| rev:text
| - There's a lot of concern involving this rescue's practices. I'm writing this review to allow prospective adopters the chance to weigh the facts before adopting through Woofs, Wiggles, N Wags. While it appears many of the animals have ended up in great homes and people have been grateful for positive experiences, those outcomes have been at a great gamble. A little over a year ago we adopted a sweet kitty from WWW. Her name was Gemma. She came from a hoarding situation, was about 2 years old & upon bringing her home, slowly formed relationships with our other cats and our dog. We had seen her at a previous adoption event but the rescue still had her a year later. Recently she developed a cough that didn't seem quite right so I had her in to see the vet. Her lung sounds were harsh. What the x-ray revealed was devastating; large white marks everywhere with barely any recognizable outline of the heart wall. Additionally, she tested positive for FeLV. FeLV is highly contagious & unfortunately the vaccine provides little protection. Thankfully my other four cats have all tested negative, but for Gemma it was too late. Fungal tests came back negative & after a second, third, & fourth opinion it was determined she had lymphoma and would slowly drown to death in a few short weeks. After review of Gemma's veterinary paperwork we received weeks after the adoption, I found that she was never tested. I spoke with North Central Animal Hospital where she received a rabies vaccine, but the doctor there only saw her at the low cost rabies vaccine clinic she holds regularly. The receptionist commented that during those clinics is the only time they see animals from this rescue. I also called the low cost spay & neuter clinic that performed her spay, which also had not seen her for any other purpose.
The adoption form & their website claims that, "all pets brought into the rescue are evaluated, seen by a veterinarian.." that they have, "completed all medical treatment needed," and WWW, "makes every effort to adopt out only healthy animals. All tests and/or treatments given to this cat prior to adoption were given based on our veterinarians consultation when/if symptoms warranted." Clearly, this wasn't the case for Gemma, but I wanted to give someone the chance to own up to this oversight and also let them know that whichever other cats they rescued from that hoarding situation are likely carriers for FeLV as well. Initially I spoke with the feline coordinators, one of which is Barb. Her and her partner (Jim? Tim?) acknowledged that they do not test because they would have to increase their adoption fee. I then spoke with Melanie (or tried to), but she immediately began attacking me and justifying their lack of basic care by stating that it isn't required.
The wording of their application does leave room for interpretation. If making "every effort" is equivalent to seeking veterinary care "when/if symptoms warranted", then many things could be missed. Animals depend on us to be aware and stay proactive in their care. They can't tell us when something hurts. So when basic preventative testing and care are skipped, what could have been a manageable problem turns into a death sentence. I realize that many rescues feel they are doing good by rescuing animals from euthanasia, but what measure of success is that really? You're gambling with the health of these animals & the health of animals in the homes of people adopting them. FeLV is not always a death sentence! In fact many cats can live long lives without contracting other illnesses and there are many adopters who only adopt positive tested cats because they love giving them a chance at a fulfilling life. After her death I did further research and was able to confirm with both Maricopa County & the Humane Society that WWW has been visited multiple times, has had dozens of animals seized as recently as last winter (Dec '16/Jan '17), & PetsMart Charities has also ended their contract with the rescue for not meeting the standards outlined in their agreement. I did ask if they would be willing to disclose what standards weren't met, but they have a policy not to disclose those details. There are also comments about Dani Lee, a volunteer, not actually being a part of this rescue but one similarly named, when actually, Wiggle Butts Dog Rescue also formerly "ran" Woofs, Wiggles, n Wags Rescue. The lack of veterinary care provided to these animals is not considered animal cruelty and therefore the efforts of County & HS are limited, but both had representatives that expressed their frustration during my conversations with them. So I'm left with leaving this review & hoping to raise awareness about this rescue's practices, & unfortunately the negligence plaguing many rescues. I'm currently consulting with two lawyers & will be enlisting the added counsel of county, the HS, & other reputable rescues to develop this standard.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)