"DERP," Goes Southwest Virginia

Southwest Virginia Facebook groups are breeding ground for pure comedy gold. The sad part is, we can laugh at the absurdity all day long, but the truth of what’s happening here isn’t funny at all.

Most of you who know me know I fight a constant battle with culture in this region. We’re saturated with high kill shelters and one statistic claims the ratio of unwanted pet to available home is 26:1 . I’ve seen enough to believe it. Spaying and neutering is the only real solution. Together with other rescue teams in surrounding areas, we transport thousands of homeless pets to safety in New England, where communities have solved these problems and very little animal control is needed.

My 501c3 rescue works with a local veterinarian who is tireless in her efforts to help the animals of Southwest Virginia. I could post about the lengths she has gone to providing world-class care and promoting best practices with the rescues and shelters who use her. However, I learned from past experience that she doesn’t enjoy the limelight. So I will touch on that and move on, other than to add that she’s a bit of a legend and known as a hero in quiet rescue circles.

That being said, she’s no shrinking violet. I’ve seen her go to bat on the witness stand for rescuers in other states who never spent a dime on her business. I’ve seen her document and faithfully record every last detail in abuse and negligence cases that would be a prosecutor’s dream in court. Not to mention the fact that my rescue has entrusted the care of more than five hundred animals to her over the course of several years, and not once have we had an issue or complication. That’s a heck of a track record, especially since she has dealt with some very serious injuries and illnesses suffered by animals here in Southwest Virginia.

Yesterday, someone launched a smear campaign against Dr. Taylor and her practice. I'm all about leveraging social media to make a point. However, when you go off half-cocked and don't even understand the law regarding such things as veterinary liens, you not only cause a lot of harm to a lot of people, but you make yourself and your community look like blithering idiots.

From the best I can glean from Facebook comments, the essence of the story is this: in true Southwest Virginia fashion, someone owned an unspayed female dog, handled her irresponsibly so that a neighbor’s much larger dog impregnated her, and then had to seek emergency veterinary care when the puppies were too large to deliver. Treatment involved a C-section and ongoing care for both the mother and the litter. Three of the nine puppies did not survive.

On admittance to the veterinary clinic, the owner stated she did not have the funds to pay for treatment. As is the case with most veterinary clinics, staff required the owner to sign over ownership of the dog so that a full course of treatment could be pursued without worrying about payment. The owner signed the paperwork in front of witnesses.

Days later, when the dog had recovered and the owner had not once demonstrated either the effort or ability to pay, the veterinary clinic placed the dog in foster care with a rescue. The owner became outraged, saying the veterinarian wouldn’t give her the total amount owed so she could pay. Hello? Weeks had passed. Seems to me like the owner would have at least attempted to settle the bill in part. But no. Instead, the owner then goes on social media trashing the veterinary practice and getting the entire community up in arms because the veterinary clinic won’t return the dog.

Hello? The veterinary clinic now owns the dog and the transfer is in writing. Nowhere in any ethical or legal protocol for veterinarians is a proviso stating they must provide charity or pro bono services. No veterinarian is required to establish “payment plans” or otherwise serve as a lender or loan shark. Payment is due at the time services are rendered. It’s black and white. There is no gray area here.

My rescue’s Facebook post about this situation can be found HERE. The offended parties in this situation have added many screenshots in the comments, but I made sure to save them in case the backlash gets too heated and they make them disappear. I've put a lot of those screenshots in this post. Yes, for the entertainment value, but also to capitalize on the Blockchain's permanency. I've had a blog hacked and deleted before. It's one of the things that drove me to Steemit in the first place.

Below is a screenshot of the dog owner's rant on Facebook. To read her remarks in their entirety, see this post.

Do I feel bad for the dog’s owner? Not really. She chose to not spend $60.00 on a spay at a low-cost clinic. She chose to let her unsterilized dog run loose outside. This is despite massive nationwide effort to educate people about proper pet care and being a responsible owner. Then she expects everyone else in the community to clean up her mess and not hold her accountable for one iota of the trouble she caused.

I’m not sure where all the entitlement comes from in today’s world. I get the feeling most of the people involved in this situation are barely more than children. That, in turn, makes me wonder where their parents went wrong. It’s a generational thing, for sure-- a clear cultural bias that exists in certain pockets of the U.S.

Central Appalachia is one of the largest and most dense of those pockets.

Sadly, many people believe allowing a dog or cat to reproduce is their "god-given right." This comment made by me through the rescue account sums up my feelings on that lunacy.

Next, I will share a collection of screenshots as a record of the conversation on Facebook. They're entertaining and somewhat educational, but not critical for understanding the situation. The Blockchain is the safest place to store them. When possible, I've tried to leave clear evidence that they are directly consecutive with no gaps, but in fact there are gaps because I simply could not post them all. There are hundreds. I grabbed the ones that seemed most relevant. You are welcome to follow the link I provided earlier to the Facebook page and see them in situ.

Then we get into the logic loop about the rights of people to behave irresponsibly even at the expense of the greater good.

The following may or may not be consecutive. These are screen grabs of some of the more interesting exchanges.

For me, the most alarming part of the conversation was when I had to explain the basic economics of the situation. At times like these, I worry for our future.

When you give up trying to explain and just draw pictures.

Then, the voice of reason from an absolute earth angel. This lovely woman is the star of our PR video, viewable below.