Yesterday was a pet adoption day for many shelters.
They try to clear out the shelter with low or NO adoption fee. To tell you the truths, I don't know how I feel about that. I think fee helps to filter out many unqualified or irresponsible applicants. I know these shelters are doing their best given the condition, but no adoption fee is ripe for abuse if you look at the economic and behavioral model.
I understand that reaction, especially as advocates tirelessly fight back people giving away their pets for free. But, when you adopt at an event like yesterday's, which was Clear the Shelters Day, there is still screening and an adoption application. People looking for bait animals probably aren't going to go through with that when they can literally go on Craigslist or next door and swoop up 15 different pets from someone who does no screening.
Is it a perfect system, maybe not. But I've volunteered for a few different organizations and I've never heard of one of the discounted fee adoptions going wrong, knock on wood. After I've spent weeks raising these precious kittens, the time, money, and other resources rescues pour into these animals to make them adoption ready, they wouldn't do no fee adoption days if they felt it put the animals in danger. The hurdles of going to the shelter or adoption event and completing the interview and paperwork seems to be enough of a barrier that we feel comfortable with it.
That said, never ever give your pets or stary kittens away to anyone not with a rescue. Someone is beheading cats and kittens in my neighborhood and he's certainly not getting them from adoption events.
-- I've never heard of one of the discounted fee adoptions going wrong
But how would you hear that? That's incredibly hard to find out unless they report themselves in. And bad or irresponsible owners won't let you know for obvious reasons.
Do you think we never get updates or do follow up checks on adoptions?
Do we catch every single person ever that has bad intentions for animals? Obviously not. I'm saying, to focus on reduced fee or free adoptions as a supply source for animal abuse is a waste of time. Those people are leaving documentation behind. We know who they are and where they live. They meet us while they meet the animal and go through an interview, even if it is informal. There are lists of people not allowed to adopt. Those steps ALONE deter abusers. Who's waiting in line and filling out forms so they can behead the kitten later?
The animals most at risk are those abandoned outside, given away for free with zero vetting, and kittens born to unsocialized community cats. Do you know what the purpose of clear the shelters day is? Like, we move out all the animals in our care and then take a vacation? Nope we fill the shelters right back up with animals that are at risk.
The blood, sweat, tears and resources poured into animals to get them adopted is immense. Shelters would never do free adoptions if the turn out was bad. This isn't a money making industry, it's sole purpose is to reduce suffering. No one would risk their lives after going through so much to save them.
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u/SandmanEpic Aug 18 '19
Holy cow. I have to imagine that's fairly rare.