Michael Waugh really does have a wife

From the desk of Chairity Waugh:

While I have, to this point, resisted Michael's incessant pressure to post blog entries, but Animal Planet's new show "North Shore Animal Rescue" has accomplished what Michael has been unable to accomplish: me making a Waughblog post. Let me begin by explaining that I am a devoted animal rights activist and have volunteered for several animal rescue organizations over the years.

Now for reason I am posting: North Shore Animal League (NSAL). NSAL is one of the largest animal adoption centers in the country, but after seeing the new show about NSAL, I am so livid with their policies that I have decided to use the Waughblog to share my anger with the two people who actually read this blog.

You may be wondering what NSAL policy has upset me so much (or you may not be), but regardless I will tell you. NSAL does not have an adoption return policy, which means that if you adopt an animal from the League and decide that you cannot keep the animal, NSAL does not automatically accept the animal back into the shelter. This means that animals who are no longer wanted in their adoptive homes will face some pretty harsh future possibilities, including abandonment, over-crowded city animal controls, unsuitable new homes, abuse and/or neglect.

By refusing to automatically re-accept animals it has already adopted out, the League is able to keep it's "no-kill" facade, but it is being negligent toward animals it has agreed to help; animals for whom it has failed to find suitable permanent homes who are returned to the league with problems that would make the animal difficult to re-home. In all the animal shelters for which I have volunteered and, I would argue, in all reputable animal shelters, there is an agreement on the part of the shelter to accept any animal that has been adopted out to a home and whose new home wants to return the animal.

Even Michael and I, in our private animal rescue endeavors, always make it clear that will take back the animal at any time if the adoption is not working out. Remember Papa . We took him back three times before he finally found his permanent home, and if that home doesn't work out, we will take him back again.

Shame on you, North Shore Animal League, for not fully committing to the animals who need your help. I encourage all two of the viewers of this site to only patronize animal rescue organizations that make a lifetime commitment to the animals they rescue.

-Chairity Waugh