Forum Thread

:S

https://www.facebook.com/Pet-Allies-124120100961410/timeline

Pet Shelter Hostage

This place(Pet Allies) operates just a town over from me. Families lose their pets all the time, but almost all the time, if they show up here they don't go home. This facility is under executive decision of one person, and when she says no, nothing happens. I'm hearing of a dozen cases of pets being given to a new family within a week of arrival, even with the original owner coming in and providing proof that it is their pet (one going to the extent of genetic testing). The manager has been quoted off the record that if a pet escaped once, it will again, and needs a better home.

So the question is, Is this right? Does she have the right to do this, and if so why? There is a big to-do about this here right now.

---

Sounds like a good idea gone horribly wrong. I doubt anyone has the privilege to simply hand over someone's pet to another person unless the previous owner has a history of animal abuse.

---

With only one person making the decisions, it sounds like a typical abuse of power situation. It's clearly pretty wrong for them to deny someone getting their pet back if the animal is not abused or neglected, but there is no one in their shelter to challenge their opinion.

I'm not sure what could be done about it though, since it seems like the shelter doesn't really care about the bad publicity they are obviously getting from doing this. Hopefully at some point there will be an actual investigation against them.

I guess people that have lost their pets in this way could try to get legal help (I'm not exactly a law student, but it seems like past court cases have supported that the original owners of a lost pet have the right to take it back from the people who have found it) but I realize that getting lawyers involved can get expensive fast and there's no certainty of the result.

It seems like a really sad situation. I feel for all of those people who have lost their beloved pets. :c

---

I don't think she has the right to do this at all.
If the pet or animal in question shows certain behaviours and even physical aspects that would lead to questioning whether it is abused or well maintained/looked after, that's a whole other story.
Don't get me wrong, sure, these animals are getting new homes and that's great and all, but it strikes me as rather selfish and uncaring to not go to an effort to at least return pets efficiently to their owners.
If this had happened to me I would be devastated and I wouldn't wish that on anyone else and my heart does go out to people who have lost their pets due to this scheme.

I honestly hope legal action is taken against them. No matter what argument they may bring up, it is unjustified to replace an animal's home and leave people in distress. Heck, you mentioned one guy even tried genetic testing, which not only shows he's willing to pay quite large sums of money for all of this and give definite proof, but it shows pure determination to get his dog back and he deserves praise for that.

The fact the manager says 'If a pet escaped once, it will again and needs a better home' is in my opinion, a weak argument. Pets can escape for various reasons, heck, one of my cats once escaped cause he really wanted to catch a squirrel. You can't just put it down to 'oh they need better homes' that's not the damn answer. Owners should get their pets back with a simple 'don't do it again' and continue on, not have their pet stripped away from them because you think it would be better. Surely the owner of the pet would have a better stance on whether or not their pet needs a better home? And again, you could say that the owner was selfish or cruel to the animal, but if a pet did show clear signs of distress, then step in, don't if it seems perfectly fine and the owner seems okay.
The fact that also these pets are given to a new family within a week of arrival may show that they are good at getting new families but it also strikes me as a place that can't be bothered to hold onto pets until they have their homes back again which isn't fair. They only seem to appear as people who 'want the job done' (And in this case, getting the animals out of their shelter) but do not have any regard for how or even how effectively they carry this out.

I'm sorry if this seems like a bit of a rant or anything and I might seem a bit severe, but the same thing has happened to people I know in the past and the grief that they went through was horrible. Like many others, they treated their dog like one of the family and after it escaped out of it's doghouse one night, they never saw it again. To know that you'll never see your pet again is a truly horrific thing and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Although they may give shelter to these animals, it is beyond fair to restrain these animals from returning to the homes and families of people that love them.
(Sorry if this is too long - End of rant! ^^')

---