Desperately want to steal neighbours' guinea pig.

[muffin]

Well after a second email pointing out that I had tried my hardest not to disturb their family and that the situation required urgent action, this is what I got:

Dear Dr Doolittle (as you choose to remain anonymous!)

As I said in my previous email, if you would like to talk to me, feel free
to talk to me face to face. I am not the least bit surprised people you have
approached in the past have become defensive and angry, just because someone
does something differently from you does not make it wrong, if it works for
them, good luck to them. People are angry because you are invading their
privacy ,snooping into their property and interfering in something that is
none of your concern, how can you say you are not being intrusive when you
are stalking people's homes and taking note of the temperature and what time
their guinea pigs go to bed!! . Stick to your animals because you obviously
don't have a very good understanding of humans.

Please do not contact me again.

First of all, calling me an intendedly derogatory name, nice touch, but I don't really find it offensive- you're saying I have an affinity with animals I take it? Thanks. And yes I'll remain anonymous, your use of exclamation marks makes your tone friendly, but I think you just don't know how to use them and actually mean to sound mad.
2) No way would I go to her door now, she just wants to know who I am so she can yell at me or key my car.
3) My advice is ignored, and she will continue to do things her way because her pigs aren't dead yet and her way suits her, and is convenient for her.
4) I'm not stalking her or snooping, I can't help but see those miserable piggies everytime I look out of my window, and my car told me the temperature when I got home, which is why I knew what it was. The pigs still shouldn't have been on the ground in a flimsy cage exposed to cats and foxes at night, or at all for that matter.
5) Her guiea pigs don't 'go to bed', she shuts the door when they remember or can be bothered. Funny how they shut it right after they read my letter.
6) I understand humans just fine, you aren't listening, which is why I can't do anything more, except contact the SSPCA and hope that they can do something, and that maybe you'll take their advice- and also hope that they give advice and don't just have to say 'well, the animals are fed and watered and in a shed, so there's nothing we can do except urge you to improve certain things, but we can't make you.'
7) No I won't contact you again, you won't listen anyway. It would just convince you even more that you're right.

>( GGGrrrrr. I so badly want to name and shame them, except everyone round here probably thinks her pigs have a great life. *Oh yay what a great idea to let your pigs live in the shed during the summer (cold 'summer'), so they can get fresh air and a change of scenery and the enjoy the sun like everyone else*. How nice to put your pigs out as a tasty and easily accessible snack for passing foxes, expose them to cold temperatures and winds, leave them to roast in a boiling shed with one tiny window for light on days whne you can't be bothered to open the door, and congratulate yourself on your husbandry because it works for you. Good job. *mutters and scowls to self, and tries to ignore voices in head telling her to kidnap them in 3 weeks, leave a really gory scene to convince them a fox was the culprit, and then have a relative take them to the SSPCA centre and claim to have found them on the street in a box.*

 

[cavy-cool-crazy]

I probably would have lost it by now! I can't stand people like that, and when it comes to pigs being looked after by people like your neighbours...well, what can I say. I think it's worth contacting the SSPCA. It's worth a try, Tell them your concerns, everything you have witnessed. Good luck!! I hope for your sanity and the pigs sake something gets sorted out here. Keep us updated.

 

[muffin]

I have contacted the SSPCA, and they said they will send someone out. At least, it will make them think about their GP housing,water, food etc, a bit more.

Right, now time to plan "operation Guinea extraction"

 

[JennG]

Maybe make sure the SSPCA has a brochure on how to properly care for piggies too. They may not be as cavy savy as we would hope but then again they may. Good luck. I don't blame you for not letting them know but do they have an idea since it was brought up on how you've "bothered" others? Just curious.

 

[C&K]

Well, Hopefully the visit by the SSPCA will go well, they will be told to make at least a few changes.

If nothing else, at least it is "cramping their style". I am sure they will blow a gasket with they get the visit!

 

[cavyinhawaii]

Do you watch animal cops on animal planet?
I would call the SPCA- they are there to help animals like that and they might be able to help the ones in the house too.

Oops missed the reply where you already contacted them. Sorry I read slowly. Fill us in on your top secret plans and we can all help you iron out the details

 

[PiggieMom]

Although the SPCA is there to help animals many times, especially in the case of small animals and farm animals, the law prevents them from doing much. It breaks any SPCA officers heart to not be able to do anything, but most will give the owners a talking to even if they legally can't do anything. Some areas are so busy though that they can't even make it out. I'm glad to hear that they are at least coming out to see what's going on. Even if they can't do anything, it may scare your neighbors into taking better care of those poor pigs.

 

[JarBax]

I am glad to hear the SSPCA are paying a visit - even if just to let them see that their way may not be as great as they appear to think. Let us know how it goes!

 

[wickedrodent]

I am also gald to hear that the SPCA will come out and investigate. Sadly though, they will probably not be able to take the pigs, just give the people a warning. (If they believe the situation to be bad.) I would recommend sending proper guniea pig care sites to these people. Maybe even drop off some food, and hay? Though it will probably not help a whole lot. I do have to ask.. could you see what bedding they were using? Hopefully they weren't using ceder or pine.. As that could make the situation a whole lot worse.

 

[HowietheGreat]

It is just as I was saying. It is all about them (your neighbors) and not at all about the animals. Any neglected animal becomes someone else's business otherwise organizations like the SPCA wouldn't exist. They exist because society has already deemed that people are irresponsible. Where do you live?! I would love to knock on their door. Wishing you the best of luck in all future rescue efforts.

 

[muffin]

Well the SSPCA did visit, and the outcome was what I expected.

The inspector spent about 10 minutes in the house I think (trying to spy without being seen was very hard), and although I feel like I've wasted their time, I know I couldn't not have called them. I don't understand how the SSPCA think it's ok to have the poor pig in a baking hot shed (even with the door open because the sun shines right in there all day long), or cold with wind blowing in there, and cold temperatures at night (because it's an indoor cage even if it is in a shed and I don't think its ever much above 15oC at night here. Maybe the SSPCA man was following guidelines, maybe he actually told her to fix a couple of things, who knows. Most of them think it's ok for pigs and buns to live in garden hutches outdoors all year round. At the very least I would have thought the cage on the floor issue might have been something they'd have rectified, even from a possible pest infestation point of view.

Anyway, the delightful lady of the house sent me another email, (even though she's already told me not to contact her), triumphant that she's a good pet owner.

I was not the least bit surprised to have a visit from the SSPCA today, I had a feeling that's the route you would go down!!

The lovely man had to apologize for wasting my time, he said they look very happy and healthy and thinks it's fine to keep them outside in the summer.He didn't think a thin wooden hutch would provide any more warmth than my shed does when the door is closed at night.

Luckily I was able to show him all your emails which proved your phone call to them stating that the guinea pigs had no food, water, hay or shelter was giving them false information.

Hopefully this will have been a learning experience for you.

Please do not send me any more anonymous emails as the SSPCA inspector said it won't be a problem to get the police to trace them for me.


All my emails? There were two and no more because she asked me not to contact her again. And the police- please. They have more important things to do. I'm not going to give her the satisfaction of wasting their time. Anyway, I wasn't offensive or invasive, she made contact with me via email, and I stopped when she asked me to. She gave me her email address and began correspondence. I told the SSPCA -anonymously- that their water bottle was half-full with green water, and that I couldn't see any hay or shelter, which I couldn't. And no I didn't learn anything. This human I understand perfectly well. I just don't understand why, if the pigs have lived indoors all year, they put them out for the summer? (They usually live in the kitchen so the parents obviously don't have problems with the pigs being indoors over hygeine or smell). It's nice and cool in my house and only on very hot days do we need to open windows. She's home all day to do that stuff anyway. They seem to think it's a treat for their pigs to sit in their little cage in the garden shed.

To borrow an American expression off of TV- Oi (sp?). The pigs of people on this forum are among the best kept of any. Standard care for guinea pigs here consists of: A small cage, indoors if the pigs are lucky, and with or without a hidey. They are kept on fresh pine shavings, all oils included and often laced with lavender or lemon fragrance and colouring. They get thin, brown (dried grass) hay, timothy is unknown of among the general population. They get free-fed crappy dried mixes with all the colourings, and often nuts, seeds and bits of locust bean etc. Seed chew sticks, coloured treats, yoghurt drops (ie. one a day), and often get long-stemmed straw as bedding. Hay is usually limited to a handful a day, because people don't realise it's so important. I'm so glad I found this site, because every care book I've read supports and encourages the bad guidelines.

I'll just have to not look out of that side of the house. Sorry piggies, I tried.:weepy:

 

[suzilovespiggie]

Kudos to you for trying so very hard to help those two piggies. I am so sorry the SSPCA thought all was well. Lucky for us and our pigs, Cavy Cages has taught us how to give the very best to our piggies.
I can't remember if you said you gave her this wonderful website. If you did maybe she will have a look and improve the life of her 2 pigs. At least we can hope.
Thank you again for all you did. I really don't know if there is anyway left
without getting you in trouble.

 

[muffin]

There's nothing else I can do that's legal. The SSPCA maybe told her to change a couple of things, but I don't know. I'm sad to say it but I doubt it. Cavycages was on the GL care sheet I put through their letter box. I think trying to give her anything else might be considered as unacceptable pestering. The police wouldn't be interested in her, I haven't done anything wrong. She's just angry. At least a van with SSPCA in big letters on the side was sat outside of her house for a little while today.

Thanks everyone for all your support.

 

[C&K]

Well, you have done everything right and did your best to help these poor animals. The fact that the laws are what they are, and that people suck, well, that is just out of your hands.

Don't worry for one second about the police "tracking you down" you are absolutely right in thinking that was a bluff. However I would definately NOT NOT NOT take those pigs unless you want trouble. I know that is not your plan anyway, but your IP would be the first place they would look.

She is a , if you don't mind my saying so, unfortunatley, the only thing you can really do is take care of your own pigs, and keep an eye out for anyone lobbying for higher standards with small animals and support them.

It is funny with humanity, that we can draw a line, saying "this is acceptable care for one type of animal, and not for another". Truely sad.

 

[muffin]

Yup. If her pigs disappeared, she would most likely just buy more. Would they put their cat on a bit of rope and tie it up in the shed and leave it there, shutting the door at night I wonder? Or her kids, dressed in light clothing? I think not. I can get a little satisfaction I guess from her growing paranoia at wondering exactly which of the properties that overlook her garden might be the one 'watching her every move'. I'd still rather the pigs were indoors. I wish I could make her live outside. There's a reason she and her family sit in their conservatory (sun room) and not the garden. It's too cold!!