Puppies and kittens! (Huntsville, Madison, Ardmore: living in, cost of, shop)

[Nlambert]

Originally Posted by Becky2517

I am that bleeding heart - I don't just care about cute and cuddly pets, I care about coyotes as well - we need to live in some kind of harmony with nature, we are taking over enough of it...life isn't about shooting everything that bothers us I cannot abhor cruelty and the line/hook/bait is exactly that.

The purposes of fostering cats/dogs are many - socialization, vetting, behavior, training and knowing what family the animal needs. Is it tough to give up an animal in your care, sure, but, you are making room for the next one and this plays a huge part in alleviating the numbers of euthanized pets in the shelters. The number of killed pets in shelters are staggering, about 4.5+++ million a year - AL's ranks right up there with the worst of them, people don't spay and neuter, keep breeding for a quick $ or 2 - want "designer breeds" - for every person we manage to educate, 4 more pop up who just don't care and see animals as "things" (state of AL sees animals as property & therefore treats as such). There are too few of us who fight this every day, and too many of them who couldn't care less

While I agree with this on most cases, a coyote isn't one of them. Nor is an armadillo, a ground mole, or any other nuisance creature that can cause a danger to us or our pets.


A coyote is a dangerous animal. A coyote (or a pack) who hasn't eaten in a while and ventures into someone's yard can quickly kill a household pet for a meal. A coyote in this predicament who comes upon someone on a walking trail or a bike path can very quickly hurt or kill a human. As they get more hungry they get more bold. I don't go into the woods to try and kill them but if they come onto my property I will shoot them to avoid the risk. While that is the preferred method, it is sometimes VERY difficult to catch a coyote due to their sneaky nature (and at times it is dangerous with neighbors around) so baiting one may have to be an option.


Armadillos and ground moles quickly destroy property. I have 4 armadillos right now that have torn up my yard, my flowerbeds, and have even dug under my fence leaving an exit for the daschund (who thankfully has been on my front porch twice this week instead of gone). The armadillo has also dug two very large holes. One, my daschund got stuck in and hurt himself trying to get out, and the second I stepped in while walking to the back of my garage, almost breaking my ankle. Since it is almost impossible to trap them, the next logical solution is to shoot them on sight.


I think we do need to be mindful of animals and not dish out cruelty just because one feels like it, there are times when the safest option for a human is to remove the threat that such an animal may present. Unfortunately it isn't always black and white.

[toosie]

Please be mindful of the thread topic and forum.

[Becky2517]

Originally Posted by Nlambert

While I agree with this on most cases, a coyote isn't one of them. Nor is an armadillo, a ground mole, or any other nuisance creature that can cause a danger to us or our pets.


A coyote is a dangerous animal. A coyote (or a pack) who hasn't eaten in a while and ventures into someone's yard can quickly kill a household pet for a meal. A coyote in this predicament who comes upon someone on a walking trail or a bike path can very quickly hurt or kill a human. As they get more hungry they get more bold. I don't go into the woods to try and kill them but if they come onto my property I will shoot them to avoid the risk. While that is the preferred method, it is sometimes VERY difficult to catch a coyote due to their sneaky nature (and at times it is dangerous with neighbors around) so baiting one may have to be an option.


Armadillos and ground moles quickly destroy property. I have 4 armadillos right now that have torn up my yard, my flowerbeds, and have even dug under my fence leaving an exit for the daschund (who thankfully has been on my front porch twice this week instead of gone). The armadillo has also dug two very large holes. One, my daschund got stuck in and hurt himself trying to get out, and the second I stepped in while walking to the back of my garage, almost breaking my ankle. Since it is almost impossible to trap them, the next logical solution is to shoot them on sight.


I think we do need to be mindful of animals and not dish out cruelty just because one feels like it, there are times when the safest option for a human is to remove the threat that such an animal may present. Unfortunately it isn't always black and white.

I "get" what you are saying, but I don't have to like it (I am the bleeding heart after all ) But, you are right, it isn't B/W - humans will continue taking over their habitats and the critters become a nuisance survival of the fittest and all that)...btw, I LOVE armadillos! I swear the only ones I have seen here have been splattered on roadsides

[writerwife]

Thus far, we still have the coyote around. My husband told me that he and it were watching each other thru the patio door day before yest and he ran off. I got the wolf urine and will spread some of that around to deter him. Right now, he poses no threat to us in any way. The people that live nearest to us, she's a vet and they have 3 pretty cats that come here frequently (crossing a logging road unfortunately) and I Just hope they stay gone when coyote's around. He's a loner apparently. I heard a pack in the distance night before last and he's still nearby here. I think he's only here for the water right now and will move on when the drought ends. We are loathe to kill anything if not necessary and don't feel pressed to to do so at this time. If it became a problem to us, then we would dispatch as necessary. I don't consider myself a "bleeding heart" when it comes to animals but, I do love them and have no problem getting along with them if they'll get along with me. Fortunately for the coyote, our long time pets all passed recently so we have no pets in danger. I did kill a scorpion yesterday who was guarding my washing machine. I feel no remorse, lol.

PS...Becky...I totally understand about needing foster homes for the critters and commiserate. My sis in law has done it for decades. We have (particularly my husband) a very difficult time letting go and I end up with more house pets than I can handle and keep the house clean. More than that now, I'm too far out from any organization. People would have to drive appx 50 miles to come view the pets and, these days, I'm out of town and out of state too much and can't care for them. It just wouldn't be fair to them or to me.
Every pet we've had was a starving stray or dumped on us. As it stands now, we can't bring home every stray dog or cat we see (but we do bring them home and try to find homes for them if possible) but for those we can't help, we both carry bags of dog food in our trunks for those we see that we cannot help. It's not much but it's something.

[Becky2517]

Originally Posted by writerwife

Thus far, we still have the coyote around. My husband told me that he and it were watching each other thru the patio door day before yest and he ran off. I got the wolf urine and will spread some of that around to deter him. Right now, he poses no threat to us in any way. The people that live nearest to us, she's a vet and they have 3 pretty cats that come here frequently (crossing a logging road unfortunately) and I Just hope they stay gone when coyote's around. He's a loner apparently. I heard a pack in the distance night before last and he's still nearby here. I think he's only here for the water right now and will move on when the drought ends. We are loathe to kill anything if not necessary and don't feel pressed to to do so at this time. If it became a problem to us, then we would dispatch as necessary. I don't consider myself a "bleeding heart" when it comes to animals but, I do love them and have no problem getting along with them if they'll get along with me. Fortunately for the coyote, our long time pets all passed recently so we have no pets in danger. I did kill a scorpion yesterday who was guarding my washing machine. I feel no remorse, lol.

PS...Becky...I totally understand about needing foster homes for the critters and commiserate. My sis in law has done it for decades. We have (particularly my husband) a very difficult time letting go and I end up with more house pets than I can handle and keep the house clean. More than that now, I'm too far out from any organization. People would have to drive appx 50 miles to come view the pets and, these days, I'm out of town and out of state too much and can't care for them. It just wouldn't be fair to them or to me.
Every pet we've had was a starving stray or dumped on us. As it stands now, we can't bring home every stray dog or cat we see (but we do bring them home and try to find homes for them if possible) but for those we can't help, we both carry bags of dog food in our trunks for those we see that we cannot help. It's not much but it's something.

My line of love is drawn at anything venomous - no remorse!

You do way more than most, just by providing food and helping how you are able to - if everyone did a little bit each, there would be way less issues with sick, lost, and homeless animals Just advocating spaying and neutering is a huge step in reaching the goal of less critters born every year Not everyone can physically DO something, but advocating, donating food and supplies to shelters and rescues, volunteering - it ALL helps - there are so many in need!

[writerwife]

Oh.. And.. I'm especially proud of this.. my granddaughter (now 13) for her 10th bday.. asked for no gifts but only donations for the Huntsville Humane Society. Her idea totally.

[Becky2517]

Originally Posted by writerwife

Oh.. And.. I'm especially proud of this.. my granddaughter (now 13) for her 10th bday.. asked for no gifts but only donations for the Huntsville Humane Society. Her idea totally.

Warms my heart to see kids do this and gives me hope for the next generation, kudos to your granddaughter They have to pick up from us when we can do no longer

[OmarLittle]

Originally Posted by Becky2517

Warms my heart to see kids do this and gives me hope for the next generation, kudos to your granddaughter They have to pick up from us when we can do no longer

+1. I occasionally volunteer at the Huntsville Humane Society, and I know many of the people who work there. They do great work, and even though they often encounter situations of animal cruelty, they carry out their work with dignity and respect.

Speaking of...

Originally Posted by catfishin2000

...Rig the hook on the line, bait with chicken, and tie it off in a tree so it is 4' off the ground. Mr Coyote jumps up to grab the bait, sets the hook, and hangs around for you to deliver the coup de grace with a small caliber pistol. Bag and throw in a dumpster...

Encouraging this sort of animal cruelty is not liberal or conservative, it's just plain mean. The Huntsville shelter frequently has to euthanize animals but does so humanely. Killing coyotes (and other nuisance animals) may be necessary, but there's no need to torture them.

[toosie]

Originally Posted by toosie

Please be mindful of the thread topic and forum.

Fostering puppies and kittens. Not dispatching coyotes or other critters.

[FTG-05]

Meet my latest pair: Waffle and Grits (orange and gray).

As you can see, like all my cats, they live in mortal fear of their lives with my dog Molly.






Here is Waffle trying to sneak up on Pancake (black long hair) with his brother Gravy watching the shenanigans:




Waffle and Grits in my shop office when I first got them at 8 weeks last June. It took about a week before they would not run for their lives under that couch when I came in. They are two semi-ferals I got my from my neighbor up the street from me.