Iams' Home for the Holidays Adoption program is a REALLY bad idea.

It sounds so nice and since 1999, a bazillion animals have gotten adopted thru this cosponsored program. It even made the opening bell of the Stock Exchange this week, making folks feel all warm and fuzzy. I'm betting they haven't documented the number of returns of these pets in the days following the holidays. I worry much more about the animals that aren't returned, but thrown outside, given away or just abandoned.
Ironically here in Houston on the same day as the seven dogs were posed at the Stock Exchange, the TV news had a story from a shelter, showing all the empty cages and saying "Sadly, many of these pets will be returned"
The pet industry needs to work in tandem on this issue. Pets are NOT for holidays
or birthdays. The concept of promoting pets at Christmas to deflect puppy mills
makes no sense to me, as many of the puppy mill buyers want the tiny and small dogs which are in the minority at shelters.
If Iams wants to save a really large number of pets, they should organize a "Get Your
Christmas Pet in July" promotion. The number of puppies and kittens killed in Houston Texas in the summer months is staggering, yet in December shelters run out.
Let's balance this supply/demand cycle folks! It's so much better for the animal to enter a new environment free of holiday stresses, they have enough with which to contend already. Granted, it's not quite as exciting, but the pictures of crates
full of kittens should be an exciting concept when the tide can be turned for many more of those precious faces.

Since this was supposed to be my business blog-cont'd

Now I'm creeping down the edge of the road at about 12 miles an hour and kennel and kitty fly off again.....This time no one stops to help and did I mention it's getting much colder? This time the crate door pops open but I get it closed before the cat realizes it. By a miracle, he is not injured either time...
Then it's time for me to take a wrong turn and get miserably lost. Turning around was a challenge in itself! Then a long way home, right past the last liquor store on a Saturday night
when I could have used a small bourbon toddy!
The only warm place I had for kitty is on my dog room, so he is not amused! I can't even get near him, have a blankie over his crate and he will chill for a while. He has a blankie, food and litter box and I'm leaving him alone!
Incredibly, the kennel had only one small skid mark, no damage at all.
Whoever buys it is going to have to listen to this story!
This adventure took about 3 hours longer than planned...and was all part of being a small business owner.

Since this was supposed to be my business blog....

I'm going to write more about Pet Stuff Resale! I'll give a little history later, but
have to share the adventure I had yesterday.
I went to buy a small outdoor chain link kennel, supposedly less than 20 miles away.
I ended up running late, not quite sure where I was going and the clients didn't know the directions to their place from where I was. It was close to dark by the time I figured it out, no problem, got the kennel loaded, assembled, onto my small truck. I brought rope and bungies as it is bulky but lightweight and no wind problem
and it's chainlink.Ha! The wind picked up mightily as I was leaving, so I stayed at about 25 miles an hour....ugh...
This journey was complicated by the cat who joined me-the client casually mentioned
that she was having to leave several behind as she was moving in a hurry. There were quite a few already loose in the neighborhood;I'm assuming she hoped these would get fed. I immediately said I'd take the three, except only one could be caught and
all she had was a big crate, so he couldn't go inside the truck. In the cold, this
scared flame point cat had to ride, with no blankie,perched on the kennel, which was leaning sideways in the truckbed.
cont'd