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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum THE LOUNGE A Rescuers Answering Machine

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    • Monkeybun
      Participant
      10479 posts Send Private Message

        I saw this on my local Craigslist, and just had to share it.

         

        A RESCUERS ANSWERING MACHINE:

        Hello: You have reached ___-____, Tender Hearts Rescue. Due to the
        high volume of calls we have been receiving, please listen closely to
        the following options and choose the one that best describes you or
        your situation:
        >
        Press 1 if you have a 10-year-old dog and your 15-year-old son has
        suddenly become allergic and you need to find the dog a new home
        right away.
        >
        Press 2 if you are moving today and need to immediately place your
        150 pound, 8-year-old dog.
        >
        Press 3 if you have three dogs, had a baby and want to get rid of
        your dogs because you are the only person in the world to have a
        baby and dogs at the same time.
        >
        Press 4 if you just got a brand new puppy and your old dog is having
        problems adjusting so you want to get rid of the old one right away.
        >
        Press 5 if your little puppy has grown up and is no longer small and
        cute and you want to trade it in for a new model.

        Press 6 if you want an unpaid volunteer to come to your home TODAY
        and pick up the dog you no longer want.
        >
        Press 7 if you have been feeding and caring for a “stray” for the
        last three years, are moving and suddenly determine it’s not your
        dog.
        >
        Press 8 if your dog is sick and needs a vet but you need the money
        for your vacation.
        >
        Press 9 if you are elderly and want to adopt a cute puppy who is not
        active and is going to outlive you.
        >
        Press 10 if your relative has died and you don’t want to care for
        their elderly dog because it doesn’t fit your lifestyle.
        >
        Press 14 if you are calling at 6 a.m. to make sure you wake me up
        before I have to go to work so you can drop a dog off on your way
        to work.
        >
        Press 15 to leave us an anonymous garbled message, letting us know
        you have left a dog in our yard in the middle of January, which is
        in fact, better than just leaving the dog with no message.
        >
        Press 16 if you are going to get angry because we are not going to
        take your dog that you have had for fifteen years, because it is
        not our responsibility.
        >
        Press 17 if you are going to threaten to take your ten year old dog
        to be euthanized because I won’t take it.
        >
        Press 18 if you’re going to get angry because the volunteers had the
        audacity to go on vacation and leave the dogs in care of a trusted
        volunteer who is not authorized to take your personal pet.
        >
        Press 19 if you want one of our PERFECTLY trained, housebroken, kid
        and cat friendly purebred dogs that we have an abundance of.
        >
        Press 20 if you want us to take your dog that has a slight
        aggression problem, i.e. has only bitten a few people and killed your
        neighbor’s cats.
        >
        Press 21 if you have already called once and been told we don’t take
        personal surrenders but thought you would get a different person this
        time with a different answer.
        >
        Press 22 if you want us to use space that would go to a stray to
        board your personal dog while you are on vacation, free of charge,
        of course.
        >
        Press 23 if it is Christmas Eve or Easter morning and you want me to
        deliver an eight week old puppy to your house by 6:30 am before
        your kids wake up.
        >
        Press 24 if you have bought your children a duckling, chick or baby
        bunny for Easter and it is now Christmas and no longer cute.
        >
        Press 25 if you want us to take your female dog who has already had
        ten litters, but we can’t spay her because she is pregnant again and
        it is against your religion.
        >
        Press 26 if you’re lying to make one of our younger volunteers feel
        bad and take your personal pet off your hands.
        >
        Press 27 if your cat is biting and not using the litter box because
        it is declawed, but you are not willing to accept the responsibility
        that the cat’s behavior is altered because of your nice furniture.
        >
        Press 28 if your two year old male dog is marking all over your house
        but you just haven’t gotten around to having him neutered.
        >
        Press 29 if you previously had an outdoor only dog and are calling
        because she is suddenly pregnant.
        >
        Press 30 if you have done “everything” to housebreak your dog and
        have had no success but you don’t want to crate the dog because it
        is cruel.
        >
        Press 31 if you didn’t listen to the message asking for an evening
        phone number and you left your work number when all volunteers are
        also working and you are angry because no one called you back.
        >
        Press 32 if you need a puppy immediately and cannot wait because
        today is your daughter’s birthday and you forgot when she was born.
        >
        Press 33 if your dog’s coat doesn’t match your new furniture and you
        need a different color or breed.
        >
        Press 34 if your new love doesn’t like your dog and you are too
        stupid to get rid of the new friend (who will dump you in the next
        month anyway) instead of the dog.
        >
        Press 35 if you went through all these ‘options’ and didn’t hear
        enough. This press will connect you to the sounds of tears being
        shed by one of our volunteers who is holding a discarded old dog
        while the vet mercifully frees him from the grief of missing his
        family.
        >
        > ~Author Unknown, but much appreciated


      • RabbitPam
        Moderator
        11002 posts Send Private Message

          Oh, Monkeybun, Thanks.
          We needed to hear this right now. That is sooooooo true, and it’s getting to me, and can be translated to cat or bunny too easily.
          Must share this post with the other FL’s.


        • Lara
          Participant
          311 posts Send Private Message

            Wow… that is so harsh and sooo true.


          • bunnytowne
            Participant
            7537 posts Send Private Message

              So true


            • LittlePuffyTail
              Moderator
              18092 posts Send Private Message

                That’s brilliant. People need to see how ridiculous they sound. I’ve seen many of these scenarios in classifieds. It just infuriates me every time.

                Why do so many people think that a living creature, capable of feelings, both physical and emotional, can be disposable? When will people learn?


              • Sage Cat
                Participant
                1883 posts Send Private Message

                  I just e-mailed this to my family.
                  We grew up in the house all of those unwanted pets ended up at!


                • katie, max & penny
                  Participant
                  956 posts Send Private Message

                    oh this is so sad. just the other night at work a woman called and this is the entire conversation:

                    Me (K): Thank you for calling ____, how can i help you?”
                    woman (w): Hi I bought two guinea pigs from this store three years ago and I was wondering if you can take them back.
                    K: Unfortunately we can only take back an animal purchased here if it is within the fourteen days of you purchasing it.
                    W: Well I’m not asking for a refund or anything. My kids aren’t taking care of them and I told them that they had to or I would take the guinea pigs away. And the pets just sit there, the cages are dirty, they never get played with and I warned my kids but they don’t care so I need you to take them back.
                    K: Ma’am, we can’t take back two guinea pigs that you purchased three years ago.
                    W: Okay, then where can I go TO HAVE THEM EUTHANIZED?
                    K: Excuse me?
                    W: Well I don’t want them anymore and you won’t take them back so they are going to be euthanized.
                    K: Are they suffering from a fatal illness?
                    W: No.
                    K: Ma’am, no one is going to euthanize your guinea pigs if they are perfectly healthy. You can contact a rescue organization and they may be able to help you.
                    W: Where do I find a rescue organization? I mean they aren’t listed in the yellow pages under “rescue organization”.
                    K: You can contact your local police department and ask for the animal services unit. There’s nothing else I can do to help you, ma’am.

                    and I hung up on her. people are INSANE. and people get annoyed when I sell them a pet and I ask them, “Now if your child stops taking care of this pet, you will assume the responsibility?” and a million other questions, but its people like that woman that makes rescue groups totally swamped.


                  • Sarita
                    Participant
                    18851 posts Send Private Message

                      Katie that reminds me of a conversation I had with a lady who wanted to surrender her guinea pigs to a rescue I was volunteering with because her 3 year old was not taking care of the guinea pig they got for her so she could learn responsibility…WHAT…3 years old, are you kidding me…she cannot even take care of herself much less a guinea pig. I pretty much told her as much. I answered the voice mail for about a year for the rabbit rescue that I used to be board member for and believe me, it was the worst year of my life. The sad thing was calling back shelters that you couldn’t take their rabbits because you were full as well.


                    • Sarita
                      Participant
                      18851 posts Send Private Message

                        Which also reminds me of my friends who I was bunnysitting for who told me they were helping a couple in their 80’s who had bought a Boston Terrier puppy a few years ago from a breeder who was out of control so they are helping get this wild girl (who is definitely wild according to my friends) trained and hopefully a good home. She said the poor husband could barely walk and the wife was not able to get out of her chair and they were even thinking maybe of breeding this little dog – obviously they realized they were in over their head and asked for help. Puppies and eldery couples are not a good mix. My friends used to help with Boston Terrier rescue and have 2 of their own.


                      • katie, max & penny
                        Participant
                        956 posts Send Private Message

                          Yeah, luckily we have the right to refuse sale of any animal. I’ve done it several times. “we want to get a hamster to teach responsibility to our 2 year old”. I always say “start with a pet rock. when your kid is over the age of ten, come back and we’ll start with a betta fish.”

                          i have a script that i say to people. that line is one of them. also, when people want a gold fish in a bowl: “well, gold fish need to live in at least a thirty gallon cool water tank”. and the “if i get a hamster can i cuddle with it?”: “No. Look how big you are in comparison to the hamster. If you were that tiny and some huge weird looking creature picked you up, would you be terrified or cuddly?”

                          You’d think my brasen-ness would get a lot of complaints, but most people are honestly looking for the right pet and I’m not afraid to tell them the truth- I think they appreciate the honestly. My job isn’t to sell as many animals as I can- my job is to put animals in the RIGHT home. And my management totally agrees- I’ve had one complaint in all the time I’ve worked at my job from a man who was upset that I refused to sell him a hermit crab for his one year old daughter. I told him: “this hermit crab will pinch your one year old. she is not capable of understanding why and I can’t sell you this crab because it will traumatize her and the crab.”

                          wow, i totally went on a tangent.


                        • Sarita
                          Participant
                          18851 posts Send Private Message

                            Good for you Katie and those animals and families too.


                          • SophieBun
                            Participant
                            520 posts Send Private Message

                              Katie that’s great! There are so many immature and irresponsible people working at pet stores that don’t care about the animals at all. The other day I went to this pet store near my house, and the employees were awful and almost all of their fish were sick. They all had ick/itch! When I asked one of the employees, and he had the nerve to flirt with me, if he knew that all their fish were sick he started asking me questions like how did I know they were sick and what I thought they had. I answered him everything and I said “Do you even treat your fish?” and he said “No we just put them in a gun and then from there we flush them to the toilet” and he laughed. You can imagine my face at that point. I was about to explode. He even started “playing” with one of the lizards, bothering them. I don’t know if I could call the ASPCA and file a complaint so they can go and check that stupid pet store. Do you guys know if they would go and check it out? I feel so bad for those animals. They were so sick and mistreated.


                            • katie, max & penny
                              Participant
                              956 posts Send Private Message

                                thanks guys.
                                and giuly, absolutely- i’ve reported a couple pet stores in my area as well. you can file a complaint through your police animal services unit.


                              • Beka27
                                Participant
                                16016 posts Send Private Message

                                  Thanks for posting that Monkey! The message is portrayed in a “jokey” way… but it’s very powerful (and is absolutely not a joke.) Craigslist is like a train wreck in motion. I hate to read about all the poor animals and all the pitiful excuses, but sometimes it’s hard to look away.


                                • Monkeybun
                                  Participant
                                  10479 posts Send Private Message

                                    Yeah, there’s so many people out there that don’t think of the animal’s needs when they go and get rid of them. They just want it gone, yesterday, for whatever reason. Poor things. I like how it was posted in the pet section of my local craigslist so that all the people there searching for a new pet can see it, and see what the shelters have to deal with every time they change their mind a year or 2 later.


                                  • RabbitPam
                                    Moderator
                                    11002 posts Send Private Message

                                      Katie,
                                      I love your responses.

                                      Definitely report the store employee, if not to the animal rescue then at least to the manager. If the whole fish area is that bad though, you probably are better off letting the animal control know since the manager wouldn’t have let one bad employee do that much damage or neglect.


                                    • SophieBun
                                      Participant
                                      520 posts Send Private Message

                                        I can’t find the phone number or anything in google to call and report this pet store =( Anyone in Fl know the number pretty please? =)


                                      • katie, max & penny
                                        Participant
                                        956 posts Send Private Message

                                          what county are you in?


                                        • SophieBun
                                          Participant
                                          520 posts Send Private Message

                                            Broward county. I checked animal control but they only come pick up animals you don’t want in your house =S


                                          • katie, max & penny
                                            Participant
                                            956 posts Send Private Message

                                            • SophieBun
                                              Participant
                                              520 posts Send Private Message

                                                Thank you thank thank youuuuuuuuuu I’m calling tomorrow!


                                              • Kokaneeandkahlua
                                                Participant
                                                12067 posts Send Private Message

                                                  Great job Guily Keep us posted!!

                                                  I’ve read this answering machine message before-I like that it’s jokey but it’s soooo true


                                                • LittlePuffyTail
                                                  Moderator
                                                  18092 posts Send Private Message

                                                    I think the worst part is that most of those “want to get rid of pet” posts are probably from adults. My bf and I were just discussing today how people can go to University for 10 years and still have no Common Sense. That is one of my biggest pet peeves. Use your brain. And I think it’s especially terrible to teach a child that an animal’s life can be tossed aside on a whim. I’m sure there are lots of compassionate people with common sense but the opposite seems to outweigh them.


                                                  • BinkyBunny
                                                    Moderator
                                                    8776 posts Send Private Message

                                                      I really appreciate this Monkey. This is exactly what happens behind the scenes at rescues.  It’s so sad because it is so true. And rabbits and other small  animals can be seen as even more “throw away” since they don’t vocalize their discomfort and/or neglect vocally like dogs and cats do. I wish people would take animals more seriously. I know not everyone is going to feel the same about their “worth” on this earth, but at the very least, animals can feel pain, pleasure, boredom, and hunger, and for people not to be engaged and responsible for this is just blows my mind.


                                                    • Lara
                                                      Participant
                                                      311 posts Send Private Message

                                                        BB, it’s such a good point you made about rabbits and other small animals not expressing themselves as vocally as dogs or cats. I believe that a lot of people react differently when they see a rabbit sitting quietly in a tiny cage that hurts their feet than they do when they see a dog whining while tied up outside. It’s really heartbreaking that, in a lot of the cases in which rabbits are surrendered to shelters, their owners don’t even know that they are intelligent and silly and have a personality all their own. This is because the rabbits were left in a cage 24/7 and received little to no attention. I agree that people should be responsible and make sure that an animal fits into their life and their future.

                                                        I find the callousness hard to believe, but I also have no idea how somebody can take in a pet and then when it becomes inconvenient, just pawn it off or let it loose or dump it in a park. My bunnies are my family! I would never let anything hurt them or willingly give them up, even if it was inconvenient.


                                                      • luvmybunny
                                                        Participant
                                                        576 posts Send Private Message

                                                          Yes CL is bad, I should stay off of there because people are soooo terrible! I can’t believe some people say that kind of stuff!!


                                                        • GHbun
                                                          Participant
                                                          158 posts Send Private Message

                                                            Oh, wow. I really want those piggys from katiehedger’s post.


                                                          • Boysclub
                                                            Participant
                                                            155 posts Send Private Message

                                                              i understand letting your child care for a pet to have a sence of responsiblily and to show them that animals are to be treated with respect. they are not just propery but at least use your brain and wait til the kid is actually old enough to understand what they are doing.

                                                              my parents always had dogs before my oldest brother was born but my parents looked after the dog until we were old enough and then we just kinda took over. my mom and dad let me get my very own pet the day before i started grade 8, a guinea pig that i had to pay for, only because i had won some gold fish at a fiar and they were something like 5 YEARS old. so they let me buy a guinea pig. mind you my mom and dad paid for the starter kit but i had to buy the animal cause i had to look after him and care for him so i did. he lived to be 10 years old. and so did the last gold fish but i gave it away to my bf at the time dad cause he loved the fish. that was 7 years ago and he kept the gold fish for 4 years and then he just past away…14 years for a gold fish…i think that is pretty good! considering i got him when i was like 4…mind you he stayed in my parents tank until i was 7 then i got my own tank for them, i paid for mind you at 7.

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