Small rescues are not big shelters or animal control agencies. They have nothing at all in common with big shelters and animal control.
They don't kill animals. They don't shuffle animals they want to kill, to kill shelters, so they can maintain their pristine no kill status. If a kitten gets a cold, they don't kill the kitten. If a kitten gets ringworm, they don't kill the kitten and every other cat in the shelter. They don't pick and choose the most beautiful of animals so they can turn them over quickly, sending the not so beautiful to kill shelters.
Why do kill shelters, with bodies holocaust thick in their history, even get to use the word "shelter" in their name?
Rescuers don't get paid.
You might not believe the salaries of shelter directors and top staff. Or their PR departments.
It's an industry.
Rescues are in it to help animals because they love animals and usually because their own neighborhoods and towns are over run in unwanted animals.
They make nothing off animals. In fact, they spend their own money and ruin their own cars helping out animals and their people.
And, in Oregon, they get stomped into the dirt by Oregon legislators enamored with big money lobbyists from Oregon Humane and HSUS. They don't even recognize rescuers as humans, by including rescues in the discussion or informing rescues a bill is about to be passed that will drastically affect their ability to continue and their own lives.
In Linn County, where I live, there's no hope for stray cats and kittens. Neighboring counties with kill shelters cut off this county, because residents dumped such high volumes of dogs, puppies, cats and kittens at their door to be killed. So people now dump them in terrible places, kill them in terrible ways, or just let them breed and starve. It's hell here for animals. But Oregon Humane's director either doesn't know that or doesn't care.
To me, the bill was a total kick in the face. Charge license fees to people already giving so much to help? What? That is crazy! And not charge instead the people causing the problem, like breeders and anyone who doesn't fix their pets? I'd have to be totally nuts to continue in such a climate of volunteer disrespect.
Even a $100 license fee is a hell of a lot of money to most people I've known in rescue. Nobody knows what the fee will be. It's unspecified. It's chump change to the likes of these high paid lobbists who wrote the bill. There is a total disconnect of understanding the economics faced by rescuers. Well, just don't do it then, I can hear them saying. Who will?
You'd have to live here to know how bad it is here for animals and how few options there are. There are now, with me done, only a couple other very small rescues, wavering always on the financial edge, but who routinely have situations referred to them by the well funded local no kill shelter with paid staff, that primarily serves dogs, many of whom hail from California. You don't want to be a stray cat in Linn County.
I am fairly convinced this is some sort of Oregon Humane power play. I don't know that for sure, but it must be because the person who wrote the rescue sections had to know most rescues are tiny and poor and license fees alone would close rescues in places where there are no other options for animals. She had to know this. She can't be that stupid. She had to know nobody wants to live under the threat of unwarranted inspections coming at you, after any complaint, from the neighborhood psychopath or somebody a rescue refused on an adoption.
If Oregon Humane's director had wanted indeed to help Oregon animals, instead of creating roadblocks to helping animals, roadblocks to breeding more animals would be legislated.
She exposed her true colors with what she wrote. She wants rescuers seen as animal abusers, so she can be seen as their super rich savior. LOL!!! I made that up.
Rural Oregon isn't Portland and rescues don't have huge fancy shelters like Oregon Humane and dripping rich donars. They don't get telethons. They don't even get paid. Their rescue is their garage or a spare bedroom, for gosh sakes. Little kids bring them kittens they found in a box on the highway. Old couples bring them cats they find driving way out on some logging road, dumped, scared, starved.
Get real Oregon Humane! Some rescuers don't have computers at home.
Some people just want to rule the world.
I told another rescue that if this passes, not to worry, if Oregon Humane showed up to inspect them, without a warrant, I'd stand in front of them, wrapped in an American flag, stating, like Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings "You shall not pass!" Ha!
That's because all who heard of the bill immediately think Oregon Humane is positioning to be the "enforcing agency" so they control everything!! How are we supposed to know why in the world they would specifically target rescues who operate from their homes allowing for searches without warrants? I mean, you'd never in a million years think that could ever happen. You think you're doing good, helping out all these stray animals and never imagine there are like evil forces conniving to stop you! That's like a Batman movie, but its not supposed to happen in real life. And certainly not in Oregon.
Oregon got its brains sucked out. Must have been a zombie invasion I slept through.
I knew the bill would pass and nobody would listen about how it would affect little rescues, to be charged fees, fines for record keeping violations and constantly under the threat, that someone can anonymously complain which can prompt an inspection in your own home, without a warrant, which is unAmerican, and equivocates a rescuer with a terrorist.
I knew well I would not be able to even sleep anymore for the total unfairness and the paranoia, because under the bill, they can take your animals for a mere records violation. If you don't believe me, here is the section in the bill that says that and the violations refer to record keeping infractions (the section referred to is all about record keeping and submitting to inspections):
"A violation of this section may result in imposition of
civil penalties to be determined by the enforcing agency,of not more than $500 for each violation".
including but not limited to impoundment of all animals under the
animal rescue's control, the revocation of the animal rescue's
license to operate animal rescue operations and a civil penalty
I had nightmares about them tearing Miss Daisy from my arms. So I can't be under this. Makes me so sad. I just can't handle that kind of stress. My house is immaculate, my records unbelievable and my cats well cared for, but I can't handle living under the constraints of this bill. I shouldn't have to.
So I had no choice but to close my petfinder rescue site a week ago when I heard about the bill. No longer will I ask anyone for a donation to help care for cats left here. I will take no more cats in. That kitten I saved last night, today he went to a rescue whom I shall not name, to protect them too from the powers that be.
I will become one of those people, one of the hordes of the uninvolved. Looking away pays off big in Oregon.
If I become one of those who looks away, the apathetic, the unkind, Oregon will be pleased and not penalize me with fees, fines and searches of my home without a warrant. That's the price you pay now in Oregon if you want to help a stray kitty.
Oregon, HSUS, and Oregon Humane, you are fricking pathetic. Your money and power trips are hurting animals and people.
Here's a little add on for ya---from me and the strays of Oregon---Oregon, HSUS and OHS---FUCK YOU.
Boy that felt good.
By the way, Democrats, you have pissed me off royal. I won't vote for a single one of you in Oregon again.
No comments:
Post a Comment