Stupid Snake

So last week a got a random text from my husband..."Call this number, about a snake...". Ooookkaayy....

Turns out, a local animal control agency received a call from a woman who could no longer care for her snake.  They (as well as most other animal control agencies) don't handle snakes.  They will kill and dispose of them, but they do not "rescue" them.  Since we had helped out another county a few years ago, we got the call.

Three phone calls later, I finally get in contact with the owner of the snake.  She's an elderly woman who's grandson left the 10yo ball python in her care, and she can no longer care for it, but wants to make sure it goes to a good home.  Pretty common story.  I let her know we'd be able to help and I'd call her that evening to make arrangements to come pick him up.  That's when she hit me with this shot.  --I want to get rid of him, his cage and the stand, but I want $$$$...

So you mean to tell me that you can't take care of this poor snake, you've called animal control, but you expect us to pay you to take it...  Awesome!

It's not like I'm going to leave this poor snake with this woman now, so we shell out the money, and head out to get the snake.   Twenty-five minutes later we get to the house, and it's a wonder I'm not in jail.  This poor baby was in a cage that probably hadn't been cleaned in a year.  There's no way she could have done it.  The bedding was wet, and matted in the corners. He's not been fed in at least a month, the heater isn't even plugged in, and he's cold.  Very very cold.

So we load him, a 55gal nasty aquarium and a wooden stand, with doors that literally fell off when we tried to move it and a hole the size of a basket ball in the back of it, into our truck.  As we are getting all this stuff into the truck, and I'm holding him trying to warm him up, she tells us his name is Stupid.  That, for some reason, was the straw that broke the camels back.  What kind of horrible person could name such a beautiful creature Stupid??!!  I could take no more.  I practically threw the money at her and walked out the door.

This is how the poor baby stayed the entire drive home.  I held him and wrapped him in my shirt trying to warm him up.  It took almost two hours before he finally started to move around.

It took my husband and son over an hour to get the cage clean.  While they cleaned I got him into a cooler with towels and a heater.  Once he warmed up he stretched out and we were able to get a look at him.

He's a beautiful snake.  I really wish we were able to keep him, there's just no room.  It would be unfair to keep him in a smaller cage.  He deserves the best care possible.  That's why we called Matt @ the The Tye Dyed Iguana.  I have never met anyone who owns a pet store more involved in the care of his animals, and the animals he sells.  The ONLY owner I've ever seen refuse to sell to someone if he didn't think they were capable of taking care of a pet.  He has forgotten more about exotic reptiles than I will ever know.

Our house guest stayed with us just one night, then he was off on his new adventure.  Matt checked him over when I dropped him off, said he looked good.  He will quarantine him for a few days, then he will be on his way to a wonderful new home where he will always be well fed, warm, and loved and NEVER called Stupid again.

Belle's Story

Belle's Story

Hi, I'm Belle.  I live here with Mom and Dad and the rest of the orphans. This is me from just a couple days ago. 

I wasn't always so warm and safe.  In fact, when Mom and Dad found me, I wasn't sure just how long I had left.  I was cold and alone, and living off trash people threw out of their cars.  I was scared of people, and wouldn't let anyone get near me.  It took Mom, Dad and the Animal Control Officer hours of chasing me around to finally get close enough to pick me up.  I growled and barked and acted really mean, but I wasn't, I was just scared.  The people that I ran away from were bad people, and I'd never had anyone be nice to me.  As soon as they picked me up though,  I was sweet as could be. (they had treats) I never growled again. 

This is me on my first night home – Home, I never had a real one before.

That was almost four years ago. I still get scared of strangers.  I don't like loud noises and I'm petrified of guns (even the paintball kind). But I'm healthy, and happy and I'm never cold or hungry.  I'll probably always be scared of some things, but Mom and Dad are always there to make me feel safe.  

I have brothers and sisters that I really like, even if some of the cats don't like me to much. 

Thanks everybody for letting me tell my story.  This was fun!

Hugs and Kisses, 

Belle

An Open Letter

An open letter to the piece of crap that dumped this poor little one on a country road in the middle of nowhere:

If you have a cat (or any other pet for that matter) it is YOUR responsibility to get that pet spayed or neutered. In the event you cannot or will not do that it is YOUR responsibility to make sure that all offspring born out of your stupidity or laziness can and will be taken care of. It is not ok to take a drive out to the country and randomly drop off kittens to “nice homes” because you don't want them.

Mr. Leonidas here hit the jackpot. He spent one night outside and was brought to me. He will be at the vet within 48 hours to take care of the worms, and fleas, and cuts to his mouth nose and eye (from you or whatever attacked him on his one night outside). He will be neutered, and he will have a warm safe home for the rest of his life....but what about the others?

I'm sure there were others. God only knows how many defenseless little ones you dropped off that day, or have dropped of in the past that weren't as lucky. Ripped away from there mothers and siblings to be dropped off alone in a strange place. Maybe they made it to a house or a barn, maybe they didn't. Maybe the neighborhood dog got to them first, or other cats, or coyotes or cars or any number of horrible fates because you were too lazy or stupid to get your female cat spayed.

And don't you dare whine to me about it costing too much. There are plenty of programs that will help with the cost. If you can't afford to spay/neuter your pet then you can't afford to have a pet! There are no excuses for what you did. You do not deserve to have the joy of owning any type of pet. You don't deserve the unconditional love that flows so freely from our pets.

The Humane Societies, animal control, rescues, are all over-run with dogs and cats looking for forever homes. If you are not spaying/neutering your pets, you are part of this problem. How many of your dumped kittens ended up in the shelter?

I can only hope that when Karma finally catches up to you, she will shower you with all the love and caring you have shown all of the animals you have dumped on the side of the road.

Sincerely,

The (soon to be) Crazy Cat Lady

#cats #spayandneuteryourpets #animalwelfare #kittens #rescue  

Nice to Meet You!

Welcome to my blog. First, a little about me. In 2004 I married my first love. I have one son and two step-sons. Hubby and son are firefighters, son is also a local radio personality. My oldest step-son is a Marine OOHRAH!, and the youngest is going to school to become a graphic designer. Could not be more proud if I tried!

In June of 2015, my job in healthcare was eliminated. I was unemployed for the first time in over 20 years. I decided it was time to pursue my passion, animal welfare. My ultimate goal is to open a rescue. For now, we're going to focus on education and outreach to prevent the neglect and abuse of animals. In the spring I will be going back to school to become a Veterinary Technician. It's a scary prospect, but this is what I was put here to do.

You'll hear a lot about my personal experience with rescue, and the tools, toys and services I've used personally. You'll also hear from local rescue agencies, and other animal welfare organizations. My goal is to do my part in raising awareness and a getting others involved in keeping our animals safe, healthy and happy.