June Buggie Rants- About Rescues???
MEOW! My name is June Buggie, and I have something to say.
MEOW!
On June 28, a Florida judge ruled that the 700 cats of Caboodle Ranch could be permanently removed from the “no-kill sanctuary” and put into the care of local authorities. The judge also ruled that sanctuary owner Craig Grant could not aquire more animals.
Caboodle Ranch is a morality tale for all humans who love animals- not every rescue is indeed a rescue, and even those with the best of intentions can get over their heads.
Oh they had a great story, and a cool-looking website. There are even videos on Youtube of a kind man caring for many cats.
from CaboodleRanch.com
But that wasn’t what was really going on. Cats did not receive proper medical care. Cats weren’t spayed/ neutered. Dead cats were left on the grounds. Funds were misappropriated.
I’m not posting details here. I looked at the info, and it made me physically ill. You can find out more about the case at CaboodleRanch.net. There are also videos on YouTube of the investigation.
Two points I want to make about this case:
ONE: People are STILL believing this place is a great place for cats. And they still send money to this guy. It’s your money, and you can do whatever you want with it. Personally, I’d rather people send money to groups that actually HELP animals, but hey, to each his own.
TWO: In the video above, the Jackson County sheriff stated that they contracted with the ASPCA to investigate and care for all the cats removed from the property. He said it was costing around $3 MILLION dollars to do all this, and that the ASPCA footed the entire bill.
If it was a rare occurance that such operations took place, it would be sad, but the truth is, we hear about such operations happening all the time- though not often on such a large scale.
On July 9, the Animal Rescue Corps helped White County Sheriff’s dept. rescue 67 animals. And on the 3rd they helped Wilson County Animal Control rescue over 100 dogs from a hoarding situation. And this is just THIS MONTH in MY STATE.
My point? Not everyone that claims to be an animal rescue is doing right by animals. It may be deliberate, or it may be a case of good intentions that got out of hand. Either way, it’s not healthy and it’s not humane.
So before you support a rescue, make sure you know who you’re dealing with.
MEOW!
Oh, and you ARE voting for this blog to win the DogTime Petties Best Cause-Related Blog…. right? I mean, you wouldn’t want me to come and scratch your ankles. Trust me….. it hurts. So go here and vote every day.
LINKS:
ASPCA blog post on court ruling
Court ruling reported in Jacksonville, FL paper
Local TV station reporting of appeal filed in case
FOLLOW ME ON Twitter @JuneBuggieRants!
July 17, 2012 at 1:14 AM
Malice toward animals is unforgiveable, hopefully this was a case of good intentions gone off the rails or maybe they got overwelmed. Which ever that may be I sure hope now, those kitties will be loved and cared for until they find forever homes.
July 17, 2012 at 5:24 AM
I think the problem is that these people do not mean to do ill will toward animals. They truly want to help.
July 17, 2012 at 1:15 AM
This is so horrible. Sometimes it is shameful to belong the the human race.
July 17, 2012 at 5:25 AM
People make mistakes. Some mistakes have harsh consequences for others.
July 17, 2012 at 1:21 AM
Well said JuneBuggie
Keep up the good work x
July 17, 2012 at 5:25 AM
Thanks Chabs…. it’s not something I relish talking about, but it MUST be talked about.
July 17, 2012 at 1:53 AM
A great post June Buggie – a very sad story.
July 17, 2012 at 5:26 AM
I agree…. it IS very sad.
July 17, 2012 at 1:58 AM
June Buggie you make excellent points here. Sometimes people do “the right thing” for the wrong reason, or in a bad way – animal refuges, zoos, orphanages, special care facilities, aged persons facilities etc… We have to open our eyes, ask questions and be aware. As you say, much better to financially support effectively but also not support people who are less than capable or who don’t have the right motives despite appearances. Not everyone is what they say they are, and a little due diligence rather than starry eyes goes a long way.
July 17, 2012 at 5:27 AM
Indeed. And throwing money at dysfunctional behavior implies you support such behavior.
July 17, 2012 at 3:19 AM
Excellent and well reasoned post. We should all take care who we support. Thanks xx
July 17, 2012 at 5:28 AM
Sadly, we must. I’ve had lots of people ask me for money over the years…. I suspect some were not legit.
July 17, 2012 at 3:44 AM
Sad, sad, sad, sad, sad…..
Thank goodness for blogs like yours to help keep people informed… &
Yes, I’m remembering to vote…..
July 17, 2012 at 4:10 AM
It is one of the reasons I am so careful about the shelters I promote, especially as they are No-Kill shelters. The animals need not only to be kept alive but to have a life worth living. Hard as it is, sometimes, these shelters have to turn away animals, simply because they know their limit and know how many they can keep healthy and happy. Each one adopted out, means space for one more coming in – that’s the only way it can work.
PS – voting away for you – hoping you win.
July 17, 2012 at 5:30 AM
Yes. It is the harsh reality of animal rescue. People rant when folks surrender animals to kill shelters, but they seem oblivious to the fact that no-kill shelters STAY FULL.
July 17, 2012 at 4:46 AM
How terrible that place is……victims are always innocent animals…..it is really unforgivable!!! Thanks for warning to humans, June Buggie….It is very true that humans have to make sure who they’re dealing with when they support rescues.
P.S. June Buggie…you look pawgeous today, too!!! *blush*
July 17, 2012 at 5:29 AM
MEOW! That was just for you, Kevin!
July 17, 2012 at 5:06 AM
What a sad story
July 17, 2012 at 5:30 AM
Thank you, June Buggie, for getting the word out. (Just as it is with all charities, we need to do our homework before sending money.)
I don’t believe you and I have officially met. I’m Sundae kitty and sometimes I take over my mom’s blog. By the way, I just love your name!
Love, Sundae
July 17, 2012 at 5:31 AM
MEOW! Nice to meet ya Sundae. Perhaps you’re like me and others are getting the credit but YOU are the brains of the operation.
July 17, 2012 at 5:40 AM
thank you so much JB. we loved the little buildings & used to tell people the story of how Caboodle came together. Just last week while watching a doco on hoarding I thought of Caboodle & how on earth could that one man manage all those cats? Now we know he wasn’t. Reminds us all to support our local shelters where we can keep an eye on how operations our run!!!
July 17, 2012 at 5:55 AM
This is truly terrible. I understand, that animal hoarding can be some kind of illness. But watching the photos on caboodleranch net makes me really sick. How can someone ignore the state his animals are in? This man was killing cats slowly in a horrible way. It’s good they stopped him. mouche cat is completely right, if you can’t go to a place and see it with your own eyes, it’s better not to support it.
July 17, 2012 at 7:36 AM
Thanks for the info June Buggie! It is true that our humans have to be careful because not every human has our best interest at heart, despite what they might say, whether or not they had good intentions at the beginning!
Purrs
July 17, 2012 at 7:47 AM
Thanks for this post. But it’s so sad…
July 17, 2012 at 8:36 AM
Many hoarders, apparently, also start off with good intentions. As you pointed out, June Buggie, if the aim is to do the best for the animals then those involved have to know what their limits are: financially, space-wise, health, etc.
Thanks for bringing these situations to people’s attention. People also want to help, but they should know where their money is going and how the animals are being treated.
July 17, 2012 at 8:56 AM
good advice. When people first learned about Caboodle Ranch a few years back, everyone, (including myself) thought it was “Kitty Nirvana”…then a few months ago when the news broke about the majority of the cats living in squalor and being diseased, Facebook had literally THOUSANDS of posts about it.
There is legislation still taking place and a few Facebook groups fighting to save the cats.
For those( unlike myself,0 that didn’t already know all of this, this is an important post.
It is always good advice to thoroughly check out whom you are sending money too!
July 17, 2012 at 4:23 PM
I thought the same. The first news I had about the investigation was when PetSmart Charities reported they were sending down supplies to help out. People complain about PETA and HSUS, but nobody doubts PetSmart.
July 17, 2012 at 9:06 AM
How very sad! People can be deceived very easily so you are right check out where your money is going!
July 17, 2012 at 9:34 AM
I remember when this story hit the papers. Made me sick. Yes, before you donate – check them out – go there yourself and look!!!
July 17, 2012 at 10:45 AM
There was a woman who claimed to be a “rescue” who had 13 emaciated Dobermans taken from her home near me. There were at least 3 more dead, in crates, and all were in filth.
There just aren’t adequate words sometimes.
July 17, 2012 at 11:50 AM
June Buggie, there are just too many homeless animals.
July 17, 2012 at 4:21 PM
That’s because breeding is not regulated. Long as more are born than we have homes for, stuff like this is bound to happen.
July 17, 2012 at 11:51 AM
Good point, well made, but what a horrid story.
July 17, 2012 at 12:03 PM
We saw that website sometime back and thought to myself at the time…how can one man take proper care of all those cats. We are so glad they took the cats and that man can have no more animals. The same thing is happening here. Just the other day over 150 dogs were rescued from a horrible place. Around here there needs to be better laws and those laws strictly enforced to stop this happening to precious animals. There are people here that have been arrested for puppy mills more than once…that should NEVER happen. Just makes us sick!! Thank you sweet June Buggie for this rant. Hugs and nose kisses
July 17, 2012 at 4:20 PM
There needs to be better laws everywhere, but if you watch the video, you’ll see that laws would be useless in this situation. This sheriff had been getting complaints about this place for a long time, and he said when someone brought him proof he’d do something. Then people got upset when PETA did just that. But hey, if ya can’t leave it up to the people that are PAID to do this stuff, you have to depend on groups like this to step up.
July 18, 2012 at 11:02 PM
Around here no one wants to do anything. They all say there is no money to get anything done. PETA comes out sometimes but the people I know that PETA has been called out on have just moved away and still are doing the same thing in most cases. We have one county humane society who does great work and will even help with extreme abuse cases in other counties. But the humane society in my county don’t do much to help with the mistreated animals. That is why I have taken in so many over the last 40 years.
July 17, 2012 at 12:19 PM
RIGHT ON, June Buggie! We heard very first hand (err, paw) the condition those kitties were in, since our very pawesome shelter was contacted and asked if they would deploy volunteers to help the ASPCA care for these poor souls.
We interviewed the head of our rescue group who went down there and posted it back on May 18, if you want to read an eyewitness account (NOT graphic!) about all the man hours required to care for these babies.
In our opinion Mr. Grant is a hoarder and should never again be allowed to own a pet. just meowin’. Thanks for sharing this!!
July 17, 2012 at 4:18 PM
I can’t believe I missed your post! I really need more hours in the day…. *runs off to read*
July 18, 2012 at 9:55 AM
Canz you pleez let us know when you find those missing hours? Our mommy needz them too! MOL!
July 17, 2012 at 12:26 PM
Lol, that first picture!
July 17, 2012 at 12:36 PM
Meow! Junie you are so right. People must be wary, do research, and support the shelters that are doing a good job.
So sad the animals suffer when they should be safe.
EVERYONE can HELP: follow the link and VOTE!
July 17, 2012 at 4:17 PM
The thing that makes me furious is all these so-called animal lovers that are STILL supporting this guy.
July 17, 2012 at 3:41 PM
tapping paw up,down,up,down…and like NO ONE nearby noticed this for HOW long???…he was collecting money to support his “humane rescue” and NO ONE checked him out for HOW LONG??? I saw this site once, and thought if it were near me, I would ask Mom to drive by and check it out. That was way too many cats. Just because an animal is allive doesn’t mean it is safe, healthy nor that it’s true spirit is being nutured. Dad and Mom donate to many animal organizations, but always research them very carefully. Mis June Buggie, thank you so much for bringing up this undiscussable topic.
July 17, 2012 at 4:16 PM
Savannah, there WERE people saying things… but Caboodle supporters chose to not listen. And when Caboodle claimed they were being unfairly harassed by PETA, the money flowed in. He’s gotten alot of donations out of this from people who still believe that what he was doing was right. In my book, there ARE things worse than death, and living in the conditions those cats were in is far worse.
July 18, 2012 at 8:53 AM
Oh I been hesitant here as I don’t like kicking people BUT…. Best you can say is good intentions gone wrong….. that’s the best you can say….
Now about this FIP… I know it well! I had a storm of it back in the ’90′s and you know what its a killer and there is no cure so what we had to do (and it broke my heart and I promise you I am crying as I write this) is go through all the effected cats and put down any that showed signs….. Its the only way to stop it basically.
Highly infectious it really is bad!
My friend’s rescue has a non put down policy.. when I did rescue I had a non put down BUT we had an addition that we would not put anything down but qualified it with unless there was a medical reason to do so! Does that still qualify as a no-kill?
As someone said above there are so many, well too many homeless animals out there and rescues have a hard time coping!
June you know where this is going don’t you? back to the back street breeders lol! Rumopy couldn’t have chewed up my soap box lol.
Back to the ranch….. In the UK we haven’t got that kind of thing yet…. Or if we have its not come to light. I think he did care just how an one man do 700 cats!!!!! How?! What the hell was he doing having 700?! There are often cases of animals in cages and in small houses and big numbers though so its a problem but not like this…..
Having gone through fip and its consequences the way these were being ‘treated’ was wrong….. so wrong…. but I wonder where was the vet?! Why on earth didn’t the vet do something?
I reed about his supporters but where were they when he was clearly struggling?
June I hate kicking someone who is down but I hope the ban will come in that either banns him from having cats (not sure what was wrong with the dogs?) or restricts him to 2 or 3 neutered and with checks regulated into the conditions..
This was good intentions gone wrong but there was no safety net and that in its self worries me….. He didn’t seem to have any help….. one man (however ‘caring’) could NEVER do for 700 cats……
After the fip I had I had restrictions on the survivors…. They didn’t run free as they could well have been carriers. Penned in a huge pen with a house etc but not free….. They also had to do 100 days before I could say it was over…. It took months to do the 100 days! Its very nasty and hell mine were put down long before they got that bad!!!!!
I hate putting the boot in but come on….Also why did it take so long to do something?! They just were junk in together with not enough fresh air to keep the circulation of clean air going (fip and using 2 university’s to try and stop it means I know about cubic feet per cat of re fresh air etc!) FIP would thrive in those conditions and you know what… Its a bad death!! Mine were put down long before they got that bad!! Heart breaking though it was I couldn’t let them suffer like that!
You know June you tell Jen she comes up with some very good things and also she might just let me keep my soap box cus its not such a bad one really
x
July 18, 2012 at 11:28 AM
Hey June Buggie, Jet here.
Such an important post, we’re embarrassed that it occurred in our state.
Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. Yes, educate and investigate before you DONATE.
July 18, 2012 at 1:06 PM
This is very sad June Buggie
July 19, 2012 at 10:19 PM
Wow! Kaitlyn really took quite a lot of heat for fighting this cause.