Human failure = losses (long)

[LynneP]

I'm so very sorry that your trust was betrayed and for the loss of your beloved animals. Be sure to let others know that that woman should not be called for animal care. I hope your son is all right, and I know that it will be difficult for you to trust again. Keep in mind that your son may blame himself too and he may need some reassurance on this. Kids have a way of blaming themselves even when it isn't their fault.

I hope that in time you may be able to trust again, because we all have emergencies, and need support.

 

[speckledhen]

That's no friend. Period. You do not want to associate with people who care so little for the comfort and welfare of animals because they treat humans the same way. I'd never have anything to do with her again....AFTER she paid for all the animals she killed.

 

[Julie08]

How is your son?

 

[priszilla]

I am so sorry-I can't imagine the horror.

 

[brookwoodpat]

She was amazed that you were upset to come home, and find all this carnage and suffering rather than well tended animals -- the animals you knew individually and raised from infancy, but SHE was upset to have to view the results of her own actions and said you were cruel? This is a deranged woman.


You should file animal cruelty charges and call the SPCA. And you ought to bill her for the animals, and the expenses of raising them, if you care to. You probably don't have anything in writing, but she deserves to pay for her neglect.

I asked my next door neighbor once to feed and water my ducks while I was gone for a week. She agreed. I came back and my ducks were fine, but when I went over to take her a present, she admitted she had totally forgotten. I was shocked. It's really hard to trust people.

I have to hire a pet sitter for two absences this summer -- one for 2 weeks and one for 2 days. This is a professional pet sitter (supposedly licensed, bonded insured) so I hope she does her job. I wouldn't go if I didn't have to, but I do.

 

[s6bee]

I hope this woman doesn't have pets of her own, I would seriously question thier condition. I just don't get it. It amazes me what people will do if they think they can get away with it. I'm so sorry. I hope she wasn't a dear friend becuase there is obviously a loss in that if so.
You did a good thing to bring her there to see the mess she left. You know the saying, "what you don't know can't hurt you", well, she knows now and I hope it hurts.

I am very worried about leaving this summer for a MUCH needed vacation in July. We never go more than a weekend and I'm leaving for a full week. I don't have anyone yet lined up to come and I'm scared about what will happen.

Again, so sorry for your loss.

 

[mangled]

Thanks, everyone.

Her husband, who had NO idea she had agreed to petsit, called today to find out what was going on. I guess she came home in tears, ranting about what a ridiculous, crazy woman I was.

I told him the whole story, how the animals had died, and explained how the kitten (who, BTW, is at the vet's on IV fluids) will most likely have a several hundred dollar bill, and the dog's weight loss, everything. I even went into graphic detail and offered pictures of my slaughtered chicks. I told him I was considering pressing charges.

He is more than upset with her, to say the least. He asked me what he could do to "make things better". I'm just so emotionally spent from this whole week, I told him if he could just take care of the kitten's vet bill, I'd let the rest go. He has all ready contacted our vet and given his credit card info, so that's off my mind.

The kitten looked a bit better this morning, but I wasn't real convinced she was going to pull through, so off she went to the vet. Poor little thing is just a bag of bones.

I still don't know what became of the other kitten. My little girl is just beside herself with the whole situation.

I've known this lady over five years. She's a helper in my non-profit, she's been a huge asset to our group, I would never had imagined in a million years she was so irresponsible. Her husband explained that she had gotten free passes to a local carnival for her and their kids and had gone those three nights to the carnival. I told him I hope she had a good time while my animals were dying of thirst and hunger.

My son is doing better. He has had an undetected heart defect and had a heart catheterization after he became suddenly ill at home. He had a terrible anesthesia reaction, and we were in the hospital 9 days with low oxygen levels and irregular heartrates. He's okay now, but we will be going into the hospital on July 8th for an open-heart procedure to correct the issue and replace a valve.

This woman is - was - on the board of my non-profit organization, which offers support to parents of terminally ill children. She knows my history, she knows we lost a child to cancer, and how agonized we are over our son's illness, and she still did this to me.

I'm just really depressed right now. Sometimes I just feel cursed or something, you know?

Anyway - thanks for the support, everyone. We had a mass burial this morning up near where my wild irises are blooming. We'll start rebuilding the flock after my son is out of the hospital.

Em

 

[horsejody]

When we have to go out of town, we have 3 neighbor's sit for us. One is in charge of the horses, one is in charge of the cats, and one is in charge of the chickens. They each care for their charges, but also check on the others. The dog comes with us. When he can't come with us, he stays at a friends house. Her dogs are his buddies. I recipercate by taking care of the neighbors' animals when they are gone. I live in a some what rural area, so only one of these people are actually "right next door." Thankfully, we have never had a problem.

 

[brookwoodpat]

She is very lucky if she gets away with her husband paying the cat's vet bill. That's nothing.

If you watch any Animal Planet Animal cops, or any of the SPCA shows that are on at 10pm (there are three or four, from Miami, Houston, New York City and Arizona), she could be charged with animal cruelty and get arrested. While she'd probably just get a fine, and maybe some community service, just being arrested, getting the handcuffs, spending sometime in a holding facility might be a nice punishment for her. Going to a carnival is NO excuse -- she could have fed and watered the animals before she left. She's setting a great example for her kids. I agree with you that at the very least she doesn't belong on your non profit -- but they should buy you new chickens and pay for the feed that it took you to raise the ones you had to that point. She promised to do something, she was paid, and she had no good excuse -- she didn't even call you!!!!. Or anyone else! And so she should pay the consequences of her cruelty. It isn't just the loss of your animals, it's the cruelty she put them through and you through and your daughter, thinking about their suffering. If she has no conscience to realize she did wrong, she definitely doesn't belong on your charity.

I hope your son fully recovers, and your remaining animals, and you and your daughter from this trauma.

 

[SpottedCrow]

The husband sounds reasonable...the wife not so much...
I've had 6 Catheterizations...blech...not fun...
good luck with your son...