Had a guy that was SHOCKED that cats shed 😆 he couldn't believe all the fur that was flying around after petting the cat. Like my dude, have you never been around any animals before?? I know there's more but that was the first one that popped in my head lol

Similarly, I talked to a man who was shocked to learn: 1. There are relatively few instances in which pad-training a GSD-looking dog is a readily workable scenario. 2. Under no circumstances is a *single puppy pad* in a bathroom going to be that scenario. 3. Most people with larger dogs in apartments potty them by taking them outside at regular intervals.

GSDs piss human amounts. I would've told him to try only using pee pads himself for a week 🙄

Like spraying a pee pad with a hose. Yikes. Also, gross and lazy!

And I'd argue my gsd shits way more than me 😂

I remember the first time I saw a poo pile from a bigger dog (at the time we only had small beagle mixes and cats) I was ten or so and realized those dogs made more poo in a day than I would for almost a week. I love big dogs but the mess! And who's I had horses, the poo from a dog smells so much worse it's hard to believe!

You'd have to let a large dog piss in the tub for anything to work. And I can only imagine the smell. 

I explained to him that puppy training pads are for dogs who are basically the size of puppies. He did at least make the connection that the dog he was considering was already much larger than puppy size (and possibly not done growing).

Now there’s an image that hits home!😂😂😂

I had to cover basically half my living life room with washable, reusable pee pads for humans when my GSD mix got old enough that she was mildly incontinent. She would use them while we were at work, and at night (she was too polite to wake us up). I was constantly doing laundry.

lol you need a whole ass mattress for one pee 😂

When we were training our gsd as a puppy he needed 4 pads in a square, luckily he squats to pee so less mess but he walks in a circle to shit 😂😂

What does gsd mean (Edit: answered)

German shepherd dog

Swear to god my MIL had a giant German shepherd that I watched pee on a puppy pad in the middle of her kitchen. They had at least an acre of land in a rural area but he ‘preferred’ to go inside. 🤷‍♀️

Oh man that reminded me a lady at an adoption event that didn't know what CAT LITTER was, like she couldn't grasp that cats shit and piss in clay-like material and why we'd put it in a pan, and she had an indoor/outdoor cat that she'd leave for a couple days at a time, too. She just saw her friends do it and figured the cats just held it until they could go outside...

That poor cat. I hope it's shitting under her bed and not holding and going through misery or giving itself kidney infections.

I have to assume that if it's indoor/outdoor, it was probably left outdoor. I still feel bad for it though.

Idk that last sentence makes it seem like she left it inside..

I know a Facebook employee living in a 4million dollar mansion who has a room for each cat, my friend pet sat for her…there was poop. Everywhere.

That drives me absolutely insane. Sorry for the oncoming rant. I'll preface this by saying I do not like cats. My husband has a 17 year old cat from his teenage years, and two 3/4 year old cats. So we have three indoor. Obviously, grandpa cat has a few issues now. Sometimes he just can't use the litter box ramps. Sometimes an accident happens on the floor. These cats have an entire room in my house too, with lots of toys and climbers and stuff to use when they get bored roaming the house. I couldn't imagine leaving poop or pee on the ground, for our cats to inhale or be around or anything. Cleaning up animal waste is part of it. Cant do that? Dont get one. Again, I really do not like cats. But I'll be damned if one has to live in a poop and pee soaked enviorment. They're living creatures. Rant over!

As a fellow old man kitty haver, a doggie pee pad at the litter box has been a game changer. I've been testing it for one box over a month and I plan to incorporate the other 2 when I replace the liners this week. I got an extra large one so I can have the pan on it as well so he still tries to use it but accidents are covered. I've only needed to replace it twice (and once was definitely not him, another cat was startled midstream by me sneezing)

Thank you for the advice. It has become a more frequent as his aging affects him. We are just tryimg to keep him comfortable for his last little while here. I've bought all sorts of litter pans, ect but have finally found one that he is comfortable with and they have little ramps built into them. They've been a godsend! I will purchase a package of dog pads and give it a go. Seems like it would make grandpa feel better too; I was told cats are very ashamed of soiling outside their boxes like that because they're very proud animals. If I could just change the pad instead of having to spray and wipe and sanitize every time, maybe he'll feel more at peace.

Don't pay puppy pad prices! Look up "chuck pads" on Target or Amazon. They come in several sizes, and they're much cheaper.

Check out Assure pads at Walmart, they are quite inexpensive. Several sizes there, too. Edit- or even washable pads. Those were a godsend for our elderly dog before he went to The Bridge.

Huh. I used to buy puppy pads because I could get them much cheaper than I could chucks. Usually 150 or more.

When I had an older cat that couldn't always make it, I bought the washable pads. His accidents typically happened on my bed where he slept the majority of the time. I'd just cover it all up with the long washable pads every day. I had two or three so one could be in the wash and a new one on the bed.

That’s actually one reason I ended up with my beloved blorange idiot. He’d been shaved all the way down to his skin due to being absolutely encrusted when he was found as a tiny kitten. When I met him there was already some guy ahead of me on the waiting list but the shelter didn’t want to pair them up because he had insisted that “this cat has very little fur and therefore won’t trigger my horrible allergies”. 🤦‍♀️ Long story short they emergency fostered the kitten to me and then I just couldn’t give him back because he was a (stinky, dim, highly destructive) love bug.

A woman wanted to adopt two kittens to replace two that had died. My son gave her a clipboard with the papers and asked her how her cats died. She told him that they were killed by a dog, then she said the dog killed he previous cats as well. My son asked her if these kittens would be outdoor cats too. The woman said "Yes, it is cruel to keep cats indoors all the time." My son asked her for the clipboard back, she said she wasn't done and he told he she was. When she asked why, my son asked her if she knew what the definition of insanity was?" The woman threw a fit and started yelling at my son. I stepped in front of my son and she threw the clipboard at me. The vet that runs the rescue, came over and the woman said she wanted my son fired, we are volunteers, and she demanded the kittens. The vet asked my son why the woman couldn't adopt and my son told the vet "She is responsible for four cats being killed and I am not going to let her kill anymore." The vet told the woman to leave and the woman started yelling that we couldn't deny her a cat and she was "going to sue." The vet picked up the clipboard and smiled. The woman had enough time to write her full name on form. The vet had her staff notify the other rescues and shelters and the woman was banned from adopting. My son and I were at the Humane Society the following Saturday when the woman came in there looking to adopt. My son waved at her and she left.

[Reminds me of this post.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/iwsl0d/that_sounds_like_feeding_the_coyotes_with_extra/)

Definitely, the same mentality.

Your son is my hero tonight. Bless him! And you did good in raising him too!

I bet the dog is probably hers too!

That is what my son thought.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some wield clipboards. Kudos to your son and to the vet backing him up AND passing the info on to other venues!

>I will even change its doggie diapers when it gets its doggie period That is adorable!!! I like her dedication! We are a small cat-only rescue, so we do everything by appointment. A couple of times people have floated the idea of bringing their dog into the rescue to see how the cat they want will react. Also one time we had a couple of older adopters who said they had had cats all their lives and loved them so much, blah blah blah. They adopted a cat and then returned him because he jumped on the counter. Apparently in all their combined life experience they had never had a cat that jumped on counters.

I’ve had cats my entire life and never had one that jumped on the counter. I never knew they did until I visited a friend and her cat was sitting on hers.

Oh yes they did...you just never caught them! Upstairs neighbor was shocked to find out I could hear her cats jumping down from the counters in her kitchen when she wasn't home. Lol She said same...they never go up there!

This one day I had called in sick to work and stayed home. My cat either didn't realize I was home or forgot. I walked into the kitchen midmorning and saw my cat lazily laying on my kitchen table. Our eyes locked and he made a mad scramble to get off the table. He looked like a cartoon. He knew damned well he was not allowed on the table. But he also figured out that what I don't know.....

my parents cat has never been allowed on the tables or counters, he gets scolded and lightly pushed at if he walks across the coffee table to get down from someone's lap (it does not stop him at all). he's never really pushed about the counters or kitchen table. he also does not like or want people food unless it's ice cream, marshmallows, or only ever my bagel. but one night the butter got left out on the kitchen table. my mum woke up to a MASSIVE bite out of the stick of butter and a cat that refused to look at her

That's so awesome! Lol Probably same look my neighbor had when I told her. Nothing sounds like a cat jumping off a counter! Lol

exactly, I've successfully taught my cat that she isn't allowed on the counter when I'm in the room with her. I do occasionally spot her there when she thinks I can't see her.

Yep! My current cat is never on the counter...never spotted any evidence or anything that might indicate he gets up there. Now he is a bit 'different' but I also never assume he doesn't get up there because he's a CAT. Lmao

Come to my house. You’ll never get my cat off my counter; the thought of her little butthole on my kitchen island sends me to the spirit realm. It’s just not sanitary!! You’re welcome. 😩

My tortie cat Marley (RIP) jumped on my counter exactly *one* time, and I scared her so bad about it, because it freaked me out that she was about to walk on the stove, that she never did it again. Granted, the stove wasn't on at the time, but I was scared that it would become a habit, and she would hurt herself. Apparently though, my reaction was enough to teach her that kitchen counters were *not* an acceptable location for her. Even after we moved to my parents house, she didn't do it there, nor did she do it after I finally moved her to my house when I moved out entirely. She jumped up on most everything else, but never the kitchen counters, and *very rarely* the kitchen table.

They use their butthole to suction themselves to things and take stress off the fine joints in the paws from gripping stuff. Cat Facts.


🤣🤣

 How else would they ride motorcycles and pop wheelies?!


It's WILD how often my cats get on the countertop looking for food

I actually bought a table for the kitchen that's like a breakfast bar kind of thing. Sits slightly higher than the counter and fits perfectly under a window. I've used it as a table maybe twice. There is now a cat bed on it and it is their designated kitchen space. It gets a lot of sun, so it was our concession to keep them off the counters. We eat at the coffee table now 🤣

Come to my house. My spoiled cats go everywhere. It is a battle lost. This their house, they just let us live here and pay the bills.

We have 10 indoor only cats. I gave up trying to to keep them off of tables and counters. There are often cats on top of the cabinets and the refrigerator. I just wipe down the surfaces and check all food for cat hair, and dog hair.

Mine does it in the middle of the night only. I would never know if i didnt walk to the kitchen a couple times at 2am

All our cats go on our counter. Come home from the store? Cats are digging in the groceries. It’s just normal. My mom doesn’t like it all that much bc of hair but there’s already hair all over, having the cat be on the counter won’t make a difference.

Wait seriously? Like you didn’t have to train them to stay off counters??? I’ve never had a cat that didn’t need to be trained for that

My trick was having disabled kitties, lol. My first cat was a kangaroo kitty (missing a bone in her front legs so they folded in), and my second was half blind and had no depth perception so she didn’t trust herself to jump up on things. We adopted a pair of siblings and one is a little acrobat and I live in fear that she’s going to get into the basement drop ceilings some day. It’s been a lesson in frustration trying to keep her off things, lol. We got one of those Ssscat air sprayer things and it SEEMS to have done the trick to keep them off the table and counters? Hopefully???

She also has probably been around a female dog that was intact and in heat, and thinks it’s a regular need to use diapers

Jump on the counter? Hell, I'd welcome that. The cats I had would walk across the door jambs precariously perched where I my heart was in my mouth worrying they would fall. Lol

I had cats my whole life and my current one is my first counter surfer. He started once the dog arrived and learned how to do the pop button for dog treats. So he went from zero to sixty with it too. 

My cats didn't jump on the counters when I was awake/watching. They knew I wasn't fond of it (I'd gently shoo them off the few times they did). I knew they did it at night, though. There isn't much you can do to stop cats from jumping where they like, lol. It's crazy that these people weren't prepared for that...

My cats knew they weren't allowed on the counter or kitchen table. And would never jump up if I was nearby. But of course the rules only apply when the human is watching.

Jokes on them…how have they not learned that cats actually rule the universe?

13 years ago I adopted a cat from our local shelter and they encourage me to bring my dog in to see how the cat would do. I had them both another 12 years

Fair enough! I didn't realize it was common practice at other facilities. Today I learned!

When I rescued my dog I told them we had a cat. So they went and got a cat to test him which was fine. What wasn't fine was my cat when we brought the dog home! She swelled triple and stayed on top the kitchen cabinets for days plotting how to end him.

🤣🤣🤣

Pretty sure that's not common at all. That sounds terrible for the shelter cats.

Years ago my family was looking at adopting a dog from a shelter. They had a dedicated cat for testing who had a big personality and took no shit from anyone. We liked one dog, so they introduced her to the shelter cat (on a leash), and the dog tried to bite the cat. Kitty boxed doggie firmly in the nose, and the shelter employee wisked doggie away very quickly and told us that she had failed the cat test. The cat in question seemed just fine. We ended up adopting a dog who cuddled with our kitties instead. He would do this weird low growl when happy -- pretty sure he was trying to mimic purring.

The shelters that I have volunteered at all had cat/dog testing.

Ours does too, but with other shelter animals. Realistically, it's better to test animals in a controlled environment than letting the owners take one or the other home, and having an animal get hurt. It's also better than an animal getting returned because the original pet hates the new one's entire species, and the new owner had no idea.

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For real, I got that so often back when I had a betta tank. I think seeing someone else take proper care of an animal they’ve neglected makes people feel insecure; and telling “funny” (morbid) stories kinda strongarms the other party into reassuring them. The small pet owner can either be polite and laugh it off which validates the “no big deal, just a fish!” narrative; or cast themselves as someone who takes things “too seriously” by arguing. Either way the neglectful party’s insecurity is soothed at the owner’s expense :/

IDK what is with me, but I just get people come up to me and tell me some horrible animal story where their pet dies tragically whenever I'm at adoption events. I think the best though is a little kid ran up to me (I was at a booth) and said something like "Daddy Daddy they're the ones that killed Buddy!" and dad was just like "Yup that sure is"... so it was probably a court ordered I got an old lady tell me I was the devil for not giving her like 40k to fix her roof so she could keep all of her cats, then left saying I was worthless and good for nothing. I think she had dementia I once had a nice man tell me I need to limit my exposure to microchips. I limit my exposure to adoption events instead lol

THIS REMINDED ME!! Had an older lady come in, wanted to get a dog. She said she used to have a dog so we asked what happened to it, expecting old age etc. She dead pan says "My son murdered him." I commend your honesty but you're delusional if you think we're giving you an animal...

I've seen unfortunate instances where it was obvious they didn't want the tragic death to come up. The adoption coordinator asked the potential adopter about previous pets the family had had and he said none. His young daughter chimed in and said "what about [pet name]?", clearly trying to be helpful. The adoption coordinator asked what happened to that pet and the potential adopter says the dog was hit by a car and died. They ended the adoption process there.

Bc he lied, or bc of the accident?

Combination of both, because he was going to not be honest about previous pets and that showed a lack of good character and the accident didn't help make him look much better, regardless of how much of an accident it was

Okay but my mom had a dog named shadow she loved and in laws who didn’t like her but had no issue taking care of their own pets. When she gave birth to my sister they took care of shadow and when she got home they claimed shadow ran away. Which would never have actually happened. Sometimes accidents are out of your control completely. All of my pets minus my first dog (not a family dog, my dog) have been rescues. They’ve all been healthy loved and cared for. A friend whose family took in kittens born to feral cats, spayed/neutered them and found them good homes really wanted me to take one of them because he was her favorite. This cat instantly bonded with me in a way I never have had (even though I love all my furry idiots). When he was almost a year he started showing signs of being sick. We spent a lot of money trying everything only to find out it was FIP and there was literally nothing we could do. About 9 months later my the cat my husband brought into relationship died suddenly at 5 years. Undiagnosed heart problem. It was sudden and silent. It was a bad year for us. I was also 8 months pregnant. I basically begged my dog to hang on because she was 14.5 years old and I couldn’t take losing another pet while pregnant. We let her go right before she took 16 because at that point she had lost vision , most of her hearing and her fur was getting patchy. It was just her time. When we did finally find the right dog to bring into our family I had to fill out a long application and my vet had to share info. But they were clear with them, he would have a good home. Sometimes accidents are true accidents and you can’t predict what’s going to happen. I think it’s important to consider what people have learned and how they plan to prevent anything from happening again. Context matters as all.

I’m pretty outgoing and friendly when working with adopters so I get sooo many animal death stories dumped on me 😭 the worst was this old lady who had lost her cat of nearly 20 years, we both wound up crying and she asked to hug me

Oh. They love that shit. I work at a shelter and trauma dumping, with photos of said animals, is a regular part of the job. I think they just *need* to and we seem like a safe, empathetic place. (Which we are! But it’s also draining for us when we already are dealing with animal abuse/neglect regularly lol)

Cat lounge not an event. Asked someone to scan a QR code to sign our waiver (basically you can’t intentionally hurt/steal the cats and can’t sue us if a cat bites you) after explaining that her small child (clearly under 8) needed adult supervision, and she would have to pay for both of them. Women goes off screeching that we’re trying to steal her data and scam her. We offer printed copies or our own tablets if requested. The only “data” we require is a name.

An old lady at an adoption event, telling me about her dog: “I think we neutered him too soon—he never did grow any testicles.”

Did...did she think dogs got vasectomies?

😭😭🤣🤣🤣

I want to believe this was a joke told in a very dry way…but I’ve worked in customer service positions my entire life and it’s very likely she was serious Lmao

“We’re here to adopt because our last dog died of parvo” And then there was some mix up and I was sent to do the pre-adoption home visit. Walked thru the trail in the house, due to hoarding. Got outside to see a dog house with a long chain and poop everywhere. The previous dogs poop hasn’t been cleaned for at least 2 weeks. Yes they knew I was coming.

Oof if we find out you had parvo, we don't send you home with puppies... People find this unfair, will lie, and EVERY TIME their puppy gets parvo and usually dies or is brought back to PTS. We don't bar y'all from having puppies because we're dicks, we're trying to protect you from dealing with parvo AGAIN. Also big oof with that hoarding situation 💀 2 week old parvo poop is just killing me rn. How do you let people down? Do you straight up tell them they need help?

I work at an animal shelter and we have a parvo ward to treat parvo for $500 for owners that can't afford the treatment elsewhere. We go speak to the owner in the vehicle and they'll ask where it comes from, we explain that the virus stays on surfaces for up to 3 years and they could have gotten anywhere, like the lake etc. These people have 3 month old puppies that aren't fully vaccinated that they're taking out on camping trips and the lake and they're always surprised and I know I should give them grace for not knowing but come on. Some of these puppies they get online or from someone else and they've never even been to a vet!!! I ask if they have other dogs in the house and if they're vaccinated and some people have a look of "oh shit". I feel like in general every new puppy owner should get a debrief on health and wellness and know about parvo. I know that's a big ask for the public to do research on their own though lol

I work at a vet ER and we had a case where a woman had brought home a new puppy with parvo, couldn't afford to take it to the vet and it passed at home. She came to us a few weeks later with her very sick 6yo never been vaccinated dog, sure enough, parvo positive. Very frustrating case.

I have never understood not vaccinating any animal--cat, dog, sheep, whatever.

I just said I only do the home visit and the rescue organization makes the decisions. I wasn’t going to say anything that might upset them while I was at their house alone.

I was in LA at this little adoption event and looking at the kittens. A kid who was at least 10 came up to me and asked if they grew up to be cats. I thought he was joking at first but he seemed to be genuinely asking.

i’ve had a grown woman tell me “i don’t want a cat, i want a kitten”. dead serious. lol

Not event specific but, I had someone come to the shelter looking for “a kitten or younger”. What’s younger than a kitten? A fetus?

Maybe they meant "a kitten or at least a young cat"? Idk, I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt here, but maybe they were just dumdums. 🤷‍♀️

Petfinder used to differentiate between kittens and babies so maybe that was where they got the idea?

We used to be a Petsmart partner... they gave us the boot for not attending enough events lol. Anyway. The public is FREAKING WILD!! A few of my faves - having to untie someone's Yorkie from the table legs of our tables that have crates of cats on them BECAUSE THE DOG IS ON A RETRACTABLE LEASH. - being told they don't 'do' rescue animals. Besides Great Danes NEVER end up in rescue and they ONLY use reputable breeders. Um. Their GD's were the jankiest looking dogs I've ever seen. - Asking if the cat can train their dogs. This may have been a language barrier. But uh what? - being SHOCKED you have to feed a dog daily - woman gave us a really nice donation of a big bag of pricy dog food and a couple of cases of canned food. Uh. She didn't pay for it. Petsmart did just write it off. She also kept trying to free our cats- we always brought suitcase locks just for this reason - asking why we brought pregnant cats to an adoption event. THEY ARE NOT PREGNANT THEY JUST LIKE TO EAT THEIR FEELINGS!! - being upset a cat used the litter box during an adoption event. Because don't they understand that's gross. I'm sure there are more. But those are the ones I could remember off the top of my head.

Someone “being upset” that a cat used the litter box during an adoption event is wild, I see it differently. The cat is demonstrating their ability and willingness to correctly use a litter box, even in a stressful and unusual environment. It’s a plus!

Right? If I was looking for a cat and was at an adoption event and saw a cat that *didn't* shit the floor under pressure? "I'll take that one."

Mine sometimes gets zoomies right before she's totally done pooping. She'll be ripping around the house happy as clam and then boom! Dropped baggage in the middle of the floor. It doesn't happen all that often but it's hilarious when it does.

My orange cat gets crazy zoomies before he’s done too sometimes, but he always zooms back to the box. It kills me because he tears out of the box and 30 seconds later he tears back into it, with the look of sheer panic in his eyes. Nothing makes me laugh harder!

Orange cat things lmfao

I'm imagining a furry drone flying low on the final approach to deliver the payload. Lol

We called that crop dusting. One of my Great Danes sometimes walks around the yard as she poops. Absolutely hilarious.

😂

My cat chose me because when I picked her up, she pooped on me! There was some GI thing all the cats at the rescue were being treated for. So we took her and her sister!

Right! If the cat is chill enough to shit during an event they must have a great temperament 

My little niece is 6 and has only ever had big dogs. We brought our small yorkies and she was so excited because she could actually help walk them. One pooped during a walk and she said it was gross and told him you don't do that in public, but it was so small and cute, so she inisited on getting a poop bag to clean it up! It was really adorable. She told her mom and told her it was really gross too.

My son’s only ever been around big dogs. His first time meeting a small dog at 1 resulted in screams of utter terror and quite literally climbing my legs to get away from the jumpy little dog lol

I wish retractable leashes were banned. They are so dangerous. I was in a run once, thankfully without my dog, and this kid was walking a little dog on a retractable leash. The kid was looking at her phone and letting the dog do whatever it wanted. This dog lunges at me, wraps me up in it leash, and true to bite me. I had to grab the leash and literally swing the dog away from me. I told the kid to pay attention to their dog instead of their phone.

I love the "Great Danes never end up in rescue"....They just usually end up with breed rescue and they use a whole different model. I work with NBRF (Nations Borzoi Rescue) and you will rarely see a Borzoi at an adoption event. If we know one is in a rescue or shelter we will get him/her out and bring them into our system. The whole process is different...references...vet references...in home visits.and then matching considering lifestyle to make a good fit. I live in SC and have had rescues from Ohio, Florida and New Jersey...we will move a dog to where the best fit is.

As someone who has adopted 6 Great Danes, and fostered two, I can confirm that Great Danes end up in rescues. I have adopted four from breed rescues, and two from just my local rescue group who knew that I love Great Danes and contacted me.

Breed rescues are wonderful. 1. Y'all know your breed and quirks. 2. Some have freaking approved waiting lists. We ended up with 2 young Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I told our board, we needed to move them to a breed rescue. They didn't listen. The SECOND they hit petfinder.com our phones and email blew up. People from all around the country sending in apps. Our admin was so confused and upset why so many people were applying for these 2 specific dogs. Me- and that's why we move high value breeds to a breed specific rescue!

A family at the shelter I volunteered at was interested in adopting a Saint Bernard puppy. Shelter worker asked if they understood how big the dog would be full grown, was told they knew and had had a large dog before. They ended up returning the puppy a few months later because it got too big.

This shit makes me so mad. I knew a family that was going to adopt a husky/pitbull mix puppy. I was like wow, huskies are a lot of work, especially as puppies, but also as adults. They just told me they were more worried about the pitty side and that they could handle a crazy pup. Three months later when they realized the pup couldn't just be locked in a crate all day and needed intense attention and activity, they returned her. I was so mad I had to walk away.

Had a sister and brother come into our shelter. The brother had PTSD from being bit by a dog when he was a child. They both wanted to adopt a HUSKY while the guy had PTSD. When I tried telling them a dog isn't a good idea, especially a husky, they wouldn't listen. Thankfully, they left the shelter without adopting a dog.

I had a terrible phobia of dogs throughout childhood. When I was 15, we all decided as a family to get a puppy. I was still somewhat afraid of dogs at that point but mostly only large ones. My parents figured if we got a puppy, I'd be okay with it and stay unafraid as it grew because I would know it. They thought that might help me get over my fear. I agreed with this plan but was still apprehensive. Then suddenly on our way to the adoption center, my mother asked my five year old sister whether she wanted one puppy or three kittens. Much to my relief, she chose the kittens. I think she wanted the biggest quantity (which makes sense for a five year old): a puppy is bigger than a kitten, but three kittens is more than one puppy. Interestingly, I worked for a wolf reintroduction program when I was 18 and still pretty scared of dogs. I had zero fear of the wolves though. A corgi would send me across the street in fear. But I felt perfectly comfortable walking into a wolf enclosure with 20+ pounds of raw meat in my arms. I think it was because the wolves ran away from me...

That and I feel like because of their being more wild, their behavior is a little more predictable. They're not gonna jump all over you or come up wagging and then bite or anything like that, whereas a dog, when it approaches you, you never really can be sure how it's going to behave when it gets to you. Even for people who like dogs this part of it can be pretty stressful. For someone with a phobia it could be absolutely overwhelming.

I adopted my last dog after being diagnosed with PTSD from a pretty brutal dog attack at the advice of my psychiatrist. Unless the dude was actively having a panic attack when around the dog(s), this just seems judgmental?

It’s more the breed at issue, huskies are large, stubborn, LOUD, and can be reactive. Not a good fit for anyone with PTSD and not a good first dog.

The problem wasn't the dog. It was the BREED. Huskies are high energy dogs that need to be tamed. When I was showing the dog to them, the guy looked like he was about to shit his pants and was standing at a distance while his sister was interacting with the dog.

oh, yeah, the dude was terrified so that's a no go. I too was / is afraid of large dogs after a couple of bad incidents as a child but came to adore border collies and tiny dogs. A noisy talkative dog wouldn't trigger my fear because they remind me of Siamese cats. I'd probably just "talk" back to them.

Not weird but cute…twin boys about 5 wanted to know if they adopted a boy dog…also 5 years old…if that would make them triplets. Of course we told them. They went home…with their parents’ permission of course…with their new brother. The shelter staff and volunteers were crying happy tears. The triplets’ mom even send us a photo of their birthday party. Absolutely priceless.

In her defense I think some owners do use diapers when their dog is in heat? I wonder if they had an unfixed female (or a dog they waited until after her first heat to fix). Anyway, I’m always surprised at the number of people who expect the shelter to have a LOT of information about the dogs. I chalk it up to just not thinking it though, but so many people get frustrated when the shelter doesn’t know how a dog is with cats or kids - like, if this is a dog who was a stray a week ago, how would we know how he does with kids? Or cats? I can understand wanting to know, and sometimes if they’ve been there long enough they might get a chance for an observed reaction with a kid at adoption hours (or you know they always chase squirrels in the yard or something) but like…do you propose having tester kids and cats that we put into a yard with a dog and see what happens? I mean, most of the time we can’t confidently say a dog is house-trained if they’ve just been in the shelter and not in a foster home 🤷🏻‍♀️

I mean we have a tester kid... her name is Regan. Her grandma fosters kittens and usually has her. Any time someone needs a dog or cat tested, I call her and offer Regan a treat for her time. Kidding. Well not really. We do have Regan lol. But the number of people who want to know if the byb dump is fully social and potty trained. Or if they can get along with chickens, other dogs, cats, mongoose etc is just nuts.

I don’t know why potty trained is something people look for anyway since it doesn’t take that long to teach

Because people don’t want to put in actual effort a lot of the time. The amount of high energy dogs people try to adopt while not wanting to walk them daily is wild.

I went to a rescue in Cincinnati that had cats outdoors that they used to test for cat-friendliness in dogs. The cats were very used to it and were never in any danger; the staff kept the dogs leashed.

I’ve seen guide dog schools do something similar, except they raise the dogs with the cats always around instead of just testing with the cats Obviously a different situation but I thought it was cool!

That is cool! I adopted a 3 yo pittie who wasn’t cat reactive until my senior cat smacked her. I much prefer raising pups with cats over the three months of intense training (terror) that was required to undo that mistake. Fortunately, they are besties now!

lol I was having a conversation with a new volunteer yesterday who swore that the other shelter she previously adopted a cat from had lied about how that cat get along with other cats and I had to explain that just like people, one cat might be an amazing buddy with another cat but that doesn’t mean that cat will get along with every cat, or that your cat will like that cat.

I worked in a shelter with neo-natal kittens-8 weeks old, and really bonded with a kitten who had quite a bit of behavior issues. But I really, really worked with her and everyone around, including my manager, saw this. The guy came in to do her Behavior Assessment (BA) and put her down as unadoptable. My manager said no she isn't; try again. Same thing happened. FOUR TIMES. the fifth time (and last chance, iirc) the guy was out sick so a woman in behavior came in to do it. She passed. :) She probably never would be a true lap cat, but turns out she was HELLA frightened by men.

We do test with children/dogs/cats at our shelter. But we’re a smaller no kill so often animals are there for months and we can get to know them better. Even still, the behavior an animal displays in a shelter setting can still vary drastically compared to when they get into a house. Something that is very hard to convey to people, unfortunately.

Tester kids and cats 😭😂

We turned away a homeless man living off of his bicycle. It was awkward trying to explain that requiring he have at least some sort of stable housing is not discrimination. He thought that as long as he had the money then it didn't matter

Oof. Doesn't realize that homeless people with dogs either had them before they were homeless, or found them on the streets too, or possibly even bought them off a sketchy dude at the Walmart parking lot. :( that sucks, but it is what it is. It's lonely out there and having my dog was a lifesaver and a motivator not to sink into the streets. So...yeah I totally understand but it just sucks all around. Except I lived in a car, not on the actual sidewalk. Had a babysitter for when I was working. It worked out well and we were in a place in 2 months maybe?

We’ve helped people out who are homeless with getting their dogs vaccinated/free food/returned them to them if they show up at the shelter. But we can’t legally adopt an animal to someone who doesn’t have an authentic address and way to be contacted. Truthfully we get a lot of surrendered animals specifically because their owners are facing homelessness, or currently are so.

When I first started adoption coordinator I almost adopted a cat out to a homeless person! Thankfully our system requires a street address. They were squatting in someone's yacht at the time so they were answering questions like they lived in a small studio. Red flags popped up when he asked how well the cat could swim and I was like, why do you need to know that 🤔

That's such a bizarre question to ask I'd be thrown off too lol

I totally get why you can’t adopt to a homeless person, but it kills me a little inside too. Homeless people often take excellent care of their animals and will feed them before they feed themselves. Plus so many homeless people in my area intentionally breed animals for a small profit, so I love that they would be adopting something already spayed and neutered rather than finding an intact animal they may use for breeding later.

Man you don’t even have to go to an adoption site. People are just ignorant when it comes to animals. I worked in vet med and did rescuing for 10 years. Plus half the shit I see people typing on the internet. I wish you had to take a class before getting animals or having kids.

I’ve had to flat out refuse to adopt animals to friends/relatives because the person who wanted the animal didn’t qualify in XYZ capacity, despite my trying to explain it’s to protect the animal and that *they’d* end up legally responsible for its well being. Also have had people get irate that we have to spay/neuter an animal before it’s adopted out (state law) or won’t adopt an animal before the stray hold is up (also state law) And one time a guy asked if getting his dog neutered would mean the dog could no longer go fishing or hiking with him.

I would have said yes, that's exactly what it means, and he will expect you to take him to get his nails painted and will want to go purse shopping instead.

“When can I get this kitten declawed? Because my husband said if it scratched my daughter, he would kill it.” This woman was immediately put on the “Do Not Adopt To” list.

Not at an event but just at our shelter. I took a cat home to foster so he could gain weight, cute tabby boy. He put on good weight and went back a week later for surgery then the adoption floor. The man who got him had a pink collar and renamed him Lola or something like that. Now he’s living as a she lol, but he’s got a home so what does it matter.

Lol when I adopted my sibling tabbies as a pair, I was told that they were both female. I didn’t want two, but fine. Months later I’m looking at their vet records and it shows a spay and a neuter. I thought it was unusual that my orange tabby was female and as it turns out he is not. I renamed him William Joel (he goes by Bill or Billy). This isn’t even the craziest part. Initially I had picked out a different female with similar markings. When I went back to get her and her “sister”. I was certain the darker tabby was not the kitten I had selected, but the rescue assured me she was. She was not. Also confirmed by looking at the vet records months later when I saw her previous name was not that of the kitten I had selected. So I essentially ended up with two random cats, Bill and Mathilda, and they are amazing. But like, wtf?! I think the rescue had adopted out my selected cat and hustled me to take the two. Oh well. Ended up with two lovely kitties.

Not a weird story, but a cute one. When I adopted my blind cat she came with a goodie bag of stuff. I was looking through it and pulled out the laser pointer and gave it back to the director. We won’t be needing this I said, and it took her a couple seconds to understand. Then we had a good chuckle 🤭

I had a ‘perfect’ family from application, conversation and home visit. Drove 5 hours to place the dog. Next day she wants me to come and get it because the dog was gay.

A lady wanted to return a dog she recently adopted because it was licking her toes too much. A lady was looking for a dog that doesn't shed and then she said “there’s a reason they are rescues. You’re rescuing someone else's problem!’ Miscellaneous things about how Pitbulls can’t be trusted, they will turn on you at random. People silently grabbing their kids and walking on the opposite side of the path to avoid getting anywhere near the Pitbulls.

Someone once asked me about a dog that appeared to be having health issues and thought it needed to go to the vet because the breathing didn’t look good. Panting. The dog was panting.

I thought you were going to say it was a pug or bulldog or another squished nose breed lol.

Nope. Perfectly normal dog, panting in a perfectly normal way. Not even excessively like when a dog is super anxious or hot. Just a normal light panting lol I kept looking for something wrong and asking what she was seeing that I wasn’t because it didn’t occur to me at first that an adult wouldn’t know what panting is…

Overheard an elected official in the city I live in tell the rescue worker at a cat adoption event that he wished it was as easy to rehome the homeless population in his district as it was the stray cats 🫠

To be fair, where I live, everyone wants "something done yesterday" about the massive homeless population, but as soon as someone proposes building a shelter with wraparound services, there's a big NOT IN MY BACKYARD protest by the very same people complaining that the homeless are causing problems. So yeah, I get where he's coming from. No one complains about an animal shelter being built. It's a hell of a lot easier to get public support for the homeless animals than the homeless people.

Weirdest thing I’ve ever heard at an adoption event has to be the (apparently) extremely uncommon knowledge about declawing cats. “If we take him home today, do you think he’ll mess up the furniture before we get him declawed in the next couple weeks?” “I’ll have to come back and adopt her when I have an appointment scheduled for her nails to be removed.” These people ALL also went home without a cat, and with some verbal information as well as a small and short 2 page “Should I Get My Cat Declawed” pamphlet!

Thankfully that's becoming illegal in many more states now. My mom (82) had her cat declawed (to my utter and undisguised horror) and subsequently wanted me to help her find another kitten to rescue as a companion for the poor guy. I had to absolutely refuse. Repeatedly. Now she's moved to a state where it's illegal, and I'm so relieved. She still doesn't get it. A tiny comfort is that her reason wasn't because of furniture destruction, but to protect herself from accidental scratches. Still. No cats for you, mom. Now, though at 82, I've had to refuse to help her adopt anything but a senior kitty. The likelihood of her living the full lifespan of a kitten is minimal. At least she's accepted that now.

When I was a teenager my mother decided to get our kitten declawed. I was sick about it but she wouldn’t listen to my arguments against it, which usually ended with me in tears. She made the vet appointment, and I phoned them that same day and cancelled it and didn’t tell my mom I’d done that until the morning of the surgery when she asked me to help her get him into the carrier. She yelled at me and then made another appointment, which I also cancelled. This happened three times in all before she gave up. No punishments worked on me as there was nothing worse than the thought of that cat being mutilated; I literally threw up thinking about it. He got to keep his paws intact. He had the coolest paws too, with extra digits on each. He could pick up pencils and things as if he had a thumb. I don’t think he ever scratched any furniture once he was fully grown.

You were my kind of kid!!

Not at an event, but back in 2019, me and my parents went around to some local animals shelters looking for a cat to adopt. We went to this one cat-only shelter. The guy who greeted us was an elderly fellow decked out in what looked to be what was popular Hot Topic apparel from the late 90s/early 00s. My dad and I were looking at the cats, when the guy came up to us, grabbed a random Standard Issue Cat, and shoved us in a room with it. It was a nice enough kitten, but not the cat for us. We came out after a short time and told that to the guy. He frowned at us and said “What, is the cat too good for you?” And stormed off. I looked at my dad and said “Time to leave”. We ended up finding a cat at a different shelter that was the perfect fit for us

Kind of shocking, but moreso very disappointing: Had a *gorgeous* solid grey pitty, female, at adoption event. This is for a county animal control facility, off site adoption event at Petsmart. Had 10 different people/ couples walk up over the course of two hours, all just fawning over how beautiful she was, would love to adopt her, wanted to fill out paperwork immediately, etc etc. Each & every time, when we explained she would be fixed before being adopted, they all immediately lost interest. 🙄 But here is the worst (?) part: Only 3 of those folks could be bothered to end the conversation in a normal way. Like try to cover up the fact that they were not just interested in her for a puppy mill (they said something like “ohhh ok, thanks. We will think about it.”). Then walked away. Three of the ten just immediately asked what was the point in getting her fixed, got irritated at my answer, then walked away. But 4 of the ten simply walked away with no other words. No end to the interaction- no “thanks” or “we’re not interested”, no “nevermind”. Simply no further words whatsoever, just walked away in the middle of the conversation. It was bizarre. I mean, imagine being on the phone talking with someone, and at the end of a sentence in the middle of the conversation, they just hang up. They don’t say “gotta go” or “nice talking with you” or “see you later”, they just hang up. 🤣

It sucks so bad. I work in a large wooded park, and over the past few months we've found young dogs apparently abandoned around and in the park, not fixed or anything, most of them siblings. We've had animal control come out to get a couple (ones we've seen and were easy to catch) and they're now safe, fixed and adopted And then a couple weeks ago a big ol' dog was found, friendly as all getout, but had been either abandoned and missing for a while as he was super dirty and had scratches on his belly And also a big set of unneutered balls So any lady dogs still running loose in the area will increase the population out there Edit: Ah, not to mention our coyotes in the area

Unfortunately this type of rude, self centered behavior seems pretty normal for someone who would irresponsibly breed animals for potentially miserable lives. It’s all about $$$, I think it’s incredibly suspicious that anyone would want to actually breed un pedigreed pit bulls when there are already plenty of them available 365 days out of the year at every shelter across America.

I think the weirdest part of this is why would parents take a child to an adopting event when they had no intention of letting them adopt?

It wasn't just an adoption event.

Off sites are often at fairs, festivals, etc. Or at local stores such as Tractor Supply or Lowe’s.

If they’re in or near a shopping center my dad would let me go when I was young just to hang out and talk and pet them and such. So long as I wasn’t a pain to the other people or in the way

I had a family want to adopt my kittens that had just hit the size minimum for their toddlers. They were upset that I said no and didnt get that their kids could hurt them very easily. I directed them to our head cat adoption coordinator who showed them a very laid back 6 month old kitten that was a much better fit.

I wonder if that kid had just recently started her period and was integrating “other animals have periods too” into her understanding of her own experience. It’s only weird insofar as it might imply they were not planning to alter the pup.

I think that could be the case.

Lady came in with her dog and wanted to drop it off. Said if the volunteers didn’t take it, she would leave it outside the store. 

Heartless bitch!

I was told I can't train the guinea pigs I adopt to be guard/security piggies.

I used to be a dog trainer at petsmart. Once, during an adoption event, a woman was attempting to get the adoption volunteers to take her chihuahua. When that didn't work, she started to try to get customers to take the chihuahua. We ended up having to kick her out of the store. Said chihuahua is currently staring at me from his dog bed, wondering why I haven't given him his nightly treat....

Back when I volunteered at animal shelters, I was manning an event at a nearby pet store when a lady with a puppy walked over to me saying she had a weird question. She flipped the puppy over so I can see the belly and asked, "is my puppy a boy or girl?" I told her this puppy was definitely a girl, and she pointed to its bits and said "that's what they told me, but it looks like she's growing balls down here and I'm getting really worried." I had to grab one of our male puppies and show her what male vs female dogs look like

Mainly people surprised that we charge for adoptions???? My man these are fixed, given shots, and microchips. We are a rescue lol we can’t do this for free

I had someone try to "pre-order" a cat with a uterus because she really wanted to start selling kittens Pre-order was the language she used and was offended when we said no, didn't understand overpopulation and said she was poor and needed a side gig

I worked an adoption event and lady told me she refused to have a dog too small to drink out of the toilet because the toilet was the only water she was willing to offer the dog to drink because it’s a fresh water source perfect for drinking. Just thought that was gross to be having your dog consistently drinking out of the toilet. Plus you have to use chemicals and stuff to clean the toilet.

(Former Pet store employee; we hosted frequent adoption events at the store) A lady was ENAMORED with one of the puppies outside and came in to buy supplies after being approved by the shelter people. Took her around the store, help her fill the cart, she's excited and everything seems fine. We get to the collars/leashes. She picks up a plain flat least, turns it around in her hands a few times, plays with the clasp, then finally turns to me, confused, and asks "how does it attach to the dog?" Was so caught off guard that I asked her to clarify. She clicked the clasp and asked me where on the dog it "connects." I pulled a collar off the shelf and explained that you put a collar on the dog and clip the leash to the collar. She reacted like this was groundbreaking information. Still not 100% sure she wasn't some kind of robot. We had some shelter cats in a designated section in the store. A guy who worked next door at the dollar tree was obsessed with one specific cat and kept insisting he needed to "take her home and turn her into a bad bitch." Would never elaborate on what this meant. He never asked to fill out adoption paperwork or tried to actually move forward in the process (probably for the best) but came in DAILY to reiterate to us that he needed to take this specific cat home and turn her into a bad bitch. One time we had a snake at an event and a lady asked when it would grow legs.

Omg the snake one is amazing 😂 These people are amongst us and they drive, vote, raise kids, own guns, you name it.

Scary people Op

I love the flavor of domesticated cat

I follow a couple of people on TikTok who are involved heavily with rescues and the stories they tell make it seem like these are not that unusual.

My boyfriend and I recently adopted a kitten they were telling us about his microchip etc and he was nodding along asking questions like he knew what they were talking about… we got to the car and he had NO IDEA what “fixed” and “microchipped” means. Hes not stupid just has never had an animal before I brought my adult cat into the relationship.

Kids keep asking mom which kitten to adopt. She told them she wanted to adopt a kitten that goes with her living room decor. 😳

Great. Give her the black one. They go with everything!!

Personally, I love the black ones. I have four. But this chick then tried to"return" the kitty because it got too big. Needless to say our shelter warned others in our area about her. I hope she never adopted a pet again!

Ah, I see you too have been chosen as a keeper of the Voids. They really are the best cats, it’s the dumbest thing ever that they have such a hard time.

Lol probably some crazy shit the parent said and the kid is repeating it. "I don't want you having a pet because it's going to get its period and bleed everywhere." As someone who had an unspayed dog as a kid before we could get her spayed...I would just laugh.

At petsmart adoption day (walking my own dog through the aisles to grab stuff) and stopped to pet the adorable Aussie puppies since I was thinking of a companion dog and had owned one before, so would know what I was getting into with the breed. Anyways, after talking to a shelter worker for a minute she begged me to take one. Curious, I asked why? And she relayed that a lady who was nearby wanted to adopt, but they didn’t want to give her a puppy. Why? Because she abandoned her previous, healthy, 1 year old dog because she chose to move to an apartment that wouldn’t take dogs. Would’ve if I could, but didn’t have the time to devote for a new high energy puppy.

One time that particularly broke my heart was one day I was looking at cats in the shelter and this one little girl bonded so hard to a cat that was around 2-3. The mom came in looking for more kittens since their 4 they had grew up. The mom told her she couldn’t have the cat and said they’ll wait til they get more kittens in. The little girl was so heartbroken she cried the whole time and way out. Disturbed me that the little girl had more empathy and wanted an older cat and the mom was set on constantly having a set of 2 kittens. Made me think the mom just kept wanting kittens and dumped the cats when they got older. Broke my heart and angered me a bit at the mother.

That’s 💯what was happening. I wonder if the little girl was clinging to that adult cat because it reminded her of one she loved that her Mom got rid of when it grew up. I literally can’t imagine getting rid of a pet just because it’s older, I lived in a studio apartment with an adult cat with IBS so toxic I had to empty his litter box in the middle of the night if he went because I couldn’t sleep otherwise. He also destroyed all my collectible glass wear because it fit perfectly on his furry little noggin and he liked to try to drink out of it then fling it across the room like a poltergeist when it got stuck. Even the vet was surprised I didn’t think about rehoming him. Forever home means forever unless you can’t properly provide for them. Humans suck.

I can’t imagine how traumatized that child is from her mom constantly getting new pets and getting rid of old ones. Also think it’s just straight up cruel to bring a child with you to a shelter if you’re not going to let them pick out the one you’re taking. I still have memories of being 3 and going with my mom to the mall to the pet store to buy a yorkie (oh have times changed). That dog grew old while I grew up and I loved her more than life. Now I’m excited I hopefully get to spend 20+ years with my cat. Some people just see pets as cute objects and it’s heartbreaking.

Aw. Well. I do remember when I adopted my girl. She had a little of pups and I couldn’t get her fixed for a few months because she was nursing. And she did get her period. And I did have to have her wear little puppy period diapers. It was the cutest thing EVER! I still have pics. Gawd. I love her so much.

At our vets office. We have had our dog since she was weaned, got her from a family friend and she's 8 at the time of the comment. She got sick and had to have surgery, when we were getting ready to take her home she kept running into my legs with her cone and I made a comment about how that was going to get old. The boomer behind me said we can give her up if we don't want to deal with the cone. TF!? It was like 2 weeks of mild inconvenience and yes she's fine now. It blows my mind how easily people just give up their pets

"Cats don't like fish. It's weird to feed them fish-flavored food because they don't eat fish in the wild." - Told to me by the lady running the cat adoption event & organization

We had a woman surrender a box of kittens. She was worried about them being sick because they were having breathing problems. They were hissing. 😂