Dog breeders working at an animal shelter

Does anyone think this is a conflict of interest? At the shelter I volunteer at, all the office staff are dog breeders and dog show judges. They never seem to really care about the kitties - we don't have many kitties, yet they can never tell you anything about a cat if you ask about it by name. Even ones that have been there 6 months+...

That makes me REALLY angry that the staff have no idea what pets they have. It's a SHELTER and the focus should be on getting these animals adopted. But there are absolutely no programs in place to help get these poor animals adopted out.

A couple of us volunteers got together recently and a bit of an action plan to try and get more exposure and we've already put in place a heap of things that have helped, and whenever we've needed the staff to do something that we're not allowed to do, we've been blocked. Or they say they'll do it and never do.

They seem to sit around all day with their pampered pooches under their desks, while these poor kitties are sitting in their cages getting more and more miserable.

Not only that but the staff are really moody and are so rude to people who come in and ask questions. Whenever I was volunteering on the front desk I would greet every person who walked in and ask how I could help. The staff NEVER do that.

What do you guys think? Does this seem like a bit of a conflict of interest???

No actually some of the most pet oriented and best voleeteers at local shelter s are or have been breeders...

Yes and no...

I don't like that they don't seem to care about the cats, that they don't greet the potential adopters and don't seem to want to be bothered by them, that they don't have adoption programs, that they don't seem to care at all about anything but themselves. But the fact that they are breeders alone isn't too big of a deal I don't think. I mean, I have worked with many wonderful people at shelters who used to breed or still do occasionally. If it were a bunch of BYBs who are adopting the dogs and breeding them or allowing them to breed or were selling to pet stores or something, that would be different. I guess if they were wonderful breeders, who love their breeds and knwow aht they are doing and test for health and show their dogs, but they want to set aside some time to help the animals in need, that would be great.

It seems like they are all insensitive snobs and the fact that they are breeders is just one more thing against them

I don't think their status as breeders is the issue the problem is their attitudes and their lack of emotion for the ones there that truly need their help. The only thing I can offer you is a prayer for it to get better and a prayer for them to change their hearts.

Originally Posted by Tavia'smom

I don't think their status as breeders is the issue the problem is their attitudes and their lack of emotion for the ones there that truly need their help. The only thing I can offer you is a prayer for it to get better and a prayer for them to change their hearts.

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Yes, you are right - it's not the fact that they're breeders, it's their attitude in general to the animals. I can honestly say there is not one member of the office staff that care about the animals as much as the volunteers. The staff have all been there forever, and see to have lost all drive The vets are awesome and the animal control officers are all lovely, caring people as well which is good!

I have no issues with breeders, it the fact that they don't seem to give a darn about adopting out the animals.

The fact that they are breeders isnt an issue. infact most breeders worth their salt be it cat, dog or horse..ect will be involved in some sort of resuceing. (says the breeder who has rescue moggies that way out number her..purebreds *whistles*)

But their attitude in general needs an adjustment. Is there anyone above the basic office staff you can talk to?

I work at our local shelter, and even when i'm not at work, i normally have foster kittens/puppies with me at home. Our shelter is very fortunate to have good employees/volunteers. That being said- we all know what a crisis is going on with the overpopulation/etc and all and none of our personal staff are breeders. We do however have some very kind volunteers who are breeders that will come in several times a month to help us- they really care about the animals there and even though they are breeders - they have adopted several from us and also they do not bring their work with them when they volunteer, nor do they "advertise" their breeding program to people who are looking to adopt at our shelter. Thankfully. These people are kind and their hearts are in the right place. For a very very long time i disliked breeders what with all the animal overpopulation and shelter euthanization that goes on - i did not like the fact that it was contributing to that. That being said however - i realize now that all breeders are not bad- that is their job, and while i disagree with it because of the animal overpopulation and having to deal with it's consequences on a daily basis...i have really come to like/respect our kind volunteers some of which are breeders...because they do a wonderful job and they genuinely care about our shelter animals, purebreed or not Also, i would like to add- many breeders (reputable, good ones anyways) go out of their way to help with breed specific rescue, volunteer at shelters, and so fourth- so i have a lot of respect for the kind ones who do so So yes, i get frusterated with breeders due to the number of animals i see euthanized all the time simply because of overcrowding - it is frusterating to see people intentionally add to the population numbers like that knowing what they are doing and knowing how many purebreeds even wind up in shelters....but i have come to realize they are not all evil like i once thought..and many who do breed, also volunteer and do a wonderful job of helping us keep our shelter clean and nice. I am sorry sarah to hear that your shelter staff at your local shelter do not seem to be in it for the right reasons. That is a tough situation. I will send lots of prayers/vibes your way that a kind resolution can be met to benifit the animals. If you have a complaint- and they will not listen- please take it to your city's town hall or office that oversees the shelter. Hopefully they will listen

I know a shelter who pampers to cats and somewhat ignores their dogs. The president is simply cat oriented and really doesn't have a clue on how to manage dogs. She's brought highly qualified dog people in as volunteers, but she's enough of a control freak that she doesn't let them do their job. The bigger issue is not that they are breeders, but that they don't have the knowledge to handle cats.

That really surprises me... maybe you can make a difference.