Dumped animals- I'm not a shelter!

[chickenannie]

I don't think people are dumping them to live in the wild. I think they're dumping them on farms, assuming they can live at the farm "with all the other animals" and the farmer will take care of them. I wonder if they realize we are having to pay to feed them, advertise to re-home them, and agonizing over what to do with them all.

As for the calf, we got nothing back for our efforts. The calf was very tame, and it had an auction tag stuck on its rump. It was dumped in our pasture where there were about 20 heifers (belonging to the neighbor). Maybe the dumpee was dumb enough to think they were cows that would adopt a calf. But what happened was the calf bawled its head off all day until I got home from work, and then it came running up to us, and then the heifers gathered round and nearly crushed the tiny thing to death while it was looking for a momma to nurse from. We had to put it in a stall to save it from the heifers. Then there was fear of disease being introduced onto our farm and the herd from the calf who had also been at auction where diseases are prevalent. Argh. Dumping that calf could into this herd could have had serious consequences for the neighbor's dairy and livelihood. We called all the auction houses, neighbor farmers, anyone we could think of who might be "missing" a calf. Because the calf was so tame, we concluded that some joe shmoe had bought it at auction, probably let his kids play with it, bottlefeed it, then it got scours, and he couldn't handle it and put it inside our fence.

 

[Rosalind]

I like the idea of a security camera. Doesn't stop every friend, acquaintance, friend of friend, co-worker and distant relative from thinking you're the SPCA, though. We've got a few feral cats hanging out in the barn right now, catching mice. At least they do a job.

My mother and a few other relatives figure they can just give me any critter they come across. There are some occasions when I don't mind it much: One aunt is dying of cancer, I said I would be willing to take her dog IF the original breeder didn't want it. It's not like she got cancer on purpose, you know? But when I told her, "We will be happy to give (dog) a good home, as long as you understand she will be trained with our other dogs to work draft and livestock, and get water dog titles. Is the breeder OK with that? Have all her vet visits checked for healthy joints?" all of a sudden she no longer had any problem finding another relative to take her dog, where it could be a couch cushion all day.

I think these people live in fantasy land, where they believe in their hearts that such a cute, smart little bugger as their pet will somehow survive in the wild with Bambi, Mowgli, and the Rats of Nimh. They sort of know, in an intellectual way, that this belief is false hope, but emotionally they figure all pets get adopted and every single one goes to a loving family that cuddles them and feeds them on filet mignon.

The people I know who do believe this sort of thing, also believe that meat comes from the supermarket (i.e. not cute cows, pink piggy-wiggies or clucking chickens), that monocropping and factory farming is exactly the same as family farms and backyard gardens, and similar nonsense.

 

[mistylady]

People dump critters out here also. Our nieghbor on the hill takes in every dog, the one across the canyon takes the cats and we ended up with a cat (whick I adore and wouldn't get rid of for any amount of money

).

The fake secrity camera sounds like an excellent idea!

 

[congdon476]

We have a neighbor who told me he dumped his ribcage carcasses from deer in empty fields around the prairie ... claims the coyotes eat 'em too fast for anyone to notice.... yah, because I didn't notice the one that was in his side yard for a week right?

 

[mekasmom]

Last summer someone dumped a basset hound near here. A neighbor up the hard road took him in and kept him all fall and winter. The last two weeks he has been outside our house all the time. I feel sorry for him, but he digs into the chicken pen, chases the chickens, bothers the rabbits, and sleeps in my flower beds. He is afraid of the goats, which is great. The billy butted him once, so he stays clear of them now.
I hate it too, but I don't have the heart to call AC. And the dog even comes to greet you when you drive into the lane because he knows everyone's cars. He is cute and friendly, but nobody seems to want him. It is a problem when you live in the country. I don't know what the answer is, because nobody wants to take the chance that the little dog will be destroyed. But it's not fair to him because he isn't getting any vet care as a stray. I was hoping my neighbors would take him back into their home.

 

[cottagegarden]

Quote:
Wait-is something in the water in our area? We have a cat who was thrown out of a car as a 5 week kitten at the intersection of our road one December, too. Someone brought him to us and I thought I would keep him as a barn cat, but I dont even have the heart to do that with the foxes, Great Horned Owls, Coyote...etc..
People are unbelieveable. We have a Farm Store down the road and a Pet Store in town which have official signs up with the Laws and Penalties for dumping in our State which I think is up to $1000 fine?

Maybe you should just get one of those "warning large dog "signs to keep them away from your place in general.

 

[farmerlor]

I keep wishing someone would dump something valuable like a cockatoo or parrot or a milk cow....nah, just more cats. I guess they think that all of us farmers always need another watch dog or barn cat so they dump them and then get a good night's sleep thinking that some nice farmer is taking care of their responsibility. Wrong. Most of them end up splattered on the road or supper for the coyotes.
Luckily, we have a GREAT program here that allows us to spay or neuter our "ditch kitties" for 10 bucks. They don't even care if the animals are feral. So we have a bunch of dumped cats but there is NO unauthorized breeding here on Alberti farm so the cycle stops here.

 

[monarc23]

People dump cats all the time here were we live we think it's because we have two kit barns out back and they assume we have barn cats.

At my moms work they also have several cattle barns and people dump off cats, kittens and newborn litters all the time. The bosses Poodle kills the ones that can't run....and one 12 week old was found half frozen under a car...she had no where to hide to keep warm, and her condensation from breathing stuck her to the cement....she had to be torn from the cement and my mom didnt take her to the vet and she died her at our house (i wasnt living here at the time OR my husband and i would have taken her to the vets)....


People are horirble and disgusting....

dogs dont get dumped here, they get loose and visit here but are retrieved by their owners, or by the dog catcher....dogs are normally wanted...atleast here...cats aren't....they have it bad here. I have a male cat i've adopted that was dumped here....he's a beautiful blue maine coon looking mix.