A recent visit to a local "Humane Society" revealed an interesting fact: Data mining for some of your ersonal information is now common-place. We hear all the time from the bleeding hearts, "Don't go to a pet store! You should adopt animals from societies. They will be euthanized if no one adopts them." So we explored this option and were rewarded with yet another police state tactic. Apparently these people have not heard about a precious principle known as "privacy" - nor do they practice it. This is not another "conspiracy theory" - it is a conspiracy FACT. The proof is here so you can decide.

 

So how did we find out about this red form? We simply saw one of the cats in a windowed "cage" and asked to hold it. We didn't ask to adopt it, photograph it, play with it, feed it, neuter it, spay it, or give it an enema. Just simply wanted to HOLD the kitten. I responded, "I'm simply asking to hold the kitten. We don't even know if we want it." The droid behind counter re-iterated, "you still have to fill this out." I took a copy of the form with us, and left.

 

THE FRONT SIDE OF THE FORM

Isn't this wonderful? They would probably ask for your SS# if they could get away with it. Providing your driver's license is equally unwise, which is part of what some unnamed judge uses to either "approve" or "deny" this data-mining application. Since the housing conditions appear to single out renters and those in mobile homes - does this imply that those of us who own a home are above question?

And what's the best part about filling out the form? People sitting with clipboards providing personal information are crammed together in a small seating area, with no discretion practiced by those standing behind the desk.

There are two other facts to keep in mind when shopping for an animal. Fees and mandatory spaying or neutering will easily approach or even exceed $100.00 at some animal shelters we have visited. Another equally important fact? Any animal available at a humane society should not be assumed to be housebroken. If a dog has spent even a few months on the end of a chain in some idiot's backyard, don't expect to housebreak it anytime soon.

We need to consistently EXPOSE this kind of data mining to the sanitizing light of day, and embarrass those organizations that attempt to play god. Don't trust any organization with your personal information. Don't stand there and take, just because you might feel embarrased by walking out. The more people bow their heads and accept this treatment, the more they will continue to do it.

All this information was demanded just to hold a kitten. Is this gestapo tactic performed in a pet store? I think not.

Are animals now more important than we are? It appears so...for now.

This essay is dedicated to Jeff Rense.

Ted Twietmeyer
www.data4science.net

READER RESPONSES

 

I attempt to read and answer every email from readers. It seemed prudent to post some of these after receiving numerous well thought out email experiences from rense.com readers on the humane society data-mining subject. Comments shown below appear with permission from each reader. Out of respect for readers, last names and email addresses will not be shown. There is one reader's exception who asked for her email to be included.

 

What's interesting about these responses is the fear factor people have about sharing their adoption stories. With one exception, everyone else either did not respond to a permission request or they asked for their names to be withheld. Included are comments about more Nazi-type treatment and cooking the books to show successful adoptions.

 

If you do not see your comments below it is because I have not received your permission after waiting two days. Oddly enough, those who criticized the article did not provide their permission. This is exactly the opposite of what I expected to happen. -TT

 

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FEAR OF THE PET POLICE

 

And I wanted to say you are right on about this. My daughter and I went to the NH Humane Society in Enfield and walked away without a pet because of the intrusive nature of the questions. We felt like if we accepted their terms we might just get unexpected visits from the pet police. We are not prudes about this, we went to a pet store and paid twice what we would have paid the Humane Society, with a credit card, but the questions they asked were not so personal, and they got the whole vet thing done that day, cheaper than the Humane Society would have. We had thought we were going to do a good thing by going to the "humane society" and taking an animal off their hands, and we were willing to pay for the basics, but they were unreasonable, we thought. Anyway, it was a big deal at the time, but datamining wasn't as well understood by the public then. Thank you for covering this issue. Add this to http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/8/222851/2846 Is Your Kitten Wearing Her NAIS Tag Yet?   Big Brother's gotcha covered.

Thanks again,

Lois

 

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INTERROGATED FOR TRYING TO ADOPT A DOG FOR HER MOTHER

 

Hi Ted,

 

Thanks for bringing this weirdness to everyone's attention.  A couple of years ago, I took my elderly mom to the local animal shelter to look for a little dog.  She was very lonely and wanted a companion animal.  While they didn't make us fill out this form before we looked at some dogs, we did have to fill out one like it and sit in an office answering tons of intrusive questions before they would let us adopt the dog my mom chose.  The weirdest part was that they would not take our word for it that my mom had permission from her landlord to bring a dog into her home.  They made us find the woman's name in the phone book, call her and put her on the phone with them to confirm that she would allow my mom to have a dog in her rental house.  When she found out the dog we wanted was all of 6 pounds, she actually laughed at the guy and said, "You had to track me down for that?  That's barely even a dog."

 

They did finally let us go, with some good news.  My mom qualified for the Purina Pets For People Program so they would waive the $70 adoption fee and give her the dog for free.  But we had to fill out more forms and answer even more questions for that.  And I had to sign a document that said I would adopt the dog when/if my mom passed away or became unable to care for it.  I sat there thinking, "And if I don't, do the jack-booted thugs come and kick my door down?"  Of course, my mom did pass away and I did adopt the dog.  But boy was that a tough process to go through.  You'd think that if these animals are so desperately in need of homes, they'd make the process of adopting them easier, not harder. 

 

Fifteen years ago when I adopted my dog, I paid $20 and filled out a form that was only about 6 questions long.  Simple as pie.  What have we come to?

 

Deb

sisterdebmac@yahoo.com

(email included at Debbie's request)

 

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RESCUE DOG ADOPTER NEEDED RESCUING

 

Ted,

 

You don't know the half of it. These people are NAZIS. I found a breed rescue on the internet; I filled out an application for one of their dogs. These people came to my house to inspect it, I live in a nice house, I have a 12 acre fenced in yard. Before they would let me "adopt" a rescue dog, I had to upgrade my fence, so the dog wouldn't dig under the fence or jump the fence. I also had to buy a crate for the dog, so it could have it's own special sleeping area. I passed on the dog.

 

A month later,  the "rescue" agency,  calls me, at the last minute, gives me a sob story about a dog whose owner moved into a new apartment  and couldn't have pets, they were going to put the dog into a kill shelter,  could I just  "foster" the dog, until they find  a home. After I'm told the dog is 4 years old, neutered, gets along with cats, we have a cat, house trained, obedience trained. I agreed to temporarily foster the dog.  The "rescue" dog after arriving at my house,  sh*ts on my hardwood floors, pisses on my stone fireplace, takes a chunk out of my cat and humps my kid, all in 10 minutes. I needed to be rescued at this point. The "rescue"  people refuse to take the dog back.  Of course none of the problems I had with the dog, was the dogs fault,  it was my fault, I didn't properly introduce the dog to the cat, I made the dog nervous, so it sh*t and pissed on my floor.  The old blame the victim mentality.   Did I mention, when I had company, the dog became a 40-pound missle, hurling at my visitors at top speed ready to rip their heads off.  

 

 When I told them,  I had it with this dog, they threatened me, told me if anything happened to the dog they would sue me.  Not only  did I have to worry, this dog is going to maul a neighborhood child, I have to worry about these rescue nazi suing me.   A month later and three thousand dollars damage to my home, a sucker came along and adopted the dog.    After getting the dog home, the woman calls me up, informs me the dog attacked her son and she was bringing him back. I told her he's your problem now, get your money back, and kill the f*cking dog!   

 

 

 I filed this experience under no good deed goes unpunished.

 

 

(name withheld per request)

 

 

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AN ADOPTION DENIED FOR A PAST UNSTERILIZED PET

 

Ted

 

You are right.

 

I had the most horrible experience at the local humane society.

 

After filling out their form accurately and honestly I was refused to adopt an animal.  Reason, because I had had an un-altered animal in the past even though I had clearly indicated on the form that I would get the male kitten neutered.  However, since it was too young for the procedure, there was simply no way to obtain the animal at that time.  Eventually they said that I might be able to adopt an older already altered animal.

 

I said no where on this form or on the website does it say that having had an un-altered animal would disqualify me from adopting an animal.  They replied "we don't have to post our rules".

 

I asked them if it was their intention to sterilize every animal on the planet and they said YES!

 

I asked the obvious question - so where are new animals going to come from?  They laughed.

 

I was ridiculed and harrassed.  They said that that would never be a problem.

 

So I said, as long as there are going to be un-altered animals out there - where is the crime in my having one of them???

They had no answer except to say that a pair of kittens can make something like 42,000 offspring in their lifetime. 

 

I said, that's junk science.  You'd have a better chance of winning the lottery 12 weeks in a row.  There's a study of cats left on an island and the population found a natural balance point... and this was an island without cars, and essentially devoid of predators.  There ended up being about 24,000 after 30 years where there should have been millions by their calculations.

 

We now have NO pet stores in this town of 65,000. 

 

I went to one of these spay and neuter clinic adoption places recently and found they and all of the other "rescue" foster homes

are all connected to the humane society and require their application form.

 

Most of the kittens they have are either ferral or from cases of "hoarding". I think this emphasizes my point.  Where are new pets supposed to come from???  Ferral cat population is certainly not an ideal breeding source and neither is a hoarding environment.

 

I asked for my application back and they refused to return it.

 

It is completely clear to me that we are seeing the emergence of some sort of quasi pet-nazi beauracracy that is gaining more and more power - who sit in judgement of who is worthy and who is not. I had went in to the humane society because my cat had suddenly disappeared.  They insisted that I fill out a lost pet form and come in every three days to renew it.  I did.  Their reason "so they could call me if they found a match".  Three months I never got a single phone call even though I saw several cats so close to mine posted on the web page that I had to go in and in some cases hold them to be sure.

 

I feel terribly sorry for the animals under their charge. I think there is something very very wrong with the humane society.

 

Another thing... by there own decree, strays become "property" of the humane society after three days. It took over a half dozen visits before I was gradually told of the other places where an animal might be besides the display cases. There is "isolation" for sick and injured and "hold" for all new comers.  I later learned that some of the animals are sent to display

cages at PetSmart and another pet store for possible adoption. I may be wrong but I get the errie feeling that their long term goal is to exterminate cats. 

 

These are indeed the modern dark ages. Many newspapers will run an ad for free if you have found a lost animal.  Please people, don't just take them to the humane society.

 

(name withheld per request)

 

 

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AN ADOPTION CONSIDERATION OFTEN OVERLOOKED

 

It's easy to be blinded to real life issues and not see other implications when considering the welfare of an adopted animal. Identity theft is an all too real possibility. It was brought to my attention recently by a local resident that a local man was the victim of identity theft, and his story was in the newspaper. A woman stole his identity and then used it to illegally obtain a credit card. Purchases and even a couple payments were made by the woman with this credit card. This went on until the woman stopped making payments. At this point, the bank did their "due diligence" (too late of course) to find the man whose identity was stolen. When they found him, they told him HE MUST PAY the card's balance. He argued, "It wasn't me that bought all those things!" Their answer was: "We don't believe you."

 

So why would this happen? Banks are not about truth, fairness or honesty - these institutions are only about BUSINESS.

 

This is the driving factor why the bank turned a blind eye to this honest man and will do so to you, your spouse, relatives and friends who become victims of identity theft. One will not know such a theft is in the works until it happens. After it happens, the problems are just beginning. Victims might require the services of a good lawyer just to prove the purchases are not theirs, and threaten the bank with a lawsuit to get them to accept it really is a theft. Then a lawyer will be needed yet again, to sue the bank to recover legal expenses. Don't imagine a bank would pay those expenses willingly, either.

 

And to think that all this grief can come about because of disclosing personal information, like when adopting an animal.

 

One can see that the humane society story is only the tip of a Titanic-sized iceberg. A lawyer once told me that "all non-profit organizations are crooked in some way." These reader stories support that comment.

 

Ted Twietmeyer

www.data4science.net