A rescue?

[Spiffy'n'Spunky]

Does anybody consider, humane societies/rescue centers aside, going into pet shop and getting a piggie solely to give them a better life a rescue?

Why I Ask: For my very first piggie ( a few years ago) we had no piggies in our town (waited for two months on the humane center, nada) So my mom took me to the closest place with guinea pigs, a town called Bulhead, to a place called the "pet palace" HA! I walked in this small, tiny, itty-bitty house turned to pet shop and was imediately appalled. Cages of animal stacked up all over, dirty of coarse, and they were smoking in there! Around all the animals!!!!! They had one piggie, white, I took her just to get her out of there!! She ended up having a seizure six months later, and dying. (I ended up calling the humane society and they helped me out in shutting that sick place down ) Would that be considered a rescue?

[craig51]

res·cue ([FONT=verdana, sans-serif] P [/FONT]) Pronunciation Key (rsky)
tr.v. res·cued, res·cu·ing, res·cues

1. To set free, as from danger or imprisonment; save. See Synonyms at save[SIZE=-1]1[/SIZE].
2. Law. To take from legal custody by force. n.
3. An act of rescuing; a deliverance.
4. Law. Removal from legal custody by force

So yes, the act you carried out would be defined as a rescue, however you could argue the original 'intent' was not to rescue but satisfy self need,as in, not wanting to wait for a shelter pig to become available.However, as previously stated, the end act was a rescue,so good for you.

[daftscotslass]

Did you pay for her? If so then no, you didn't rescue her.

[craig51]

Originally Posted by daftscotslass

Did you pay for her? If so then no, you didn't rescue her.

I disagree, the SSPCA charged £5 each for the Guinea pigs from their shelter, and also charge for dogs,cats etc, therefore even if there is a monetary exchange,no matter how much, the act of removing an animal from danger or imprisionment is still a resuce.

[Spiffy'n'Spunky]

Of corse I paid for her, how else could I get her out of there asap?

[daftscotslass]

Originally Posted by craig51

I disagree, the SSPCA charged £5 each for the Guinea pigs from their shelter, and also charge for dogs,cats etc, therefore even if there is a monetary exchange,no matter how much, the act of removing an animal from danger or imprisionment is still a resuce.

I was talking about the pet shop, not the SSPCA. The money to the SSPCA goes towards running costs for the centre and organisation.

If you pay for an animal in a pet shop you are paying for the pet shop to stay open and hence adding to the problem.

[craig51]

Originally Posted by daftscotslass

I was talking about the pet shop, not the SSPCA. The money to the SSPCA goes towards running costs for the centre and organisation.

If you pay for an animal in a pet shop you are paying for the pet shop to stay open and hence adding to the problem.

Thats not the argument here, the orignal question was " A rescue?"

Technically, it was a resuce, yes it may make the problem worse from rescueing from a pet shop, and another pig will replace it to be rescued, but the fact is, it is a rescue!

[Percy's Mom]

As defined in the dictionary, buying an animal from a petstore could be considered rescuing them, but in the view of most of the people who run rescues, it would not.

When you bought that guinea pig from the petstore, it opened up a spot for them to fill with 2, 3 or more baby pigs that they would have bought from a breeder or pet mill of some sort or possibly bred themselves in the back of the store. So, no I dont consider that rescuing. Saving that one pig, definitely, even for the short time you had him, but in the big picture, when you buy an animal in a pet store, all you end up doing is contributing to the general animal overpopulation.

[daftscotslass]

Originally Posted by craig51

Thats not the argument here, the orignal question was " A rescue?"

Technically, it was a resuce, yes it may make the problem worse from rescueing from a pet shop, and another pig will replace it to be rescued, but the fact is, it is a rescue!

Yes, get the dictionary out (I notice you found dictionary.com) and that suits the definition of a rescue. However, my definition is that if the money you use to "buy" a rescue is used to support downright abuse as mentioned above, it's not a rescue. Not in my book, anyway.

[VoodooJoint]

When you buy something from a petshop you are a customer NOT a rescuer.

By giving the store money you are rewarding their abuse, neglact and actions in general. You are feeding them exactly what they want, Money. In return they will spend some of that money to replenish their stock as they see your purchase as a demand for that product.

Sorry, no matter how good your intentions were you only added to the problem.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Yes, there are other ways to help that pig rather than plunking down momey and buying him or her. Calling Animal Control, complaining to the manager/owner, trying to educate them, making noise with the customers, writing a letter to local media, documenting conditions, etc. You just bought a pig, rewarded the store for their poor conditions and gave the pet mill/breeder more business.

[craig51]

Good, so we are agreed that technically it was a rescue,so the question has been answered.

[VoodooJoint]

Originally Posted by craig51

Good, so we are agreed that technically it was a rescue,so the question has been answered.

I do not agree so don't count me into that "we".

[daftscotslass]

Originally Posted by craig51

Good, so we are agreed that technically it was a rescue,so the question has been answered.

I agree that it fitted the dictionary definition of rescue.

I do not believe that it was a rescue.

I await, with baited breath, for you to justify "right" and "wrong" with the same style of argument.

[craig51]

Originally Posted by VoodooJoint

When you buy something from a petshop you are a customer NOT a rescuer.

Technically, as already stated, it is a rescue. Read any dictionary you want, you are removing an object, in this case an animal, from danger, therefore counts as a rescue. Just by buying something doesnt mean its not a rescue. I had to buy two guinea pigs from the SSPCA, is that a rescue? Technically no, its not, as they were not in danger. You could argue that they were imprisioned at the shelter, in which case we are all guilty of that.

[daftscotslass]

Originally Posted by craig51

Technically, as already stated, it is a rescue. Read any dictionary you want, you are removing an object, in this case an animal, from danger, therefore counts as a rescue. Just by buying something doesnt mean its not a rescue. I had to buy two guinea pigs from the SSPCA, is that a rescue? Technically no, its not, as they were not in danger. You could argue that they were imprisioned at the shelter, in which case we are all guilty of that.

You were not rescuing from the SSPCA you were adopting or rehoming.

If only everything on the planet could be defined on a technicality.

[Susan9608]

I don't agree so don't include me in the "we" either. You can't be a consumer and a rescuer at the same time.

Good, so we are agreed that technically it was a rescue,so the question has been answered.

The discussion doesn't necessarily end because you pompously assert that the "question have been answered." I think you'll find that a great number of people *disagree* with your assertion that purchasing a guinea pig from a pet store is the same as rescuing it.