ripples in the pond. so here is what i am thinking since this whole custody battle started out over jeremiah. as a rescue who is vulnerable to the tides and moods of many different people. we do have to protect ourselves..even if that means not helping some animals.
at any point any previous owner of any of the animals here could pop up...some of these animals have been in 4 or 5 different homes in their lifetimes...with 34 year old horses like gideon..they could have been in a dozen or more. if a home from 5 or 10 years ago decided they now want their animal back or easy money with a lawsuit..easy enough to produce their original bills of sale and say their animal was stolen.
our surrender forms require the surrendering families to state that they are the legal owner of said animal...but what if they are and can't prove it..what if they can prove it but the person they got the animal from can't, what if someone along the long lines of previous homes got a free dog from somewhere without the legal documentation...do you see where i am going here?
we could potentially have a never ending progression of custody battles and lawsuits over animals given away multiple times until they finally end up here...the last and for some..the best place they will ever have in this world?
the reporter came up today for a tour of saints and to meet jerry. he asked me..wouldn't it be easier, certainly cheaper to just give jerry back. well yeah it would..but consider jerry's side of this...NO ONE cared enough for this dog to MAKE SURE he was safe and well cared for. he was just passed around like a bag of potato chips...do you think jerry was happy about this? do you think he believes people did right by him? do you think he enjoyed being passed around like a cheap and worthless piece of unfeeling property?
i think he didn't. i think he was afraid. i think he did not know what was happening to him because his life just kept getting turned upside down depending on the convenience of whoever was supposed to be caring for him.
would you treat your dog like this..would you put him in a position where he would be in 6 different homes and finally end up in an animal sanctuary? or would you ensure that no matter what..your dog was safe and happy and responsibly cared for?
i will tell you...no dog of mine would ever have been put thru what jerry survived.
but what to do now...now that i know that these past people can pop out of the woodwork and mess up their lives again?
do i stop taking owner surrenders? do i tell little old ladies whose ancient cats and dogs can't live with them anymore...sorry..take them to the spca. do i tell elderly animals whose owners have died...sorry you might have a pain in the ass previous owner from years before so i am not touching you? do i say to the sad and the neglected and the abused who have been in 4 previous neglectful and abusive homes...sorry too much risk involved here, not going to help you?
ripples in the pond..throw a rock man and just stand back and watch all the heartache and pain you just caused. sucks for the animals, sucks for me..because someone just thru a rock in our pond that is going to force me to put saints needs before each animals needs...and i stupidly thought saints needs and their needs were one in the same thing.
I'm sure this is a stupid question, but you said that Jerry was with several different people between the original owner and SAINTS. Have you tried to locate these people to see if any of them have proof that they were the legal owner of Jerry? If they do, wouldn't that prove that the person suing for custody has no right to the dog?