I find it hard and sad for rescues

[pollekeskisses]

You're right though, there is no official meaning to short term. Minimum 2 weeks for quarantine, more if on pregnancy watch, time to bring back to health if needed, then as long as it takes to rehome. Still feel though that they were happier with me than abused with original owners. xx

I've been a rescuer myself, so I know what you mean. Ofcourse they are happier where they aren't abused but well taken care of. Where they can rebuild trust. But I think cages of rescues should reflect cages of petkept pigs. Therefor there is only one shelter in my country I'd consider.

But I remain my point of not doing it anymore because a- people dont' listen to advice, and b- most of the animals I sheltered were in such bad shape there was in the end only one thing left to do... I think in 16 years I had 8 that had a good full life, and atleast 36 had an unfortunate fate. It grew too heavy on me at one point. Dosen't mean I don't have a weak heart for the ones with a past.

I agree with Lizzie's earlier point of education. Educate, educate, educate untill you drop. I now buy most of my pets from breeders (or get them via breeders, fixed up and such), but I watch them carefully via the Dutch forums. I know who to trust and who not to trust, because I know what I'm talking about. Newbies in the guinea world may not be so lucky. But I hope that if we guinean owners stand together and educate people around us, they grow brains about pigs and (share it with people around them) and then less and less pigs share that unfortunate fate of being dumped, neglected, or abused.

 

[Suzygpr]

For those of you who run rescues...do you not think you're promoting a 'throw away society' by taking in unwanted animals? ie. parents buy kid a rabbit, kid gets bored of rabbit...but it's ok, because after they've left it in the garden for 6 months unloved and unwanted they can always take it to a rescue who will find it a new home.
In a round-about way you're also promoting pet shops selling animals - as they know any they sell will always have a home...and also breeders.

I have seen several times, not just on this forum, where someone has been contacted by a breeder who is over-run with animals...they take some away, but 6 months down the road the breeder has the same problem...and at that point the person goes 'no, you have to deal with your own mess now' because they know that if they 'help' them again then they'll just be stuck in the same position another 6 months down the line.

Surely information is better than providing these people with an outlet for unwanted, unloved animals!?

but you are directly contributing to it...person goes into P@H, buys a pig, takes it home, gets bored of the smooth haired one they chose, takes it to a rescue centre, then goes back to P@H and buys the scruffy one they've seen and decided they like better...someone 'rescues' the original pig, but in the meantime the shop has already replaced two pigs which have been bought.

I'm sorry it's upset you, I understand full well what you mean and where you're coming from.

I just don't think that people really think about where their animals come from. The care and work, attention and love that goes into 'fixing' an abuse animal truly is something to be admired.

But I do think people are putting their head in the sand if they think that the animal picked up in the rescue centre wasn't replaced by another...it happens far too frequently - you only have to go and look on freeads or preloved to see the 'cat free to good home due to new puppy and they don't get on' type adverts...there are TONS of them. Whether that animal had a better life than the one before, well, that's anyone's guess...I suppose they could.

And to be perfectly honest...it's not the pet shops or the breeders (in most cases) who bring them into the rescues...it's the people who buy them.

You seem be unaware that the majority of rescues always ask for the cage to come in with the animals, very few are big enough or in good enough condition to re-use and are broken up. This is to prevent an empty cage sitting at the previous home and then another poor unfortunate animal taking up residence. This also makes the decision to acquire another pet more expensive and more inconvenient, so hopefully a more considered choice.

The majority of breeders will ask for their animal to be offered back to them before being sold on - in your way of thinking this also adds to the disposable pet cycle that you feel rescues are contributing to.



When it comes to back yard breeders who are the type to advertise on the free ads and preloved sites, if they are giving up breeding rather than just clearing their unsellable pigs then many rescues will step in to help rather than see the pigs get advertised as free to good home, this is to prevent them becoming snake food or dog bait as sadly there are people out there who will use a 'free to good home' pig as something other than a pet.

Perhaps before making sweeping statements and assumptions about rescues that you actually visit one and see what the reality of rescue is.

Suzy x