There certainly has been an influx of applicants asking for help recently and I’m actually caught in a rather difficult situation of whether “to help or not to help”. So, help me out, please. I’d like your opinion on the following cases. I’m running a poll here, and would appreciate your answers YES/NO to the following questions:
1. Knowing that she cannot manage financially, physically and emotionally, a rescuer keeps taking in the animals dumped at her doorstep. Is she deserving of help?
2. Knowing that she cannot manage financially, physically and emotionally, a rescuer still takes in animals from the street because she cannot “turn a blind eye”. She doesn’t stop, she just keeps taking in, then she shouts out for help. Is she deserving of help?
3. Knowing that she doesn’t have the financial means, a rescuer keeps taking in street animals because she knows she can apply for help. Is she deserving of help?
4. Because of Nos 1-3, a rescuer ends up with “too many” animals. She is then asked to rehome them, but she refuses because she doesn’t think anyone can take care of her animals as well as she does. Hence, she ends up with more and more and she now asks for help. Is she deserving of help?
5. A rescuer finds pregnant animals dumped at her doorstep all the time. Knowing that she cannot keep anymore animals, she sends the pregnant animals to be spayed. Is she deserving of help?
6. A confirmed hoarder asks for help. Everyone who knows her tells you her very, very bad record of neglect (of the animals) and her unwillingness to change. Do you still want to give her a chance to learn and change so that her animals won’t continue to suffer?
Now, all I need from you is a simple YES/NO answers to the six questions above (leave a comment, pls). I am interested in the public’s opinion.
Thank you.
Comments
21 responses to “The rescuers (and hoarders) defend themselves”
1. Yes (it’s hard to turn down the animal’s already in front of your own doorstep)
2. No
3. No
4. No
5. No
6. Yes (if she’s willing to learn and change the way she cares for her animals)
no.1 : No
no.2 : No
no.3 Yes
no.4: No
no.5: yes
no.6 : No
1. Yes
2. No
3. Yes
4. No
5. No
6. No
1. No to financial help, but yes to fostering/adoption help.
2. No to financial help, but yes to fostering/adoption help.
3. No to financial help, but yes to fostering/adoption help.
4. No to financial help, but yes to fostering/adoption help.
5. No to financial help, but yes to fostering/adoption help.
6. No to financial help, but yes to re-education! And once there is a change in attitude (yes, we have got to be positive that ppl can and will change), more help can be provided.
(1) Yes
(2) No
(3) No
(4) No & Yes (depends how he/she end up with that many)
(5) No
(6) Yes
1. No
2. No
3. No
4. No
5. Yes
6. Yes
Yes to all. We are helping the animals, not the rescuer. If the hoarder don’t rescue, the animals plight could have been worse. At the very least, they have a roof over their head and food. But rehoming is a must.
Hoarders do NOT rehome. That’s why they are called “hoarders”.
1. Yes to rehome. No to others.
2. Yes to rehome. No to others.
3. Yes to rehome. No to financial.
4. Yes to rehome. No to others.
5. Can pregnant animals be spayed? If it is detrimental to the animals health then No.
6. Yes. Provided she is really willing to change.
Hi Ben, Hoarders REFUSE to rehome. That is the whole problem with them. They feel no one can look after their animals as well as they can. If rescuers were to rehome their animals, we have absolutely no issues at all in helping them. Spaying a pregnant animal is (1) killing the lives of the unborn babies, and (2) taking a risk on the mother’s life, especially if in late pregnancy. Currently, we have a No.6 applying for help.
I would say no to all. Giving help to hoarders ony encourages them to pick up animals from the street. We must know our limitation, only pick up if necessary. All of us are adult-we should know to do and live within our means.
Of course, i agree that its quite painful to see strays roaming ard the street, but would you think that picking them up will do them any better if you cant feed them well, care for them and brings them to the vet if they are sick?
No to all poll questions.
The person who keeps taking in more animals (when they are already incapable of managing financially, emotionally and mentally) is not being fair to the animals.
Taking in another cat/dog adds up to more expenses (food, vet bills, utility bills and other misc) and not forgetting time taking care of the animals and sending them to vet for spaying/neutering and illness treatment.
That’s how neglect happens when hoarders take in too many animals. They simply run out of money and time to manage the sheer number of animals, leading to poorer quality of life for these animals.
Click on this link – http://www.animal-job.co.uk/animal-volunteer-jobs-europe.html and you’ll read phrases such as “achieve higher animal welfare standards”, “dogs in their care live as comfortably as possible at the shelter”. “provides food, veterinary care, advice, neutering and does some campaigning work for the stray cats”.
My point is – are animals in the hands of hoarders living a better quality of life compared to being on streets?
1.Yes only for spay/neuter/rehome
2.Yes only for spay/neuter/rehome
3.Yes only for spay/neuter/rehome
4.Yes only for spay/neuter/rehome
5.Yes only for spay/neuter/rehome
6.Yes only for spay/neuter/rehome
If not agreeable to spay/neuter/re-home help then NO other help should be given at all. When one takes, they should know the consequences and be responsible for the animal.
Yes to number 1. No from numbers 2 to 6.
1. Yes, but only if she can demonstrate a record of successful rehoming.
2. No.
3. No.
4. No.
5. Yes, but only if she can demonstrate a record of successful rehoming. As for the lives of unborn animals, I have no issues with abortion if it means a better life for the mother. If the unborn babies are GUARANTEED good homes too, then funds should be made available to care for the mother and her litter until she comes to term, and then until her offspring are old enough to be separated from her and rehomed.
6. No. True hoarders, if I am not mistaken, suffer from a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Providing them with funds is not helping them in any meaningful way. True help needs to come from qualified medical professionals.
Scenarios 1,2,3, and 4 depict people who allow their emotions to dictate their actions. Like it or not, we all have limitations, be they physical or financial. The decision to rescue or foster (or to become a rescuer or fosterer) needs to be made with a clear, logical mind and dispassionate thinking. What am I trying to achieve? Do I have the time? The energy? The money? The space? What quality of life can I give the animals I take in? What about the rest of the people in my household? How much will this change their lives? Are they willing to accept those changes?
Once these and a dozen other questions have been answered effectively — once there’s a sustainable plan in place, in other words — then and only then, can emotion be brought into the picture. And what is emotion’s role? Lavish the animals in your care with all the love, attention, and guidance you can muster. That way, they’ll will be secure, healthy, and well-adjusted — good candidates for rehoming.
It’s rescuers who approach things like this who deserve help. You know they’ve thought things through. Doing it any other way just creates problems and suffering.
Nr 1,2 & 3 YES subject to Nr 4 NO.
Nr 5 & 6 definitely NO.
Nr. 6 neglected the welfare of the animals, refused to take advise, continues to say that she and only she is right.
In my mind, she doesnt take care of herself too and I reckon that her “shelter” is filty and in a dire state.
Instead of considering to provide her help financially, can we consider to form a rescue operation to free the animals from her? But before that in force, considering there may be a huge number of animal may be involve, 1st we need commitment from an organise shelters to provide temporary house for the animal. Just my 2 cents opinion..
1. No – Rescuer perlu tahu had kemampuannya.
2. No – Sama seperti di atas.
3. Yes -Rescuer hanya tidak mampu dari segi kewangan tapi mampu dari segi fizikal dan emosi.
4. No- and yes to re-education
5. No – killing unborn baby and risk the mother’s life is a big NO!
6. Yes – sekiranya rescuer mahu belajar dan berubah menjadi lebih baik.
Sorry Dr Chan – amended version – should “dumped at the doorstep”
if one cannot even help himself or herself financially or emotionally, how to help others? perhaps he or she should seek help instead.
No.1 – this may sound silly but yes, help the animal (based on integrity & trust) – if it went to his or her house on its own accord, and is very ill
1- no, if it has been dumped at the doorstep to:-
= discourage the irresponsible dump-lings(?) dumper(?) or should it be dumb-beings(?)…
= stop the hoarding at the expense of all living beings concerned,
= eradicate the abusers who take people’s generosity for granted!
2 to 6 – no
Yes to the no. 1 and No to the rest.
Hoarders need rehabilitation. It’s a kind of mental disease … they can’t help themselves and it’s beyond their control. Intentions are good but all for the wrong reasons. If there’s any psychologist around – could we get her / him to see for counselling?
horror of horrors – what if the hoarder’s abode does not meet the local authorities’ requirements – and if there are more than the no. of dogs allowed in one household, or if the local authorities check on the licence for the dogs …. their fate will be most bleak!
1) Yes. If the helpless animal is already at her doorstep n she can turn a blind eye, she doesn’t hv a compassionate heart to begin with.
2) No. Just like spending within our own means, she has to manage within her own means. Her ‘means’ can be efforts to raise funds (sponsorship, selling t-shirts, jumble sale etc) as long as legal efforts are made.
3) No. Same like No.2
4) No. We can be protective, but is also important to learn how to believe, trust, let go, n look out…just like when a child learns to walk.
5) Yes. But if is late stages of pregnancy or if we’re in a country where adoption rate is high, I would spay the mother after she gives birth.
6) Yes. Although, I would only help with spaying n vaccinations.