I stopped watching the news on TV because it depressed me. I decided to watch it yesterday....what a mistake that was.

I can't handle the commercials for mistreated pets; wus that I am, I change the channel immediately. I don't ignore the problem; I send the ASPCA and the World Wildlife Fund donations monthly.

Back to the news--the first item showed a sweet, adorable kitten (there is no animal cuter than a kitten) that was rescued from two 16 year olds who had placed it in a microwave then threw it out of a 3rd floor window. What could posess someone to do something like that? That is beyond sick; these sorry excuses for human beings should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. As it is, they don't even get a slap on the wrist.
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A while ago I saw a fascinating show that detailed providing prisoners with dogs that the prisoners trained to be help dogs for the disabled. Talk about a win-win situation. It was particularly poignant when the death row inmates had to give the dogs back after training. There they were, tatoo covered murderers crying like babies, kissing their dogs good bye.
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Before I purchased Chablis, I considered adopting a rescue dog. I called for information and was told that I needed a fenced in yard of a substantial size (I forget the dimentions, but it was big). Also, no young children were permitted in the household. Their list continued with other 'not allowed's. I can appreciate them wanting to ensure the animals are given a good home but the stringent requirements eliminate many codominium dwellers or those without large lawns who would give the rescue dogs good homes.

When I was looking for a cat to adopt, all the local places except one required a home visit.

I chose to adopt from a place that didn't require a home visit because how am I supposed to know if these people aren't thieves or crazies...? I had no problem giving references, but coming into my house to see if I could take care of a cat...?

I've heard it said that adopting an animal is sometimes harder than adopting a child.

I'm a walker at a greyhound rehoming kennels. They do home visits, but it's more to check that the gardens are secure and the fences high enough. Also to see where the animal will sleep, and where it will stay when the owners are out. People who say they'll leave the dog on the balcony (do'h) or shut in the bathroom/small porch when they're out aren't usually considered.

Other than that, greys make surprisingly good pets. They don't require loads of exercise and don't need a big garden. I think sometimes with rescue dogs there may be a history of ill-treatment or aggression, which is possibly why young children are excluded. With greys, they're being rehomed because they've finished racing, so they don't have those issues. There are sometimes problems with cats and other small dogs, but the people who work with the dogs usually have an idea which ones are best not housed with a cat!

When my children were born, there was no requirement for anyone at all to visit our house. We did not even need references.

We have regular feature/adverts from our animal shelter giving photos of pets for rehoming, they will say whether a pet can be rehomed with an existing pet, whether it can be rehomed with children in the household, if it is a cat it will normally stipulate that it will want outdoor access - so no main road outside the house. It is very common here for cats to be let out to roam, fairly unusual to keep a cat confined to a house/apartment.

I don't understand cruelty to animals, if you don't want them give them up for rehoming. Only a few days ago here a cat sanctuary found a box of kittens on the step, why not ring the bell and hand them in? Now they don't know if some kittens got out of the box and got lost, whether the mother was also dumped etc.

This is a subject that I have very strong feelings about. Animal abusers need to have the same treatment given to them that they give to their abused victims.

I am also against purchasing pets from pet stores, breeders, puppy mills, and anybody else that is out to make a quick buck from selling the animals. Now, if a fee is required to offset food costs, medical bills, etc., I am more than happy to pay. There are too many dogs and cats (and yes, many of them are purebreds) that are up for adoption at the local shelters, humane society, or other such places. And if there is a home visit required, my thought is that if you don't have anything to hide, let them visit. I wouldn't let just anybody selling their pups on a street corner visit my home, but from the local shelter? Not a problem. Too often, people feel the need to have a dog or cat and are unable to actually care for it. So what happens? They buy this cute little puppy and when it grows up and is no longer cute, or has medical problems, or has other issues, then it gets dumped at a shelter where it's put to death because who wants somebody else's castoff pet? This is one of the very good reasons that shelters require visits.

I also give to the local Humane Society and ASPCA on a monthly basis. All my dogs and cats have been and will always be rescues.

My husky was from a local Husky Rescue. They took in his momma when she was pregnant, took care of her, birthed the puppies, took care of them as if they were their own (vet visits, all puppy shots, etc). When I applied for adoption, I received a call from the rescue and was interviewed over the phone. Part of the adoption was allowing them to contact my vet regarding my other pets. They also ask for references (and they DO check them).

I spent several weekends in THEIR home getting to know them and the puppies. We were approved pending a home visit with the puppy. Since I had spent the better part of 8 weekends in their home, I didn't have a problem inviting them into mine. They wanted to see how he would get along with the cats, where we would be keeping him when we were not home, etc. It really was like adopting a human child.

Also, we were told that if we EVER felt like we couldn't keep him, we were to return him to the Rescue. They are like Godparents to all their adopted dogs. When they do adopt-a-thons around town, it's not unusual to find many of us going to visit so they can say hi and see how their dogs are doing.

Any legitimate Rescue will charge a fee to help offset any food and vet charges they incur.

There was a story about a dog who had to be put to sleep because its owner was rough with her. (That was in the paper)

There’s also another story (this one in my own family, so no news coverage) about one of the Memorial Day guests hurling the cat across the room while drunk. I thought the owner should have pressed charges, but at the time she was concerned with angering her son, who was also drunk and dating the perpetrator.