If you have never been to a county animal control office, you aren't missing much.
Unless you live in central Florida.
We took the stray cat there today to be scanned for a microchip. There were several people in line in front of us, so I had some time to look around and flip through a three-ring binder that contained, among other things, a list of dead animals that had been found by county workers over the past 10 days.
I'll spare you the gruesome details.
On the wall next to the receptionist was a large whiteboard with three columns: intakes, adoptions, and euthanasias.
Over 500 stray cats were put to sleep by our county alone during the month of July. I had no idea the number was so high.
Please spay and neuter your pets. Please.
Like almost every other person in line, the couple in front of us was there to inquire about a missing pet. Unlike everyone else in the room, the animal they were asking about was a kangaroo.
The receptionist did not bat an eye. This is Florida after all.
"Haven't seen one of those come through here recently," she said. "Fish and Game handles most of them."
This made me very curious about the three-ring binder on the counter labeled "Missing Pets."
After we took care of our business, I opened the binder and flipped past the sections labeled "Dogs" and "Cats" to the one marked "Other."
Interspersed among the reports of missing parrots, iguanas and ferrets was the report of a missing monkey of unknown species and one for a python that answers to the name of Daisy.
August 10, 2011
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24 comments
Can i just say i love your blog.FIRST COMMENT !!!!!
Python bad! Snakes bad ... my kids freaked out and wouldn't go outside because they saw a garter snake!!!! I hate to think what a full size snake would do to them!!
I'm going to preface this by saying I"m about to curse.
WHAT THE FREAKING HELL?!
I hope you didn't tell the kids. It will be on their Christmas lists otherwise.
Might be on mine too.
The only time I've ever been to animal control was with my oldest to support her when she put her very old and incredibly sick dog down. It was devastating...worse than going to a funeral because even though it wasn't my dog and my decision, I felt guilty. It wasn't easy for her either. We shared tears and memories all the way home.
Sandy
www.twelvemakesadozen.blogspot.com
Does this mean you're keeping kitty? (o:
did the kitten have a microchip? dying to know....
Jana,
I know exactly what you mean. I live in Orlando and had to drop off a stray dog once. They told me that the dog had seven days (including the day that I dropped her off) to be picked up or else she would be put down. AWFUL. I cried for days. Orange County does not handle animal services well. When I dropped off the dog, they made me walk through with her, and all of the animals were sitting on hard concrete- not blankets or toys or anything. Absolutely awful.
Reasons like these are also why people should ADOPT from shelter instead of BUYING animals from pet stores.
I always need your blog to jump start my day LOL
Now I need to know how the cat turned out? Microchipped? Your new pet? Don't leave me hangin!
Amy
Read your post and the irony hit me. Had to comment.
Yesterday I fixed 21 feral cats. It is an awesome project we have going to trap and release wild cats. We do it twice a month and have between 20-30 cats each time. We fix them, give them some shots and medical help, cut the tip off one ear (so everyone knows they are fixed etc) and later release them back where we trapped them. This is a small rescue group in a smallish college town. The cities have much bigger and better Trap and Release groups.
TNR is a great little known movement helping feral cats nationwide.
PS: I help with the recovery side of it. Anyone can help- but be prepared to clean poopy traps and see some pissed off cats.
No, wait. Did you get resolution to your problem, aka cat?
That is too funny! Sounds like some good free fun to me. lol
In response to another comment, I worked at a humane society for a while and it is NOT usual for an animal service to put down animals in the short amount of time. Our humane society keeps animals for about three months or until they run out of room or can't find an adoptor(sp?). There are many rescue groups for certain breeds and adopt-a-thons. I hope they don't run their facility like that all the time!
And I'm curious too: microchip?
I recently lost a kangaroo, too... Haha! Florida has some great pet choices! Unfortunatly we also have such overcrowded shelters that pets are put down quickly YEAR ROUND; no such thing here of 'when there's no room' Sad. Adopt, people! Don't buy [spend $1000]pets from fru-fru pet shops!
A python that 'answers' to the name Daisy... Hmmmm, I don't know about that.
And a kangaroo... as a pet? Interesting.
I've always wanted a monkey though. Maybe a small one like a squirrel monkey. I'd prefer NOT to have chimp so as not to have my face ripped off. Yikes!
Was the cat microchipped??? Please say it wasn't and that you kept it! I would hate for that cat to have to live in such harsh conditions at the shelter!
Oh I hope you don't run across Daisy! And yes, does the cat have a chip??
Daisy probably ate all the other missing animals, including the kangaroo!
Just randomly came across your blog today. I'm also a fellow Orlando resident and I swear I lived next to someone a few years ago that had a hyena as a pet. It had the shrillest 'yell' (not even a bark) and it looks like a cross between a cat AND a dog.
Glad I came across your site!
Did the cat have a chip? What happened?
I lived next door to a couple with a bobcat as a pet. Those were good times.
Oh my gosh! Regarding the comment about the kangaroo - "Fish and Game handles most of them." Sooo ... this is a common thing? People in Orlando loose kangaroos pretty frequently?
I'm in Tallahassee and I don't know of anyone around here with any weird pets. Maybe they're too redneck around here for that. :)
Dying to know - what happened to the cat? Did it have a microchip? If not, are you keeping it?
Wait---what about the cat? Did you take it home??
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