Humane Society Groupie

I love love love cats and dogs, and if I had a bit less restraint, would probably be one of those weird women with 10 dogs and 15 cats roaming around. I’ve also felt somewhat cheated in that regard. As a child, I was constantly given one story after another as to why I wasn’t allowed my own pet (despite the fact that the older siblings had been allowed their own). My favorite was, “We’re allergic,” which is funny if you think that they didn’t seem all that allergic the 20 previous years.

When I was in college, of course, pets are not allowed in dorm rooms. I didn’t have my own apartment until my senior year when I got married. I was pretty heartbroken when I found out that the apartment only allowed cats. At the time I considered myself a dog person and thought getting a cat was a consolation prize. Nevertheless, the day after my wedding I went to the Humane Society and promptly adopted two kittens, one who is still with me today, 12½ years later. (The husband only lasted 2 years).

In grad school, I purposefully only viewed apartments that would allow dogs, and in a college town such as Madison, that left me with the dregs of the city. I still ended up in a decent place and made a beeline to the local humane society where I adopted an 8 month old dog. I was so excited to get a dog, I didn’t really pay attention. I just knew she was cute, short-haired, medium-sized, and playful, which was what I wanted. At the time it didn’t click in my dumb head that being the 4^th owner in 8 months is probably not a good sign. I could regale you with both funny and utterly puke-inducing stories about that dog, but needless to say, it didn’t work out. I still carry a bit of shame about that, because I feel that when it comes to animals, you are making a serious commitment, and it breaks my heart that so many people do not take that commitment seriously. Dogs and cats can live up to 20 years and you have to take that into consideration. When I finally gave that dog, “Scully,” away, I felt like I had failed, even though I knew I wasn’t capable of taking care of her and her move to a large farm was a much better place than my tiny apartment. When the Madison Humane Society called shortly thereafter to follow up, I returned the call, got the woman’s voicemail, and crying, asked her to call me back so we could talk about it. I wanted to understand all that happened. She never returned my call, and I was too embarrassed to follow-through.

And of course, though dog ownership thrives in New York City, I never felt my tiny apartment would be fair to a dog, not to mention taking poor me and the dog down three flights of stairs in the middle of winter to ‘go potty’ on the sidewalk where I’d have to pick it up with my hands and carry it around in a baggie ‘til I got back home.

And again, getting a dog in New Zealand wasn’t realistic since we were living in a house the school provided us which didn’t have a yard for an animal, not to mention that an array of dogs already ran around half-wild which concerned me. In fact, the cute Corgi/Lab (I think) mix that lived next door to us was hit by a car on the 2-lane highway that separated our unfenced yard from the ocean. That dog was never the same after that, and I'm not just talking about his newly-acquired limp.

Okay, so now we’re back, and I’ve got dog and cat #2 on the brain again. It never really goes away, and once in awhile I do something to try and soothe me, although at the same time, it makes me a bit ansy – I go to the local Humane Society. We went in New Zealand, during my brief time in Milwaukee over Christmas (nice HS!), and here in Missoula, we went just yesterday.

I love going to the Humane Society, and I think anyone looking for a pet should do the same. Sure, purebreeds are fun (though those teeny tiny furry yappy breeds make me want to projectile vomit), but I find them utterly unnecessary. They’re inbred, riddled with medical problems (in relation to the inbreeding), tend to have extremely neurotic and difficult personalities, and are ridiculously overpriced. There are so many animals sitting in shelters who need homes desperately, not to mention that mutts tend to be much smarter and have better behaviors than purebreds.

Nowadays, humane societies are run in a very responsible way. Instead of just handing pets over to you, now there is a process to ensure that you are matched to a pet that is ideal not only for you, but anyone/thing else in your household (family members, other pets, etc.). Saying that, Madison’s Humane Society was a bit over-militant in their pre-screening for my tastes, but at least they’re careful.

So, we went to the facility here and walked around. As much as I love to see the animals, a part of me feels ashamed to do it as well. You’re walking through the hallway, looking in each cage, and most of the animals will instantly respond. Pet me! Love me! Take me home! It’s just so degrading to the poor animal, but what else is there to do? As we were walking through, one of the saddest things we saw were two old poodles, a male and female, wearing little knit sweaters. The sign introduced them and gave their names, and told how their owner had recently passed away and how the poodles were very scared and confused. Right after I finished reading that I heard the male dog start to whimper. Oh geez!

I really really want to get another cat though, somewhat soon. My cat, Sabina, that I mentioned (and is pictured) above I’ve had for 12½ years, usually has a companion. I’d like to see her have one once again, especially when Beau and I FINALLY get full-time jobs. I’d like to find an adult, male cat at the Humane Society, maybe one that has some sort of problem (missing an ear, etc.), that would make him less adoptable. And to be honest, I don’t want a long-haired cat. As cute as they are, they’re a mess, and I already have enough long, shedding hair for everyone in the house.

But, I have to wait. I'm sure we'll have to pay ANOTHER deposit for another cat, and there's the Humane Society's reasonable, yet currently inconvenient fees. I'll keep lobbying Beau ( I think he's softening!). It'll be nice to have another heartbeat in the house.