May I rant?

[wickedrodent]

I. hate. idiots. Ok, well who doesn't, right?

Anyhow, I am sick and tired of seeing "new pet" threads on this site I go on. Ok, I admit I should be a bit more tolerant on a virtual PONY site with 10 year old. However, I'm being driven insane. I'm known as a very animal-rights oriented vegetarian. WHY do people get animals without researching them? WHY don't they take advice? Why the hell do people breed animals when there are animals dying in shelters?

Now, thats not the part that bugs me the most. I would be fine, trying to help IF they didn't delete all my posts. Mods, that is. They let people post information and pics of people and their incorrect animal care and idiocy but not people tryying to help. Can you BELIVE that? Oh, and they won't let me post anything about being vegetarian but they allow threads that involove meat. OOOH and they delete anything regarding homosexuality. GAH.

Random Example:

"My parents had to get rid of my cat and i was really depressed for a few days.....they said i had to prove that i was a good pet owner.....they surprised me today when they came home with a female hamster, i almost freaked out!!!
We're having trouble naming her and you can either give us options or opinoins"

My responce:

"So, you got rid of your cat and then got a hamster? Great logic there.

By the picture it looks like you are feeing a seed mix. I would highly suggest you switch to a lab block such as Harlan or Oxbow."

I admit, I was a bit snippy; However, this person has been posting these threads over and over again with new pets. The cat mentioned was one.

Then she responded:

"Thanks Lionlady there was a reason we got rid of the cat it was pooping everywhere.....please don't get snotty"

And I responded:

"Where did you even take the cat? Rescue shelter? What happens when you start getting hamster poop and food all over the floor, are you going to get rid of her too? I'm sorry, but getting rid of one pet and then getting another for a silly reason for: ppooping everywhere, is horrible. Its called training and responsibilty. You get an animal, you have to deal with the difficulties that come with it. Animal's aren't disposable."

Of course, that got deleted, as well as my previous post.

[erikahand83]

Sounds like you're offering common sense information and the people that run the sites are just to stupid and stuck in their ways to let people hear the truth about proper animal care. You would think they'd be glad to have good information around but I guess not. I guess all you can do is keep putting good information out and hope someone sees and it and has the common sense to follow good advice.

[Tophica]

I can see why you are annoyed. Some people just don't like being told that they are doing somthing wrong. Even though that sometimes they were asking for help in the first place. We certainly live in a strange world. But then again there are the people who do listen and their pet ends up getting a whole lot nicer life.

[sophistacavy]

Wickedrodent, is it against the rules of this forum for you to post a link to this website you're speaking of? If it is, then could you PM me the link? I believe you 100%, don't get me wrong, but I'd just like to see how they react to me. This site sounds a horrible place for breeding misinfo, and all you're trying to do is be a saint for the poor animals those strange, naive people own, and they treat you like that??? Gee whiz. I'm sorry they're treating you so poorly, but don't give up. Let me see how far I can get(and others on here too if they're interested). Meanwhile, good luck!!

[PolkaDotPig]

That sounds terribly frustrating. Why can't people just own up to the things they have done and try to change? You cannot change the past but you can change yourself and the future.

[Ly&Pigs]

Please remember not to copy posts from other sites and post them here. They can lead to forum wars. You can paraphrase things said on other sites but please don't copy word for word. (Not saying you copied word for word, just giving a general warning.)

That site's not allowed to be linked here.

[wickedrodent]

Sorry about that Ly.

It is very, very frustrating. I would quit the site outright, but I put money into it before knowing it was so anti-vegetarian/gays/animal rights. I will NEVER give them anymore money.

[caviecrazie]

Wait - she got rid of her cat? And got a hamster? She does realise hamsters poop and are nocturnal [although, admittedly, my hamster didn't seem to be nocturnal]? Will she get rid of the hamster when she realise it won't get up in the day?

[Metroid & Boo]

Oh I know what you mean, a friend of mine rescued a cat from the shelter only to return it a few months later because the cat was boring and too much work. She's now looking for a dog! Things like this upset me so much, what are these people on? It's an animal, not a handbag!

[Bennalaya]

There seems to be a lot of different issues going on with the girl at the other site. The error on her behalf (well, actually her parents as she's most likely a minor and has no real authority on the comings and goings of the pets) is treating animals as if they are disposable once they become an inconvenience or make a mess (which is was most animals do). So on that token I can understand the frustration.

On the flip side, I think it should be taken into consideration that she's obviously a child. I can understand jumping the case of a fully rational adult who posts such ignorance online, but this girl is obviously young and under the care of her parents. So while I sympathize with your frustration, I also feel sympathy for the young girl on the other computer who has been made to feel shamed and stupid by an adult when really all the responsibility rests on her parents' shoulders.

I just feel it's about choosing our battles. At the end of the day, what have we accomplished by making young people (who are rarely given the sort of credit or respect they crave) feel worthless? Like I said, it's one thing when it's an adult. Granted, there are adults online who take things way too personally and get their knickers in a wad over the smallest constructive criticism. But it's different with a kid, especially one who is not making the decisions around the house.