Eagle-eyed Pitch contributor Alan Scherstuhl snapped this picture near 43rd and Oak on Saturday. This sign, along with three others, has since been taken down, he reports. It reads:
BEWARE -- Keep your animals close. There is a Wayside Waifs employee in the neighborhood who is RACKETEERING for the shelter. If given the chance, this person will pick up your animals, take them to the shelter, and not bother to look for their owner. You will have to pay lots of $$ MONEY $$ to get your own pets back. Yes, even your outdoor cats. BEWARE OF THE RIGHTEOUS ONES! WATCH YOUR PETS!What's the deal? We called Wayside Waifs and found out that a disgruntled pet owner is taking her beef to the streets.
Ashlee Parker, communications manager for Wayside Waifs, says her staff knows the identity of the sign-maker. "It's a lady whose dog and cat were here for 11 days, until she came and reclaimed them," Parker says. "She was upset that she had to pay the fines to do so."
Parker says on April 5, a Wayside Waifs staffer witnessed one of her neighbors physically throw her dog and cat outside, "along with other household items." The next morning, the Wayside employee and another neighbor saw the dog and cat again, caught outside in a rainstorm with no way to get out of the weather. Concerned about the pets' safety, the employee and her neighbor brought the animals to Wayside. A microchip on the dog had not been updated with current information, Parker says, making it difficult to notify the owner.
When the owner turned up 11 days later, Parker says, she was furious at being charged $620 to reclaim her dog and cat -- $60 for the first day, and $25 a day thereafter, for each animal. A Wayside supervisor found no evidence that the animals were malnourished or abused, so the woman was allowed to take them back home. "She did accuse us of 'racketeering' then, but that's not the case at all," Parker says. "Our staff member did what was best for those animals by bringing them to a safe place."
It was a difficult situation for everyone involved, Parker says, "but we aren't combing neighborhoods, looking for animals so we can charge their owners to get them back. We have a waiting list of people trying to bring animals to us." She adds that Wayside Waifs is funded through donations from the
community, and their fees simply cover their costs.
"Clearly, this is
someone who is very disgruntled," Parker says. "This [the signs] is
her way of getting back at us."
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It's completely illogical to say that all breeders don't care about their dogs. I would always try to adopt or buy mixed breeds personally but IF YOU CAN'T GET THROUGH TO THESE GROUPS WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO????
I believe it! I don't trust a pet rescue place that refuses to let so many people rescue those poor dogs, they are too picky! I realize that you have to take a lot into consideration when dealing with pets on both ends but THEY ARE RIDICULOUS and have so many dogs that are going without! They hype themselves up alot but prepare to hear more stories like this...
Wary of Wayside - you are an asshole. Paying someone who breeds animals for profit, when there are so many out there who need homes. All because you got your feelings hurt.
Wary of Wayside---You might not have felt like one when you bought from the breeder, but doing so makes you an asshole. The breeder doesn't care about the animal as long as he/she makes the profit. The twink-chick taking your info actually cares about the animals otherwise she wouldn't be there volunteering. Instead of helping out an animal who truly needs a home, your ego led you to contibute to the cycle of animals being euthanized. Way to go!
Wayside could have gotten a big fat donation out of me in exchange for a new pet, but the attitude of the people that work there is waaaaay out there.
The snotty volunteer twink-chick taking my info made me feel like I was being cross examined in a court room...being judged on every answer...with her as the judge handing down the final verdict.
Well...the kitty didn't get a home with me...and Wayside Waifs didn't get my money.
A happy note though...I found a fun furry friend...and the professional breeder made a profit..all without making me feel like an asshole.
Hopefully someone will throw her sorry butt out in a rain storm and make her see how it feels. Alas, she sounds way too stupid to appreciate the experience. I have volunteered at Wayside many times and this hag should be ashamed of herself for besmirching the reputation of such a wonderful organization. Too many ignorant clowns think they have the right to do what ever they want and when someone steps in to help the one's they foolishly hurt they cry foul. Racketeering??? Jeez lady, you really need to get a grip.
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