The 2 girls... and the dilemna.. please advise

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Aneesa's Muse

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Some of you may vaguely remember my mention of getting 2 additional Chins from a lady that's been feeding them Vita 'crap all their lives, giving them excessive amounts of raisins and other fruits ..fresh and dried, GummiBears and GobStoppers also ...and whatever else she thought of. (The "breeder" told her it was fine... )

Umm.. okay... I am breathing ...deep breaths ..trying to stay focused on saving the girls ..not getting my BP above normal ..trying to stay calm....

...but the woman is now planning on driving them from 80'ish miles away ..to 45 miles and stopping for a visit over the weekend ...and then.. yes THEN ..driving the Chins another 30 plus miles to me..

....instead of allowing me to come to the girls, pick them up in a properly furnished carrier ..drive them straight back to my home ..and get them into quarantine cages ..and settled down.

I am still taking little "count to 10" breaks here.. bare with me.. but I have to know from the more experienced Chin folks here..

Are these girls in a substantial amount of danger with all of this poor care and disregard? Or is it perfectly healthy and normal for them to be driven all over several cities and "visiting" with folks ...then dropped off in a completely new home with a completely new routine?

I feel like I'm being so selfish here, but I really am concerned for the girls ..and for my current animals ..especially, Phoenix. I don't want to take on two more animals that are going to deplete my Vet fund on a regular basis ..due to someone else's total disregard for them. (I know that's what rescue is all about ..rescue is what I do ..it's a big part of my life ............BUT we have to draw a line somewhere ..know our limitations ..know when it's becoming something else ..and know we can't possibly save them all.)

This is breaking my heart in two... please advise :eek:
 
aminah,
you need to "keep your eye on the ball" so to speak. yes, it would be nice if you could get them asap so you could start working on them and if they not spend more time en route than is needed BUT the point is to get them and chins often travel much longer than that (to shows, to be shipped, what have you). try not to upset the owner and just make sure she does not leave water bottles on the carriers when they are driving.

good luck and let us know when you get the girls.
 
I don't believe that the trip itself will harm them. Show chins get carted around further distances regularly. Hopefully she would exercise some common sense about temperature, letting people mess with them etc.
 
Thank you..

I have tried very hard not to upset this woman ..gawd, it's hard... and just get the girls here, but she emailed me last night with her plans to visit with all the people that want to see the Chins before she rehomes them to me. And she has mocked me several times with.. "I haven't given the girls any crap, per your request ..and they are angry.. " and so on. (Try to help people and you get this.. :( )

I will email her back now and tell her to bring the Chins as soon as she can, I guess. It is about the Chins.. regardless of what I'd like to make it about.. right?


Forgive me for being more about the animals than I am about the humans.. :eek:
 
It's hard to hold your peace when you know they aren't being well cared for. Really hard.

But at this point, I think crossing this lady will result in her refusal to let you have the chins. Especially with the snide remarks about snacks. So take deep breaths and vent all you need to here, so that your conversations with her will be non-confrontational.:) Those sweet little girlie chins will thank you!:D
 
And once she gets there, put the chins in the house, come back out, closing the door, and give her a slap upside of the head! Whatta dummy!
 
Keep your eye on the prize. Chins travel well and thankfully it's cool. You can't help them if you don't get them. Time and time again I see rescuers blow it by alienating the owners.

Bite your tongue, scream into your pillow, come here and vent but DON'T saya WORD to the owner. Agree with everything, placate her and even praise her for something. And you never should have called her food crap. :)

When I find someone feeding total garbage, if they are talking about surrender, I don't say a word. If the animals survived that long, they'll survive a few more days. Go to your happy place when you have to talk to her. There should be no scorn or derision in your voice. No contempt or censorship. She's your BFF until you get those chins.

Remember, it's for the chins.
 
I just read over myreply...it wasn't clear.

I was talking about her remarks to you about the food, not yours to her.

Just so ya know, I wasn't saying you made snide remarks.:p I was saying she made snide remarks.
 
wow, I'm very proud that you are taking in some chinnies. I wish I had room at my house to do some good in the chinnie world. I will be moving to a bigger place soon so hopefully I can.
 
HedgeMom said:
Keep your eye on the prize. Chins travel well and thankfully it's cool. You can't help them if you don't get them. Time and time again I see rescuers blow it by alienating the owners.

Bite your tongue, scream into your pillow, come here and vent but DON'T saya WORD to the owner. Agree with everything, placate her and even praise her for something. And you never should have called her food crap. :)

When I find someone feeding total garbage, if they are talking about surrender, I don't say a word. If the animals survived that long, they'll survive a few more days. Go to your happy place when you have to talk to her. There should be no scorn or derision in your voice. No contempt or censorship. She's your BFF until you get those chins.

Remember, it's for the chins.
Click to expand...


Well said HM.... I put on my fake smile .. coo over the chins and tell the people thank you for choosing me blah blah blah. Once they are gone all the crappy food, dust , cage, toys, blankets ,stuffed animals, treats, the HUGE Cosco size box of raisins goes in my trash can.

Chins are very hardy creatures, they will be okay for a car trip.. Just breathe deep and things will be okay. :)
 
I didn't tell her the food was crap ..well, not in so many words :eek: I tried really hard to explain the disadvantages of such colorful foods as Vita Krapht and some of the other "treats" she was giving ..without sounding like a "witch". In fact, I am nearly tongue'less now ..from biting it so much.

I haven't even told the full story ..just some tidbits ...it's really awful!

Anyhoo... I will be on my best behaviour and get the girls. I will. I promise. I am focused. I will not say bad words to the dumb lady. I will keep my mouth shut ..I will....

..is this convincing?
 
I've been in rescue for 6 years and I always hold my tongue when dealing with these kinds of people. I don't criticize their food, treats, husbandry, medical care or anything. My goal is to get the animal and leave, while assuring them they've made the right decision. Once the animals are securely in my car and we're on our way, I explain to the critters that they have seen the last of the crap food and treats. Upon arriving home, all the bad stuff treats go in the trash. If they came with food, I assess whether it will be better to do a slow switch or switch cold turkey.
 
Unforuantly that's the hard part is not to tell them off! I just reassure them that they are doing a good thing and that I will love & take of chin/chins. The main thing is to get those girls! I can't to see pics. :D
 
As Nancy said, bite your tongue and bare it. Become an extreme pushover until you get the girls. Then, you can give her a piece of your mind when they are in YOUR HOME.
 
Aminah, I've heard what you've told me about these girls and you need to get them. Just keep calm, and look at it this way. The minute she leaves you can set them up in a nice fresh clean cage, with good food, and good water. And make sure you've got plenty of acidophilus and hay on hand for their switch. The minute they get with you, they're one step closer to a happier, healthier life. Just keep reminding yourself of that.
 
Sunday morning ..counting down

Once they are here and I am rid of her, I can tell you the rest of the story about this fabulous excuse for a human being (and why this one has been such a challenge). If I tell you now, I will incite myself to call her and rip her 47 new ones..

Thank you all for the "talk down" and the support. I really do appreciate it!

Now, I'm off to work on some girly stuff for them ..as I have mostly boys here ..everything is blues and greens. I bought some pinks and reds for them :)
 
:D "What's that you say?"....."Oh, yes what lucky chins they are to get out of a cage and go on a road trip and visit people! "Why I know some people who would never dream of that, and their poor chins only get hay and PANR. And Geez these women must be going through the change I guess, they keep the chin room below 70* :rolleyes:
And because I am in the mood I have given this woman a virtual Wii whooping
 
addictedtochins.. you have made my day!!! :D

Thanks! ;)


...still counting
 
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