Karen
05-15-2008, 04:42 AM
This article was originally posted on LL in July 2007.
Don’t blame animal shelters in Korea if they disallow or make it “difficult” for foreigners to adopt a dog or cat! Foreign nationals who make no effort to bring their pets with them when they decide to go back home should not be adopting animals in the first place. These are the people Korean shelters are trying to screen out. Screening, however, is not foolproof.
Take Adoption Contracts Seriously
In July, 2007 a foreign woman who had adopted a cat from KAPS broke her adoption contract. She returned to her home country without bringing her cat home with her. Despite having promised that if she were ever unable to keep the cat she would return him to the no-kill shelter which had rescued him, she placed “free to a good home” ads all over the Internet and gave the cat away. We can only hope that the new guardian will be truly committed to this boy for his lifetime. [Update: the new adopter also gave up the cat, but returned him to KAPS as the original contract had stated].
A quote from the woman’s post:
I’m leaving for America at the end of the month and need to find a home for my little furry companion. Cedric comes from a KAPS shelter in Daegu and he turned out to be the best little apartment cat ever… You can have Cedric’s kitty travel box, litter box, pooper scooper, cat shampoo, brush, harness and leash, nail clippers, and food dish. So really, the only cost to you would be for kitty litter and food… He is a very special cat and kept me from being lonely while I was so far from home. Hopefully he can do the same for you, or you can at least keep him from having to go back to an overcrowded and sickly shelter. He just escaped! We can’t send him back to one of those!
The Cost of Responsible Ownership
As any rescuer understands, KAPS wanted to be able to screen potential adopters to ensure that the cat would be loved and taken care of FOREVER, as he was at the shelter. Yes, they’re overcrowded, but all the animals are vetted and neutered, well-fed and well-loved and KAPS is no-kill. “Free pet” ads are no way to ensure that an adopter will be committed to the whole life of the cat or dog, including through times of illness and home relocation, which are much costlier than the “kitty litter and food” this person mentions. Potential adopters should be screened to make sure they understand all the costs. The ASPCA has a great breakdown of pet care costs (http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=adopt_petcarecosts).
My Guilty Conscience
What especially broke my heart about this situation was that “Cedric” was a cat I fell in love with at KAPS and had considered adopting myself. Instead, I decided to try to help find a forever home for him by placing his photo on this website. The woman who saw his photo here was not the commitment type, unfortunately. At least, no explanation was offered in her post as to why her great little companion could not accompany her back home. Maybe she didn't know that, in most cases, it is not so expensive or difficult to fly home with a pet...
Short Term Pets
Sadly, this is not a unique case. Short term pets for expats in Korea is quite the phenomenon. It’s a heartbreaking situation for every rescuer to read stories about cats, dogs, and rabbits who are being rejected. Helping once-loved and suddenly unwanted animals find new homes is an emotional, time-consuming, and often expensive task.
What to Ask Yourself Before You Adopt
PLEASE, PLEASE before you adopt an animal, consider what you will be doing when your time in Korea is up. Where will you live? How will you get there? Will you be vacationing first? Do you know someone who can take care of your companion while you take a trip or look for a new place to live? If you don’t feel certain that in 8 or 12 or 24 months you will be able to provide a home for your pet, RESIST ADOPTING.
Making the temporary commitment of becoming a foster parent may be a good alternative. There are plenty of abandoned animals on the street or waiting in cages to find permanent homes. You can make their wait happier by housing and caring for them, and, from the moment they move in with you, making a concerted effort to help them find an awesome forever home.
If you are new to Korea, think about what you will be doing when your initial adjustment period is over and you no longer feel lonely. Will you be travelling on the weekends? Meeting friends after 8 hours of work? Holidaying in Thailand? Also as a foster parent, animals need you to commit a lot of time to their well-being. If you can’t commit the time, consider volunteering at a shelter instead.
Many good articles exist about when and why to choose to add an animal to your life. A few of them are collected on this page. (http://www.animalrescuekorea.org/index.php?pageid=how-to-adopt) Read all of them and more to find out if you are ready to take The Big Step and commit to an animal for his/her entire lifespan, potentially 15 years or more.
Thank you for reading and sorry for the rant!
Don’t blame animal shelters in Korea if they disallow or make it “difficult” for foreigners to adopt a dog or cat! Foreign nationals who make no effort to bring their pets with them when they decide to go back home should not be adopting animals in the first place. These are the people Korean shelters are trying to screen out. Screening, however, is not foolproof.
Take Adoption Contracts Seriously
In July, 2007 a foreign woman who had adopted a cat from KAPS broke her adoption contract. She returned to her home country without bringing her cat home with her. Despite having promised that if she were ever unable to keep the cat she would return him to the no-kill shelter which had rescued him, she placed “free to a good home” ads all over the Internet and gave the cat away. We can only hope that the new guardian will be truly committed to this boy for his lifetime. [Update: the new adopter also gave up the cat, but returned him to KAPS as the original contract had stated].
A quote from the woman’s post:
I’m leaving for America at the end of the month and need to find a home for my little furry companion. Cedric comes from a KAPS shelter in Daegu and he turned out to be the best little apartment cat ever… You can have Cedric’s kitty travel box, litter box, pooper scooper, cat shampoo, brush, harness and leash, nail clippers, and food dish. So really, the only cost to you would be for kitty litter and food… He is a very special cat and kept me from being lonely while I was so far from home. Hopefully he can do the same for you, or you can at least keep him from having to go back to an overcrowded and sickly shelter. He just escaped! We can’t send him back to one of those!
The Cost of Responsible Ownership
As any rescuer understands, KAPS wanted to be able to screen potential adopters to ensure that the cat would be loved and taken care of FOREVER, as he was at the shelter. Yes, they’re overcrowded, but all the animals are vetted and neutered, well-fed and well-loved and KAPS is no-kill. “Free pet” ads are no way to ensure that an adopter will be committed to the whole life of the cat or dog, including through times of illness and home relocation, which are much costlier than the “kitty litter and food” this person mentions. Potential adopters should be screened to make sure they understand all the costs. The ASPCA has a great breakdown of pet care costs (http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=adopt_petcarecosts).
My Guilty Conscience
What especially broke my heart about this situation was that “Cedric” was a cat I fell in love with at KAPS and had considered adopting myself. Instead, I decided to try to help find a forever home for him by placing his photo on this website. The woman who saw his photo here was not the commitment type, unfortunately. At least, no explanation was offered in her post as to why her great little companion could not accompany her back home. Maybe she didn't know that, in most cases, it is not so expensive or difficult to fly home with a pet...
Short Term Pets
Sadly, this is not a unique case. Short term pets for expats in Korea is quite the phenomenon. It’s a heartbreaking situation for every rescuer to read stories about cats, dogs, and rabbits who are being rejected. Helping once-loved and suddenly unwanted animals find new homes is an emotional, time-consuming, and often expensive task.
What to Ask Yourself Before You Adopt
PLEASE, PLEASE before you adopt an animal, consider what you will be doing when your time in Korea is up. Where will you live? How will you get there? Will you be vacationing first? Do you know someone who can take care of your companion while you take a trip or look for a new place to live? If you don’t feel certain that in 8 or 12 or 24 months you will be able to provide a home for your pet, RESIST ADOPTING.
Making the temporary commitment of becoming a foster parent may be a good alternative. There are plenty of abandoned animals on the street or waiting in cages to find permanent homes. You can make their wait happier by housing and caring for them, and, from the moment they move in with you, making a concerted effort to help them find an awesome forever home.
If you are new to Korea, think about what you will be doing when your initial adjustment period is over and you no longer feel lonely. Will you be travelling on the weekends? Meeting friends after 8 hours of work? Holidaying in Thailand? Also as a foster parent, animals need you to commit a lot of time to their well-being. If you can’t commit the time, consider volunteering at a shelter instead.
Many good articles exist about when and why to choose to add an animal to your life. A few of them are collected on this page. (http://www.animalrescuekorea.org/index.php?pageid=how-to-adopt) Read all of them and more to find out if you are ready to take The Big Step and commit to an animal for his/her entire lifespan, potentially 15 years or more.
Thank you for reading and sorry for the rant!