Lately....

Ok, so I just posted a post that I forgot to hit "publish" on, about a week ago, so there is another new one under this one.

Ok, so few things.

I really find I'm losing my faith in the world when someone calls wanting a chinchilla, I call back soon after, and they've already gotten one.  Ok, wait, scratch that.  I'm losing my faith in the parenting of humanity.  Because when I was growing up, kids had to work for something.  Things were not handed to me, and I sure didn't say "I want this" and got it today.  But that's what I'm seeing more and more of lately, and frankly, it's getting a bit old.  Parents that tell their kids, oh you can get a chinchilla (or whatever) and then, if the place they call doesn't call them back in 2 minutes, or isn't available that day to get it, they move on.  And I mean, I feel it's different depending on what it is.  If you need a car battery and Walmart is out, you go elsewhere.  But this is a live animal.  This isn't my full-time job (though, if anyone would like to donate enough money so that I could just sit around and do rescue stuff for the rest of my life without having to work another job, by all means, I will take it).  I cannot just sit around and wait for phone calls and then jump the second it rings.  This is not like a coach where they say, "jump" and the players say, "how high?"  I don't work for you.  I don't get paid from you.  At least, not enough to make me that super excited to stop my world to answer every phone call.  Well, really, I get nothing.  The money from adoptions and sales of this stuff goes right back into the rescue.  I took a chin and prairie dog to the vet the other day.  Cost me $612.  That's a LOT of adoptions and supply sales to pay that back.  I don't get a cent.  And yeah, I want to adopt the animals out, but not badly enough that I can just always stop everything I'm doing to answer your phone call and then to drop everything I'm doing so you can come over and pick out a chinchilla.

Another thing -- and this isn't even chinchilla related -- but I'm starting to think teens are really stupid.  Not all of them, but a lot of them that call me, when I call back, have a voicemail message that goes something like this, "Hi, this is ________, either I can't answer my phone right now or I'm just ignoring you....."  I don't know if you all think that's funny, but I lose a lot of respect for someone when I hear a message like that.  You have that out there for the WORLD to hear.  You want a job to hear that?  Or someone you called, like me, that has to think you're a decent person so you can adopt?  Maybe it's funny, or, my bad, "phat," "cool," whatever, to your friends, but those of us in the real world don't think so.  Yeah, I have some numbers saved in my phone for the SOLE purpose being so that I DON'T answer when they call.  So I do understand.  I totally get it.  That's not the point though.  But actually saying that in the voicemail?  Sorry, respect lost. 

....and I kinda wonder, if you say that in the voicemail.... do you say everything you think?  Gonna have a hard time keeping a job if you tell the boss, well, you would've done the work, but you didn't feel like it.

Moving on.  Please, people, do not call me saying you're on your last pellet.  I mean, by all mean, you can call, but again.... I'm getting a bit tired of jumping for people that aren't smart enough to call before they run out.  Now, if you want to pick up pellets, that's fine.  But this applies to those who want me to ship it.  In other words, they're out of pellets, and they think I should jump and pack it right now and ship it 5 minutes later.  Um... how bout we get some planning skills?  I don't just sit here bored waiting for orders to come in just so I can jump and get them out.  Plan, please.

And then, is it that hard for people to listen?  I had this conversation yesterday (relevant part):

Me:  oh yeah he's a sweet boy (referring to the prairie dog)

Her:  oh, how long do they live?  how old is he?

Me:  they live 10-15 years in captivitiy, 3-5 in the wild.  He's 6 years old.

Her:  Oh ok, so you've had him for...

Me:  4 years.

Her:  Oh, ok, how long do they live? 

Excuse me while I go strangle some people.  I'm tired of these conversations.

But let's switch to positive things.

At the Oak Lawn Chicago Pet Show, we had a record amount of donations (for an expo), $37.65.  Yay!  We sold a decent amount of stuff, not as much as usual, but not too bad.  Presented twice on chinchillas, and it was a decent show.  And, had someone ask about rats the first day, and come to the rescue and adopted some rats a few days later.  Yay. 

Unfortunately, this year's Lake County Pet Expo was kind of a let down.  The expo itself was fine, but our booth was kind of in a bad spot, and except for the people who had already told me they'd come to the expo to pick up supplies, we sold about $20.  Not a ton of donations, and we didn't see all the local people we usually see at this expo.  No one asking about adopting (other than the prairie dog), lots of dogs putting their muddy paws on our tablecovers (that are washable, thank god), and an excessive number of rude people that said that either (1) we should have left the prairie dog in the wild and we're basically horrible for keeping him as a pet, or (2) they used to hunt him and he shouldn't be here.  Kind of both similar but still.  Dude.  KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.  You never hear people say, to a pit bull rescue, "oh I used to fight those dogs.  They made me lots of money and a shitload of em died, but now I'm rich"  So why is it ok for these people to tell me, "oh I shot those stupid prairie dogs every chance I got?"  I don't really even care if you did, that's fine. But keep it to yourself.

So, I guess my attempt to make things positive didn't turn out that well cause people have just really been asses lately.

What else.  Um... LOTS of people who want to adopt end up getting a chin before I can call them back, an hour or so later.  So adoptions are down.  I have orders I need to work on, but the basement's still not finished, and the saw's still not in, so all the wood orders are still waiting.  I had a pair of young males get into it and are now separated.  LOTS of chins are available to adopt, if you know of anyone who wants a chin, contact....  I need to list them, but for now, I'm going to list their sale prices on the website and hopefully that might attract some people in the meantime....