It is Thursday! I had coffee! I am making a trial batch of kik alicha because in a week I will be seeing TGIL (TM) and I need my spice game on point. So a thread: 1 like=1 thing about animal rescue based on years of experience volunteering, running and fundraising for various animal welfare groups!
23) A lot of people start animal rescues thinking that they only need to love animals. Those are the ones that end up in the news.
22) I also wouldn’t adopt from a rescue that will not take its animals back
21) Talk to foster parents of the animals you’re considering. If you don’t get that option? Run. Also if there’s no foster parents, just adopt from a municipal shelter; they too warehouse animals but unlike private shelters, there’s oversight
20) There is a free search on IRS webpage for 501c3 nonprofits. Use it. Only findable organizations are eligible for tax-deductible donations. More relevant: some will lie about their status. Always check.
19) More red flags: rescues that dictate how to care for the animal post-adoption (besides basics like vaccines). Especially dog rescues that demand feeding raw or grain-free, or that you use specific trainers
18) Socialization window closes at 2 months old for cats, 4 months old for dogs. Truly feral cats (not socialized to humans during critical period) cannot be socialized (desensitization and counterconditioning are possible but are a different thing.) Rescues that bring feral cats indoors are suspect
i so dearly wish i could bring in the last feral guy in the yard but i know that it would just be disastrous for him so o tale delight on leaving out food and providing comfy cushions for him to spend the day sleeping on.
17) Donate money. The services that let you donate supplies to rescues overcharge - monetary donation will go further (especially since most have discount vendors etc). I suspect people prefer donating supplies because the USians are Calvinist control freaks who love policing charities and the poors
16) I have a strong suspicion that some people who got into dog rescue did so only because they were too unhinged to work for CPS
15) OTOH for dogs littermate syndrome is also a thing! If a rescue allows you to adopt 2 puppies, I wouldn’t work with them.
14) Temperament exception: Single kitten syndrome is real. I don’t care if you adopted a single kitten and it turned out fine, the risk of them becoming psychos who attack your feet as you walk are very high. Adopt two kittens or an older cat if you only have room for one
13) You should be able to ask questions and get answers! Medical history, temperament etc. Exception to the temperament question: kittens. Those fuckers eat, shit, and act obnoxious. Personality will develop later and it will not be predictable! Except…
12) If you want to adopt cat/dog, look into different rescues! Red flags imo: application longer than Moby Dick; questions about employment and other personal stuff. There’s usually an inverse correlation between the standard they have for adopters and for themselves
11) Private foundations are a better source of funding than individual donations, which are fickle. I spend more time writing grants than doing anything else for my rescue, but the result is if there’s an emergency, we can handle it.
10) Fundraising is difficult because everyone is asking for donations on Facebook. If you’re thinking about starting a rescue let me tell you: you won’t fund it that way. You HAVE to apply for grants.
9) I left a dog rescue once because the CEO/president didn't believe in veterinary behaviorists and preferred dog trainers (another completely unregulated profession). She worked in human healthcare.
8) I am pretty convinced almost anyone who wants to be a nonprofit CEO has a personality disorder. That goes double for animal rescues.
the non-profit industrial complex is real and becomes most frightening the higher you look in leadership and the larger the organization
Even small rescues are staffed with assholes who will absolutely scream in your face about how they are saving lives if you question whether it’s healthy for a dog to be crated 24/7 in its own filth
we've been super lucky: the municipality contracts with the humaine society shelter which is rolling in 💰 & volunteers from an affluent, supportive community. it can be done well, but can well believe it most often isn't.
No open intake?
Yes, completely open intake, even emergency drop off. Their biggest problem it seems is that so many people want to come and help that it's hard getting a volunteer spot to play with the doggoes. Honestly, it's one of the things that makes me proudest about this town.
Amazing!
7) Like my rescue doesn't euthanize for space because we are very selective with our intakes! We don't call ourselves no-kill because that gives people a wrong impression. Some say they won't support "kill shelters" but those are the ones who need the most help.
6) I resent the term "kill shelter". Municipal shelters cannot turn away animals brought in. They are also limited on space. Anyone who brags about being no-kill has discretionary intake and can fuck right off with that bullshit.
5) Private rescues often pull animals from overcrowded municipal shelters, which is a good thing as long as the rescue can provide necessary care. I cannot tell you how many times I saw someone pull a cat who needs medical care and then cat sits and waits for the funds to be raised. Not ideal!
4) Cat rescues especially have trouble fundraising and very often end up basically indistinguishable from an animal hoarding situation.
3) In the US there’re no standards or oversight for how private rescues are run. As the result, most are run poorly.
2) I have seen rescue workers advocating for taking away animals of the unhoused people
1) I strongly distrust anyone who puts animal welfare above human welfare. That includes most rescue people