I've seen it on other blogs, I've read it on Fugly and others... and since everyone else can air their opinion, I figure it only fair for me too!
There's LOTS of folks out there, single family units (read - NOT rescues), directly, or indirectly, asking for donations to rescue their sick horse. I've seen everything from "my poor Pony-Horse, he's been with us since he was a colt, and we're too broke to get his surgery done, and he won't enjoy his 34th year on the farm with us if you don't pay for this life-saving surgery"... all the way to "This is our 18th rescue, and if she doesn't get this exploratory surgery, she'll suffer... please help". Okay, maybe both are dramatizations, but I've done enough reading to see plenty of situations where "it sure would be nice if someone else would pay for it."
So here's my take. (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is MY Opinion only... not the views or opinions of anyone else anywhere... so if you're offended, shoot me an email. We can settle our differences, but let's be civil about it. Thanks!)
If you ask the first time, okay. If anyone donates, its of their own free will. I'm okay there.. When I start getting puzzled, is on the fourth, fifth, or more "rescue case horses". If you were too broke to rescue the first one, why did you take on another one? By definition, most skinny rescue horses need vet work. If you find one that just needs groceries, even that's gonna cost you some precious dollars. All three horses that have lived at my place have needed their ample grocery supply (grain, hay, supplements, hoof care, etc). But with each one, I knew I had "work" to do - ribs to cover, coats to clean up, hooves to shoe, etc. I never went online, asking for anyone's cash to help pay my bills.
So if it's your first, and you didn't plan on it being that expensive, or had some family emergency that ate your horse fund, I understand. You can ask, and if you get donations, cool for you! However, when it comes to you taking on the second rescue, knowing how much the first one cost, go ahead & ask. But don't ask me... I'm all fresh out & just not that gullible.
A good conversation starter, don't ya think?
4 comments:
Like the lady with 56 cats, it just screams "hoarder" and/or scam artist.
I'm fine with a pancake feed to help someone's sick kid, or a fund raiser of some sort to help out folks with real problems not of their own making. But shame on the ones who take advantage.
Thanks for the response.. Hope others will have the same courage..
Just my opinion...
I really have to agree with you! I am an animal lover and have rescued my fair share... but you don't take an animal, especially a big one like a horse, and not be able to provide for it!
Where is the responsibility in that???
Just seems to me that there are some people out there that are either trying to make a buck of suckers with a soft heart or they really do have good intentions but just have not thought through the consequences of what they have committed to.
And it makes it so very hard because there really are truly some people out there that fall on hard times and could use some help, but I don't have the time to weed through each plea for help, nor do I have the money to be freely passing out...
Great post!
Steph
I'm with Stephanie - and maybe I'm suspicious-minded, but I tend to save my donations for organizations or individuals that I know are reputable and/or deserving. Sure, I've been known to deposit spare change in a donation can at the grocery store for someone I've never heard of, but I feel safer going with the Red Cross or other local, organized charities.
But I do like an idea I read about once - if you read about someone who's fallen on hard times (fire in the paper, tragic illness, accident, whatever strikes your fancy), pick up a gift card at the major retailer of your choice - or in the case of a funeral, stamps work well - stick them in an envelope, and drop them in the mail. If the address isn't easily determined, you can often send things care of the paper or TV station which originally ran the article.
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