|
 At Talbot Humane we strongly
believe that all shelter animals deserve the best possible forever
homes. We go to great lengths to ensure that happens. It is
unimaginable what some animals have gone through to get to us. Some
of the animals have been picked up as frightened strays wearing no
collars, tags or other ID; some were rescued from a chained
existence with no water, food or shelter to protect them from the
elements. We are also the recipients of "disposable" pets, the dogs,
cats, guinea pigs, and hamsters whose owners "just don't want them
anymore."
Domesticated pets are companion animals that require love,
attention, care and daily interaction with their human families.
They are social animals. It's not enough that they're fed and given
a place to sleep--if they're penned outside all day, they don't have
that important chance to interact with their human family. If
they're allowed to run free, they're in danger of being hit by a car
and injured, or they become exposed to life-threatening risks an
in-house pet never faces. Responsible pet owners know these things,
use appropriate discretion, and safeguard their pets accordingly.
And that's why we at Talbot Humane are so thorough when adopting out
our shelter animals. Like our counterparts across the country, we
have an adoption policy. The best programs are those designed to
ensure the animals are placed with a responsible person, one
prepared for a lifelong commitment, so as to avoid the kinds of
problems that may have caused the animals to be brought to our
shelter in the first place. An important part of this policy is to
match the lifestyle and needs of the adopter with the individual cat
or dog. Our pets are companion animals first and foremost--they are
not barnyard mousers; they are not used exclusively for hunting or
guarding. If the screening process occasionally seems overly strict,
try to remember that the shelter's first priority is to protect the
animal's best interests. Our adoption rate proves our success; in
fact, of all the applications we receive annually, more than 90% are
approved.
If you are seeking to adopt, we urge you to visit our shelter and
learn more about our policy from one of our staff members. For
instance, you may not know that if you rent or lease, you must
obtain landlord approval before we can move your application
forward. Or that we need to verify that any pet you currently own is
up to date on shots and vaccines--part of our commitment to the
future health and wellbeing of the shelter adoptee. And while our
home check of the prospective home confirms its location, it also
helps determine the suitability for the animal to be adopted. A
quarter
acre lot may be far too small for a large breed dog that needs lots
of room to run and play.
For the welfare of the shelter animals, we act as their protectors,
to ensure that they next home for each of our "orphans" is one
they'll continue to enjoy throughout their lifetime. And even after
you've already adopted a pet, we're always available--to answer any
pet-related questions, to help with behavioral problems, or to
assist you in choosing a veterinarian or or boarding kennel.
Our goal, simply, is to give all our animals that second chance
for a happy, permanent forever home.
|
