What's Been Going On

So... lots of new stuff going on lately.

Had someone calling today wanting to know what the adoption fee was for a dog. Told them, we don't have dogs.  Oh, ok.

Got a decent amount of chins on hold right now.  Need to work on getting more listed, gotta weigh and check more of them.

The three babies that Sally had, the three ebonies that were posted on the picture on facebook... all died.  They looked smushed and Jim (the guy I work for) always puts a tube in the cage when the run is still open to the male.  So the last time I was there, he gave me some spare pvc so I can put that in for the three days the run is still open after babies are born.

The day I was leaving, Hetty had babies!  I will have to count back to check who the dad is, but I believe it's Ace.  Two standards, I think a male and a female.

As far as rescue chins go, Chewy got adopted a little bit ago.  Lee and Carter were here as a pair, and Carter passed unexpectedly.  Lee's still here, still doing well, and raring to go.  I have someone wanting a pair of chins, so I might try to pair up Lee with another of our rescue males and see how that goes.

Been cleaning  both sides of the basement.  Even though only the one side has the animals... the other side typically turns into overflow, so needs to be dealt with every so often.  And if I kept up with it, it wouldn't be so bad, but at the moment... it needs work.  So been cleaning that, and been washing more stuff, so at some point I'll have to list all the random little items I have for sale, and see what I can sell.

Been trying to churn out toys for this one order that literally has like 50 toys in it.  Had the guy email me a day or two after the order was sent in, and I told him, it'd take some time, because I'm out of town 3 days a week, I run the rescue myself, yadda yadda.  Well, he emailed me again and said it's been 35 days.  Not trying to make excuses, but I told him.. some of these toys, from start to finish, take 30 minutes to make.  Even if I could just sit down and make 50 toys, that would take 25 hours.  And amid making those toys, I also have to keep cages clean, handle adoptions, do paperwork, and so on and so forth.  I'm working on the toys, but jeez.  Patience.  One person can't do everything and churn out a million toys everyday.  Though... they now are all done, I just need to package them up and send them out, and have that person be happy when they receive all their toys.

Been putting up the Awesome August sale --- $10 off $75 chins, $25 off chins $100-175, $50 off chins $200+.  Well... now everyone's coming out of the woodwork.  Have two people wanting a few chins... told both of em... during the sale, because of how many adoption forms I send out, versus how many I actually get back... I don't hold anything until I have everything (adoption form and proof of cage) in hand, and appointment set.  Simple as that.  Rush and see who gets it.  Cause let's be honest, I probably send out 100 adoption forms and get 5 back.  So, if I held chins for every one I send out (like I used to), every chin would be on hold, 24/7, and yet none would get adopted.  So... this is how it is, now...

So then, dealing with lots of fun fun people.  Had someone who was interested in a chin, and initially said they'd have to wait until they were back from a trip they were going on, so I told them, when you come back, first check if the chin is available (because of the sale... you never know).  So, next message says, oh maybe they can come tomorrow (which would be today).  So I told em, care packet, adoption form, proof of cage.  They said they were looking into getting a ferret nation, and I told em, I have a used critter nation if they're interested in a used one.  So they said they'd likely want shelves for it, and I asked, either how much they want to spend, or what the layout they want is... they dunno.  So then they ask, can they come tomorrow (today) and pick up the chin and cage, and leave a copy of their driver's license, and then send a check when they have the rest of the money.  Um... no?  This isn't layaway at Walmart.  I nicely explained, they can put down a deposit if they want, but nothing leaves here until it's fully paid for.  So I get an email saying, maybe she can pull money from her savings and pay for the whole thing so she can take the chin tomorrow.  That's fine.  She said she'll wait on the cage, but probably get it in a few weeks when she has the money.  Also fine.  Won't have time to actually list it in the meantime, with the sale going, so no big deal.  Then she asks if I can groom her other chin, if she brings it.  Sure can.  So I get the grooming combs out, dig the FN out (so she can see it, like she asked)... and 3 pm rolls around.  Waiting, waiting... finally get an email...and this is so priceless, I have to quote:

I'm very sorry but my mom decided last minute that she wasn't going unless my dad would go and he won't go. They think that Hammond is a horrible city and we're going to get shot driving down the street. So I guess I will not be coming tonight and I am sorry that you got all of your stuff out. 

...now... raise your hands if you've been to my house in Hammond and NOT died.  Look at that!  Amazing.  There's LIVING people who have been here, note, who are still alive AFTER having been here.  And, let's not forget, I take the trash out, usually after 10 pm, every week (well, twice every other week, because recycling has to go out as well), and I have never gotten shot.  Oh wait, maybe I'm dead and just don't know it, yet.  Hmmm....   Anyway, I emailed back because I feel like that email is a tad vague.  They're not coming tonight.  Is the keyword "tonight"?  Are they going to come a different time?  Dad won't go.  Ok...just not today?  Or ever?  I'm betting "ever" based on that description they gave of Hammond, but I figure, I should ask, so if she was thinking of somehow doing this a different day, it's left open.  But I almost guarantee you that I will not hear back.  And as of the next morning, have not heard back.

Going back to the putting down a deposit and taking the chins and paying the rest later -- unless you're like my best friend from back in the day -- this will just not happen.  I've even tried to do payments before.  You may remember the person who had the ferret nation on hold awhile back, and I posted about that maybe a month or so ago.  Good example.  Another example, someone wanted four chins, to split a ferret nation in half and have two in each half.  Well, they put down $50 and said, in a few weeks, they'd put down more.  Well, never heard from them, had to chase them down.  They'd set an appointment to come by, cancel it at the last moment, then set another... same thing.  It just doesn't work.  And the reason I typically don't bother anymore (the cage was for a friend of a friend) is because... there's such a thing as a credit card.  You want to make payments?  Fine, you don't have to make them to me, you can make them to the credit card company.  Then I don't have to chase you down if you never pay the bill.

I do 30 day holds with deposit.  Which can actually turn into 37 day holds, because I will hold for 7 days while you work on getting your deposit in.  And the deposit holds for 30 days from receipt, so once I get that deposit, you have 30 days to come pick up your critter.  You don't have the cash or can't charge it in 30 days, we keep the deposit.  Not to be mean, but because we've, in effect, prevented that animal from being adopted for all that time, and if you don't end up adopting it, we may have passed up some great homes that popped up during that time because the animal was on hold.  If someone can't afford the remainder of the adoption fee within 30 days... then now's not the time to be putting down the deposit.  Simple as that.

The reason people can't take chins and pay later... this is the same reason we don't take checks for adoptions.  Someone could easily write out a $500 check, get several chins, great cage, all sorts of supplies... and bounce the check.  Same thing with paying some and sending money later.  The girl from the other day said she would give me a copy of her driver's license.  For all I know, it could be a fake license, but with her real picture on it.  A lot of good that would do if she took off with the chin and cage and I never saw the rest of the money.  Even if it was a valid driver's license, to go after the rest of the money would require taking this person to court.  Which I've done before, but it is a hassle.  The filing fee alone was (I think) $90, and let's be honest... the courts aren't so wonderful.  Even if the court finds in your favor and says, ok, this person has to pay you back $500.  Think about how well they're enforcing child support payments.  How many people do you know that say they can't get the other person to pay.  Oh yeah.  Good luck ever getting the money out of these people.  The court may say they have to pay, but good luck actually getting the payment.  And then, they disappear, have all the chin / cage / supplies, and you never see it again.  And don't get me wrong, not all of the stuff at the rescue we pay for, like out of pocket.  Occasionally, we do get a donated cage, or some supplies donated, or whatever... but most stuff we buy.  So bouncing a check and not paying it back on a cage, or supplies, or whatever, do cost us... even if they don't cost you.

Let's see, what else...I finally put shelves in the one ferret nation we had sitting around, because someone wanted to buy it, so that was paid for and left.  Yay.  Tad bit more room.

Also cleaned all the smaller cages today, so now all those critters have clean bedding.  Everyone got lots of hay today as well.  All the water bottles got cleaned over the last several days, so everyone has sparkling (literally, with dust) clean water bottles.  That clean look lasted all of like, a day.

So I had people coming today at 6 pm, for food and a water bottle. At 6:20, still were not here, and I had to go cut the grass before it got dark, so I went outside and started cutting.  At 7 pm, they showed up.  Knocking at the side door, I wouldn't have even heard them (had headphones on), but was going to the front of the house to dump the grass into the lawn bag.  So I told her, I started cutting the grass when they didn't show up at their time, cause it was gonna get dark and I couldn't wait, and we went and got their stuff and they paid and left.  No "sorry we're late," no explanation, no nothing.  I checked my phone even, to see if maybe they had emailed, texted, called, and I'd missed it because I was listening to music.  Nope.  To me, it's just common courtesy.  Half the times if I'm going to be late, I don't even have a good excuse.  I'm going to be late because of who I am as a person.  I try to get too much done, squeeze in too much before I have to go somewhere, and it takes me longer than I thought.  Not a good excuse, I should know by now, but I will at least have the decency to email someone and say, you know what, I'm going to be late.  But nothing, zip, nada.  I've talked to plenty of people who say (and I agree) that people treat coming by the rescue as if it's "less" than another appointment.  You would never be an hour late for a doctor's appointment and not call, not somehow try to let them know... but people think nothing of doing that here.  And I find it frustrating as shit.

Think that's about it for now....