...and the trend continues

So this is gonna be really short, but I just wanted to point something out.  Remember that person that wanted the four chins and then delayed and delayed and delayed on and on and on and I finally told her, if you can't get here by Sunday, they're going up for adoption?

Guess what?  Didn't see her today.

So, they're all up for adoption.

...and see, the trend seems to be, the people that really want the animals come right away to adopt them.  I've had people come the same day, but typically, it's within 1-2 weeks.  But here's the thing... if it nears/passes a month's time since that person has said they want the animal, so far, 100% of the time, they never come to get it. 

Guess I will get around to listing them all soon.

Have girl scouts coming tomorrow, so going to bed early so I can get up and spend the day cleaning and getting ready for that.  More bout that later...

Regarding the Waiting List to Bring in Chins

Hi again.

So, had a discussion today about the waiting list to bring chins into the rescue.  This person thought I was being unfair, so I explained to her why (she still didn't like it, but I can't help that).  Ok, so let me explain how it works.

Person contacts me wanting to bring in a chin.  They get put on a waiting list with their info, chin info, and the date that they contacted me.  Typically, the list goes in order.  You called first, your chin comes in first.  However, sometimes it doesn't.  That doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen. 

In this instance, someone who's closer to the top of the list was upset because they noticed, though they have not yet been called to bring their chin in, I have taken in multiple chins since telling them that they were close to the top of the list. 

All that said.  Here's the instances where a chin jumps the list, in order of priority:

• Another rescue needs to drop/transfer animals here.  Sometimes, other rescues get in an abundance of animals.  Sometimes, a rescue shuts down and the rest of us have to pick up the slack**.  Sometimes something drastic happens and they need to reduce numbers of animals.  Sometimes, we take in pulls from kill shelters.  We can't always help, because sometimes we really don't have the room, but the times we can, we do.  Because they would help if we needed.     
• Someone who has adopted a chin from NWI need to return the chin.  These people signed a contract saying that they will return the chin to us.  They do not have the option to go list it on craigslist or wherever else.  They are to bring it here.  Period.  Which means, we have to be able to take it in.   
• Something drastic is happening in someone's life.  For example, one chin that is currently here was on the list to come... more towards the middle-ish.  They were on the list for awhile.  I got an email saying that the people were forced to move and couldn't take the chin with.  They'd thought a spot would have opened up here prior, and wouldn't have come to this.  But it took longer than they thought and were stuck.  Chin came in.  Had another one, kid leaving for college, kid already lived by herself, couldn't take the chin, college was like... 3 days away.  Chin came here.

** A lot of times when rescues shut down, its not a planned thing.  It's typically more like one day they decide, "I'm done, this is it!  Animals need to all be gone tomorrow."  And it's a scramble.  So we do the best to make sure those critters end up in different rescues rather than in people's hands (who may not be the most educated about them). 

All this said, you may notice that chins are coming in when we say it's full.  A lot of times, when people want to bring in a chin and we have no room, that's no rescue cages.  Most people don't bring anything with their chins, which is fine, but because of that, I wait until I have rescue cages available to bring in a chin off the normal waiting list.  Since I breed, sometimes we have open runs and holding cages.  They're a lot smaller, but the chins do get moved into the rescue cages when they open up.  And in the meantime, for the people who have no choice but to drop off their chin, it is a cage. 

Just wanted to explain that.  Thanks.  

Adoption and people and stuff

So, that guy who was gonna get a chin here, and then got one elsewhere, and then called back... came over and adopted a chin.  Who-hoo.  The 5 month old female, so I can now take her ad down.  Funny, the only chin with an ad up out of all the ones I have available.

Also had some people today who have another of my chins asked about adopting a second one, so now I'm just waiting for them to get back to me as far as when they want to come.  So I hope that works out.

Ok and you know lately, I haven't had a day without someone making me want to *facepalm*.  I got an email tonight asking advice.  Said she has an older female chin, and her neighbor (I think) asked if she wanted another, and of course, it's a female.  So she wanted to know about putting them together and how to prepare if there's babies.

Now, she didn't say that she wanted to put them together because she only wanted one cage... but as that's the reason I hear 95% of the time, I told her about when you're breeding chins, you need a baby safe cage.  Chances are, she doesn't already have that, as most chin cages aren't baby safe.  So, she would probably need to buy that.  Then, she still would need to keep one of her current cages, to separate the male and to keep the male babies in after they're weaned.  IF they get along with dad, that is.  Also told her to have money, and used some examples of super expensive vet bills I've had relating to pregnant chins.  Also told her bout handfeeding and having goat's milk for that and a syringe and every two hours...   probably some other stuff too.  What I don't get though, is, why does everyone feel like their chin needs a buddy?  I mean, even in run breeding, where the chins are SUPPOSED to be separated, almost every time a female gets out of her run and gets in with another female, there's an injury.  Hmmmmm.  You know?  Not like every chin wants a buddy.  I mean, the same goes for people.  Some want to be surrounded by others all the time and others are more loners.  Ugh.  In addition to answering he questions, I told her, I wouldn't put em together.  I have a waiting list a mile long for people to bring chins in.... but you know, can't control what she does.

Going back to the lady who's had the chins on hold a month.  In addition to what I told her in my previous blog post, I told her, I'm no longer letting her do payments.  It was beneficial to me, had she adopted all four chins at once and I had 3 open spots (two chins are a pair) to take in more chins.  But now that they've been here a month and I don't feel she's any closer to picking them up, I have no good reason to let her make payments.  These chins could have all potentially been adopted by now.

So, she got back to me and of course, she wants the chins and wants to walk all over me and I'm not having it.  Conversation:

Her:  I still want the mom, daughter and the gray male.  I can do $100.  I will be out there Saturday and sunday.  If u want I can pay for their food since theyare still with u

Me:  $100 will not pay for any of those chins. The pair is $150. The baby would be $125. If you can't pay that, you just can't get the chins. Period.

Paying for the food is not the same as taking them and adopting them. The point is so they are not here and I can take in other chins. The food is the least of it.

If all you have is $100, keep saving, and if the chins are still here when you can actually pay for them, let me know.

Her:  I would only owe u $100 because u said before that would be $200 for all three and $250 for all four

I don't know what kind of money u make but my rent is $900, $250 for nipsco and that doesnt include food for 3 people, car insurance, celll phones, cable, health insurance $500 something coming out my husbands check for us and our pets....

One dog,3cats, degus and 2 fish

Especially when he was off work foe 6-7months and we are just trying to catch up on everything


Or I can take all three of them this week and just owe u whatever 

It's not like i'm keep them and take off on u... I can so a contact about whatever how much I owe . U 

Me:  I did say it would be $200 for all three. But I also said now, that you can't make payments. When you only buy one chin at a time, it's full price. The discount is a "multi-chin" discount -- it's because you were buying multiple.

I am making no money right now, no unemployment, and I still have all the bills you do. And I'm caring for 40 animals. I understand you may not be making oodles of money, most people I know aren't making a lot. But then if that's the case, what if you brought one of these chins home and you had a $300 vet bill for some reason? Gonna wait a month to take the chin into the vet because you don't have the money? This is a bad situation all around.

At this point, I could see it being years before I'd ever get the money from you. Not even because you don't have it, but because you take so long to make it out here. Even if you did sign a contract, they're miserable to enforce, and if I had to go to court, it would cost me more to go to court than what you'd owe me. It's not worth it.

Her:  BELIEVE if my animals came to that point need l ing some serious medical help theu will get it asap... and about u ever taking me to court that wouldn't happen... I don't take advantage of people and definitely don't do people wrong at all... if my huaband check is more on friday then I will pay it off.... it was kinda a set back when we had to put dam near $600 into his car and still have to pay to get my explorer towed from hammond to demotte to see whats goinf on with that

Me:  I understand, but I just can't wait forever either. And it's already been almost a month, that is ridiculously long. People pick up chinchillas the same day they call. Most pick up within 7 days. I need to keep the rescue running in the meantime. I can't do that without money. Money comes from adoption fees. Without those...... 

Let me know what happens on Friday. We'll talk then.

 

Some of this so deserves comments.  First.  I do NOT want to hear about all the bills you all have.  A lot of people tell me they have bills.  So?  What, do you all think I'm rich and live here with no mortgage, no electrical bills, no food bills, no gas bills, etc?  Guess what, I have all those bills too!  So you're not special and I'm not giving you a discount just because you have bills.  The only thing I don't have is kids, but I have 40+ animals at all times, so I think that probably takes about as much time and a good portion of the money if they're being cared for correctly.   

Also, did you notice how I told her she cannot make payments and then she says, oh she can take all three and pay the rest whenever.  DID I NOT JUST SAY SHE COULD NOT MAKE PAYMENTS?  I am REALLY getting tired of telling people the same thing over and over.  Don’t read, can’t adopt.  That should be the new rule. 

And… if the husband’s been off work, and the daughters’ been in the hospital (not sure if that’s in the part I copied), and car problems, and this and that… maybe she shouldn’t be getting ANY pets at all until she has more money.  How bout that?  Oh, and she’ll get vet care right away if needed.  Really?   How’s she gonna pay for it?  Hmmmmm???? 

Oh, and she’s not gonna take em and take off on me.  No, she’ll be right in her home, where I can find her, but at the rate she’s going, even if she had the money, she’d take 4 months to see me to get it to me to pay me something like $25 off of a $150 tab.  So it would take years to get paid off (and the whole time, just like her coming to get the chins, I would need to be bugging her).  Don’t think so.  I am TIRED of getting walked all over.

And people… that is how a multi-animal discount works.  You don’t go to a breeder, get a dog, and come back awhile later, and get another, and get a discount.  But, when you’re there, if you pick up two, sometimes you get a discount.  But that doesn’t extend on forever, that’s typically just that day.  

So all this said... if she has the money Friday, I still need to see her adoption form.  Because she hasn't even been able to get THAT to me yet.  If she can afford em Friday or this weekend, she can take em.  But she is NOT doing a payment plan.  Considering the fact that I have not seen her ONCE since she decided she wanted the chins, about a month ago, and the fact that she was scheduled to come over here MULTIPLE times during that period of time yet NEVER DID, I am NOT doing any favors.  She has wasted enough of my time already.

Now, before I get 20 emails asking about payment plans... I don't offer em to 99.9% of people.  There are not even a handful of people who I will allow to have a tab, because I see them often enough or I've known them forever.  And with this person, she has some of my degus, and with that adoption, it was not delay delay delay.  She wanted em, came over, filled out paperwork, and adopted them.  So I dunno if this is a new thing or what, but had she been like this before, I would have told her, forget ever adopting anything else. I don't have the time to mess with people like this who just make me want to strangle them.  It's not worth raising my blood pressure over, when I can find perfectly nice chin homes that don't aggravate me, and it's not worth the aggravation.  We will see what happens this weekend.  

Few more things.  First.  What is it with people who say, I know the store's closed but I need this thing right now, and could you get it out quick?  (which isn't always a problem, but keep reading).  So we talk bout they want, back and forth for a day or two.  So, then I rush to get their order put together and email em with the total.  Nothing for two days.  I emailed and told em, hey, thought you wanted this in a rush, did you get my other email?  Oh yeah, they got it.  Welll...... they said they'll pay by paypal.  So I gave em my paypal and told em, I can send em an invoice.  That was this morning.  Nothing yet.  I try to be nice, but when you tell me its a rush, and then YOU delay in payment or getting me your zip code or whatever, then I feel like you just wanted me to push your order in front of everyone else's.  Which isn't fair to them, if you really don't need it in a day or two like you say you do.

Last thing.  MOST of the drywall is up. Few remaining pieces -- may be done by end of week!!!