Animal people are a curious breed (pardon the pun.) We don't get into rescue or advocacy work for the money - obviously. We do it because we care passionately about animals and believe what we're doing is vitally important. That passion, however, if not properly controlled, can be our undoing; and we end up shooting ourselves in the foot.
Ever hear the expression, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"? It's an expression every animal advocate should memorize and constantly repeat to himself/herself. Normally, I'm the most mild-mannered, non-confrontational person in the world. Also, I've worked in customer service type jobs most of my adult life, so I know how to phrase almost anything tactfully. All of that goes out the window, however, when I'm confronted with cases of cruelty, ignorance, or uncaring attitudes toward animals. Then I want to scream obscenities and hit someone. I have to constantly remind myself that my poor behavior could alienate people not just toward me, but toward my cause.
Interestingly enough, I got a lesson in proper attitude from a lady who works for Animal Control. We had been having trouble with a stray cat in our neighborhood. I knew he was hungry because he came over the fence and through the pet door to get to my cats' food! I decided to trap him, have him neutered, and put him in an adoption program. To this end, I went to Garland Animal Services to borrow one of their traps. The lady I spoke with was friendly and helpful and seemed as concerned as I was about the welfare of the cat. I couldn't help but contrast my experience with that of my friend who had recently adopted a cat from a local rescue. My friend had a lot of experience working with animals and had said as much on her adoption application. The lady from the rescue who interviewed her, however, acted as if she thought my friend might be too stupid to care for a cat properly. My friend was indignant, but ended up adopting a cat anyway.
The people who work for Animal Services understand that they have a twofold duty: They are there to protect and care for animals, of course, but they are also there to protect and serve the public. Rescues and advocacy groups exist primarily to help animals, but they sometimes forget that they should also be sensitive to how they treat people. Failure to do this can hurt their efforts. My friend adopted her cat from the rescue, but she's unlikely to support them in the future.
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