What Would You Do?

[Slave to the Wheek]

Here in California, the large chains made a name for themselves by selling themselves to the public as being "rescue friendly". They decided on their own to stop selling cats and dogs because the general public became aware of the horrible environment they are in. The stores simply couldn't handle it because everyone, I mean everyone was upset about it and slowly but surely they were losing customers.

Did it stop overpopulation? Well, it has certainly slowed it down in my area, that's for sure. My local shelter boasts that it has adopted out all "adoptable" cats and dogs for the last 5 years.

Does that apply to guinea pigs? Of course not.

Why?

Maybe as guinea pig people, we should all take some time to ponder why it is that the dog and cat people were able to make a difference and get the stores to stop selling them by pure public pressure and nothing else. Yet, most people don't even know that guinea pigs are even up for adoption at a local shelter, or they assume that rescues are filled with old sick pigs.

Personally, I think it's because guinea pigs are not seen by the general public as an animal. How could this be helped? Well, let's see. If I bred guinea pigs, I would certainly be behind stopping selling them in retail stores, because they are the ones who undercut the prices to compete directly with me. If there were a REPUTABLE organization that represented breeders that actually were smart and not stupid, and ignorant as they clearly are, they would be out promoting the joy of guinea pigs.

This got me to thinking. I thought it would be an interesting experiment for us to create a fictional association that is the perfect one. The first goal I'd want is to teach people that guinea pigs are smarter and funnier than they are given credit for. The first thing I would do is:

1. Organizing smart people to go out on a media blitz, featuring interesting guinea pigs that are people's pets.
2. Evangalize to have movies feature guinea pigs
3. Organize groups go to local schools to teach kids how to take care of them
4. They would show up on local news to talk about cavies and on Good Morning America to warn of petstores and the dangers of buying from them, and tell people to only buy from an "approved" assocation breeder.
5. Guinea pigs bred buy an "approved" breeder would get a microchip that detailed it's lineage and have an "approved" marker on it.
6. People would be encourage to only own assn microchiped pigs. As they are the only ones who have been bred for tameness, health and longetivity instead of looks.
7. Find a great famous person to be the spokeperson-to promote guinea pig rescues and encourage people to go to rescues, hence further reducing the demand at pet stores.
8. They would ban any member from selling to retail stores, since the stores cannot properly care for a good animal. Any stores found to sell microchipped pig would be promptly sued for some reason.
9. They would work with the pet supply stores who don't sell animals to get them to refer to assn. approved breeders or rescues.
10. Create a cartoon guinea pig who spoke for the rescue pigs and put it on YouTube. The guinea pig's sole goal in life would be to rescue other pigs out of their petstore cages, and out of petstores to get them a home with a CC and happy family.
11. All assn. breeders would be required adhere to strict guidelines.
12. Constantly teach the public not to buy from anyone but a microchipped pig from "approved" breeder.
13. Rescues would get free microchipping service so that any pig going through a rescue who is not already chipped, could still be tracked.
14. Money would be raised to have "retirement centers" for older pigs who need long medical treatment. That money would go to have statistical research kept of each of the older animals and research into their long term care. Since they would have been microchipped at birth, their entire life could ideally be tracked statistically.
15. They would require exotics vets to be "approved" by passing a guinea pig exam before recommending them.
16. Anyone breeding pigs would be under constant scrutiny by members.
17. Any retail store selling guinea pigs would be under survellience and all incidences monitored and reported.
18. "Free classes" offered to new guinea pig owners at the pet store, the free classes would educate on overpopulation and bad breeding methods perpetuated by pet stores.

This is a complete and utter dream, I know; but in thinking of these things it's inspired me a little. It was fun to come up with these ideas too.

What do you think a good Cavy Owner's Association or Cavy Society or ?? any kind of good cavy association would/should do?

Since the breeders association that is in current practice is so clueless, out of date, disorganized, lazy, and utterly useless. I thought this fictional one might actually get more done.

Instead of the ARCBA it would be the ARCPOA ... or...well -what WOULD be a good association name for this fictional organization that we are forming?

[CavySpirit]

I haven't read your entire post yet, but I've already researched the microchip idea and it's not feasible for guinea pigs yet. Too big, too hurtful. Good idea, technology isn't there yet.

[Slave to the Wheek]

Originally Posted by CavySpirit

I haven't read your entire post yet, but I've already researched the microchip idea and it's not feasible for guinea pigs yet. Too big, too hurtful. Good idea, technology isn't there yet.

Okay. FINE. Let me amend:

5. Money would be invested to find a tiny microchip that would be painless for guinea pigs..


Better?

hehe...

[Fay]

Some very great ideas you got there, I would definetaly support an association like this but someone has to take the frontlead and actually build it up.