Amy Camarattery
7/11/2017 Copyright
I wanted to post this article because there seems to be some backwards thinking about how adopting from a pet breeder works. And this is the case across the board for all rat breeders and other pet animal breeders as we all seem to feel this is an ongoing issue. And its frustrating for the breeder.
The frustration is that certain people feel very entitled to the animals they want from your website. And they feel as though they can make up the rules on how the adoption process works. I want to clarify that each breeder has a specific set of rules on how they want to handle rehoming their precious babies that they have worked so hard on raising. And you need to follow that breeders rules. I have a very easy process and it's very similar to the way most rat breeders do things. I don't have extreme demands by any means. My process basically requires that you read my website, get a feel for me and my ethics and then apply to adopt. After that if you have adoption approval you get to pick babies and then your name goes on the babies and you pick them up and pay at that time. Its very simple. Not all people who apply get adoption approval. I need to feel like the potential adopter will take good care of my rats and make me feel happy that I let my babies go into their home. An ethical breeder cannot approve every person, as that's the same as going to a pet shop. Pet shops of course not having any set of ethics they adhere to.
The above mention entitlement that some feel they have is that they feel that because they saw rats they wanted, they therefore get said rats. This is not how things work! I am telling you that right now.
A person might go about emailing the breeder, having never read the breeders site, and so they ask questions that are very easily answered by reading the breeders website and adoption process. Then the potential adopter starts getting very upset when the breeder directs them to this info on their website. For example a potential adopter might ask what rats do you have available, or how much are the rats etc. And they have now made the breeder feel as though they are not interested in what the breeder has posted on their site at all. After this point the potential adopter has been given info on where to this info, and might be applying for babies now. The application will have questions that give the breeder a good feeling of the person and might even pose questions that tell the breeder if the person has read their website. It might ask if you have read their adoption contract, and adoption terms, it might ask what kind of cage you will be using and so on. All of this info is also posted on the breeder's site telling you what is an appropriate cage and what is not ok to use. So if you are not in agreement with the breeders thoughts on caging, and if its obvious that the potential adopters has not showed enough interest in the breeder by reading their website, the breeder can make a decision on whether or not to approve adoption. In some cases the breeder may deny adoption based on these reasons.
This is where the problems set in. And people start getting mad at the breeder and in many cases they start being very rude and even threatening the breeder. They even start saying the breeder is rude and mean to them. Saying they will blog about how bad the breeder is. When in fact they gave the breeder nothing but bad feelings from the start. Never showing interest in what's on the website, never reading about the breed of animal they are applying to adopt for. Just basically acting completely entitled through the entire adoption process. And now getting mad because of the breeders decision.
Please remember that breeders are not sitting at their desk top all day emailing you. Most often the breeder has a job in real life, perhaps working 40 hours a week. So when you are emailing them they do not have all the links readily available. They are being so kind as to stop for a moment on their break at work just to email you from their phone. Because they care about you and want to provide a good experience for you. There is no need for the and I hate to say it but "aggressive douche bag attitude". It's not ok to treat people like that. Having this kind of attitude is just making the breeder feel good about their decision to deny adoption to you. A breeder can tell a lot about what kind of person you are through your reactions via email. And it is completely within their rights to deny adoption if they do not feel right about it. All of your communications with the breeder will help the breeder determine if they want to proceed with adopting to you.
Breeders work very, very hard at breeding the best pets they know how to. They spend many thousands of hours planning breeding's, having generations born, bettering them. They spend many thousands of dollars on their breeding adventure, with caging, food, vetting, toys and enrichment etc. Their amount of care and devotion to their animals is immeasurable. And they do not owe you a single thing. You always have the option of getting pets from somewhere else if they deny you.
People seem to think that they automatically just get to have the pets they want. And as mentioned before this is very untrue. Any time you contact a high end breeder of any breed of animal what do you do? Do you growl at them and snare and get upset until you get your way? Or do you read, and learn and research the breeder? When you contact the breeder you don't get to act entitled, you actually will need to impress the breeder in order in order for them to feel comfortable about adopting their precious babies to you. Its not the other way around. The breeder doesn't need to impress you at that point. You can make your decision on if you want to adopt from them by reading their website before you have even contacted them.
Breeders are different than pet shops. Breeders cannot offer a pet shop experience and here is why....
Pet shops buy animals from other sellers, in some cases the pet shop may breed with the intent to see as many as possible for a profit to benefit the store. In the case of a pet shop those animals are not a personal pet. There is no personal attachment to said pet. A pet shop will sell to anyone with the money. The more they sell the better. Hobby breeders are different. Hobby breeders own the animals, these are their personal pets and they are extremely emotionally attached to each animal. And the adopter is rigorously screened in order to impress the breeder into feeling like you're a good home. A hobby breeder won't allow their pet, that they love, to go to anyone who has the money. So the breeder is looking for the best home they can find. They are not looking for careless people who just want a fast pet. The hobby breeder worries about each pet they sent home. They worry about their well being and have a strong legitimate concern for the animals future. The pet shop most, likely will forget about the pet they sold within minutes of selling it.
There is also a difference with customer service from a pet shop vs an adoption process via a hobby breeder. Here are those differences...
A pet shop needs to make a profit, they have a large overhead and employees to pay. They will be polite to you even if you're rude to them. They need that sale. So they are going to give you good customer service no matter who you are. A hobby breeder doesn’t have the high overhead, yes they spent a lot of money on caging, food, enrichment etc, but didn't expect a return on it. They took that money out of their pocket and never asked to be repaid. They breed for the love of the animal and don't make much of a profit if any at all. In many cases they spend more money than they make or they may break even occasionally. These differences make a huge difference on customer service. Whereas the pet shops needs the sale, the breeder does not. If you are rude to a hobby breeder they will send you on your way so that you can get pets from another source. They are not a business and do not need to “customer service you all the way up”. You are the one being screened and you need to be impressing the hobby breeder. The breeder can hand pick adopters. The hobby breeder doesn't sell, they adopt out their babies. So there is a larger process of screening involved.
So be courteous to breeders, not condescending and or rude about their decisions. And most importantly read and show interest in them. That is your job in the adoption process. But act like a well mannered adult human. This person has decided to bring sweet animals into this world to make your life funner and happier. So be nice.