Whose responsibility is it?
Play
When someone adopts a pet from an animal rescuer, surely it falls to the new owner to cover such costs as vet's fees and annual vaccinations
I’VE NEVER met the woman on the phone. We had one telephone conversation last year, and I was absolutely charmed. Now, she’s absolutely angry.
Last year, she wanted to adopt a dog. I gave her the numbers of a few friends who rescue dogs and told her to contact them. At least one would have a dog that she would want.
The woman didn’t phone again, and I forgot about her. Sometimes people say they want a dog, but they change their mind, or maybe a friend gives them a puppy, or maybe they can’t find a particular kind of dog they want.
Or perhaps they expect a rescuer’s place to look exactly like a breeder’s, very clean, very organised.
Rescuers do their best, but each rescuer seems to be a unique case, depending on their resources and their energy. I’ve met rescuers who devote almost all their time and money to helping the animals they’ve rescued.
I’ve also met people who aren’t really rescuers. They put food out for strays when they have the money and time. Their animals don’t receive much in the way of medical treatment, not to mention vaccinations and neutering.
There are still others who love the idea of rescuing animals but don’t think much about what to do with them once they’re rescued. The unfortunate animals end up in circumstances even worse than when they were living on the street.
If you want to adopt a rescued animal, you should talk to the people in charge. You should also find out how the animal has been living.
In some ways, it’s the same as buying a dog or cat from a breeder.
As that woman yells at me over the phone, I think (at first) that she hasn’t understood that my friends rescue animals. They don’t breed them. There’s no guarantee that the cat or dog you adopt won’t end up with health problems later. There’s certainly no guarantee that the animal is purebred.
Slowly, though, I begin to understand her problem. It’s one I’d never considered before.
The woman has indeed adopted a dog from one of my friends, a six-month-old puppy. On adoption, the dog was healthy, happy, neutered and vaccinated.
A year passed. The woman remembered it was time for the dog to have annual vaccinations. She phoned my friend to ask her to pay the costs of the vaccinations, as well as for the treatment for a mild skin problem the pup had just picked up.
My friend has the policy that if an adopter doesn’t want the dog anymore, she will take it back to prevent the dog ending up on the street again. “I feel responsible,” she says.
She doesn’t, however, feel responsible for any expenses after the dog is adopted. When you adopt a dog, you agree to cover whatever the dog needs, food, shelter, medical requirements, and anything else.
The woman disagreed. “You are responsible. You rescued the dog in the first place,” she told my friend. When my friend tried to explain, she hung up and phoned me.
Now she seems to think my friend and I have joined together to cheat her. It’s difficult to talk to an angry person at any time. I wait for her to calm down, but the woman hangs up on me too.
If the woman were unable to pay for her pet’s basic expenses, my friend would help her out. In addition, the BMA offers veterinary services at low prices or even for free. The woman, though, drives a Honda and lives in a high-value housing estate.
With an owner unwilling to cover basic health costs, I’m afraid that it’s time for my friend to take the dog back.
