those rescue pigs get pushed further and further back in the queue. when are those pigs going to find homes?

i would be so upset if i had found that out. i presume you gave a donation for your pigs, but where did it go? into the breeding?

for me, being pro rescue is a belief, rather than just something that is a bit on the side of a business. i believe that animals shouldn't be bred for profit. i think it's insulting to the people, many of which are on this forum that genuinely rescue animals, and rescue regardless of the problems they have or their sex, looks etc; that that place calls itself a rescue. i don't believe you can combine the two as it is hypocrisy at the highest level.

the end. x
 
CrawleyGuineaPigRescue said:
Becki, wouldn't it be nicer to find a swiss teddy in a rescue and rehome from there?
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Definitely it would :-) my 2 piggies are rescued and I got them age 1 and abit ish, if a rescue has a pair of sow baby swiss or lunkarya's id definitely go for them but its unlikely they ever will.

I also am going to look after my two piggies for one year and then consider getting more so its all really thought at the moment :-) they are amazing and the temptation to get loads is huge but I will resist my two are more than adequate for now.

I do not have a problem with responsible breeders who dont really breed to sell, they breed to improve their lines and for show stock and keep them like pets rather than livestock. These IMHO are better than P@H or petstores and the P@H I got too old to sell adoption too.
 
Bekki2308 said:
I do not have a problem with responsible breeders who dont really breed to sell, they breed to improve their lines and for show stock and keep them like pets rather than livestock. These IMHO are better than P@H or petstores and the P@H I got too old to sell adoption too.
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Would you agree with choosing a person hair, eye and nose quality? Many breeders who breed to show have no issues breeding son to mother if it improves there lines. I don't know much about breeding but surely this is not a responsible thing to do.

As for rescues having swiss - you would be surprised what rescues have in. If you want a certain piggy, you would find it.
 
On the positive side at least you have found out the truth now and they wont be getting your help anymore. I hope you find a very deserving rescue piggy :)
 
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