Some of you may have remembered the story of Bebe. She was only 10 months old when she fell sick. Due to financial concerns, her owner refused to bring her for medical treatment. Instead, she waited for people to offer help before she brought her to the vet. Unfortunately, Bebe was too sick and she passed away painfully in the clinic.
Yesterday, we received a similar request from a parent with 2 sick rabbits. One had a fracture and another had dental disorder. Citing financial concerns, they claim they can’t provide them with good care and want to hand them over. We are still deciding how to handle this case but it doesn’t sit well with us knowing there are people like them.
While we understand everyone have their challenges, it is NOT right to shift responsibility from your own hands to another. Instead, one should proactive seek help by engaging the right vet to ensure effective treatment while raising funds or finding installment plan to pay for the fees.
Also, it is NOT right to assume it’s others’ fault for not helping. ‘My daughter refused to help’ or ‘My husband is not supportive’ are not valid reasons. One should not have embark on caring for pets if they can’t independently care for their own responsibility. And it is NOT right to blame a non-profit rescue group if they are unable to help.
Regardless, we will do our best to help in ways we can. However, lending a hand doesn’t validate that their request is right. As pet owners, you made a commitment to care for your pet through sickness and in health. It is the most cruel idea to give them up when they need you the most. This is not about being a good owner. This is about being human.