"Picking" A Chin

"What are you looking to adopt?"

Answer:  A senior male, 10+ years old, in perfect health, oh and neutered

Let me pull out my wand and create one for you.

That's not how rescue works. 

This isn't like creating a painting, where you can tell someone you want it in blue, and they make it in blue.  I don't have chins of every age, perfect health (HA!  most 10 years olds that make it here are on death's door), and much less... neutered!... 

The chins that come in, are the chins that come in.  I'm happy to tell you what's here, but a lot of people lately are wanting very specific things.  That's fine.  But I can't produce a white chin with a smiley face on it's back.  Or, oh, they saw this neat chinchilla on chinchillas.com and it sold for $3,000, but surely I have one just like it, right?  Oh, and it should be a rescue, no doubt, so $100 is too much for them... but like, identical to this --

http://www.chinchillas.com/listings/details/index.cfm?itemnum=1166678502  (scroll down in the link for pics)

Hold on while I get out my spray paint....

No, but seriously.... rescue is rescue.  90% of the rescue chins that come in are standard grey adults.  They just are.  That's what people have as pets, especially when they get them from the pet stores, which mainly stock... standard greys... so it's really not surprising.  I can't tell you how many times people ask if I get the angoras (longhairs) in at the rescue.  Heck no.  If someone pays $3k for a chinchilla, you can bet that if they don't want it anymore, they can at least resell it for a few hundred (and they will, easily), not drop if off at the rescue.  And really, if I got one in... sorry, ya'll, it's MINE.

I rarely get people any more that are like, let me come see the chins, see what I like.  For babies, yes.  For adult rescues, people are like... "well, what do you have that's under $100, so when my kid kills it, I haven't spent a lot?"  These chins are worth something too!  Sure, you can't hand pick some neat color or markings or whatever, but what ever happened to just enjoying the pet because you enjoy the pet?  Not because you can say you have some fancy color.  Seems everyone has that "I want to rescue an animal" mentality... but lately, only if the rescue animal is somehow super neat.  Sad to say... they're usually pretty normal, standard greys.  Usually not with the greatest personalities, even.... across the board, animals that end up at a shelter aren't often thrilled to be there, and haven't always been cared for the best, prior to that, so that's another slight pet peeve.... they're NOT going to always be these super friendly, awesome pet that you always wanted.  Sometimes yes, sometimes no....

But the point is, people are starting to have these unrealistic expectations of what rescue animals are... and often... they're just not what people are hoping for.  Sorry?  Love them for the animal they are, not what you hoped they would be.