This is why and how I, Tiffany, got labelled a bitch in rescue.
The following are a list of rescues who have issues with me, along with the REAL reason why they do. Boring uninteresting reasons, unfortunately not the hyped up version most people hear.
Flicks cat
rescue and adoption –
I do not know what flicks cat rescue and adoption is like
today. My experience comes from a few years ago. While the same people who
caused the issues are still in control of flicks I have made an effort to have
nothing to do with any of them, I have not enquired, nor do I ever desire to
speak to these people again.
Some of you may remember two years ago there was a massive
expose on flicks, it was on the news and was a focus of the council and RSPCA.
I had been a foster carer for a few months at this point, I was very naïve and
followed Felicities word blindly. I backed her up and defended her. This was
until I too was burnt by her.
I started looking at the proof for what it was. Those
‘working bee’ days where we would literally
scrub shit off walls and move sick cats to other houses… that was not just
because it had to be done, it was because she had a tip off the RSPCA was
coming. Flicks right hand woman was working at the RSPCA. The cats were left
for days at a time without water and food, locked in dog crates… 5-6 adults to
a cage. Donations of science diet and other expensive brands were used for her
8 cats and the sick rescues got home brand food. When ‘shit hit the fan’ and
people started standing up against flick she did back down and ‘resign’. 6
months later she was back in charge. There is A LOT more to the Flick saga but
I don’t feel it necessary as this is only an overview.
A lot of the other bad workers dispersed into other rescues.
Those who stood up against flick were targets of smear campaigns. That is how i
got my ‘bad reputation’. I was one of the people to ‘out’ flick as what she
really was. Since then I have been threatened with law suits and physical acts
of violence. No doubt this will start again once I make this public.
Paws and
Claws –
Paws and Claws do a great job with rehoming rates, I
encourage people do adopt from all rescues including this one. However I have a
personal issue with the way they lie and publicly rally against small
independent rescues giving them bad names.
The free cat giveaway saga.
Myself and a few other people had attended a meeting for an
organisation to discuss ways to raise money to help people desex their cats. In
this closed meeting Paws and Claws Free cat adoptions came up. We discussed the
pros and cons of the whole situation. I was upfront in being against it with
the monopolisation of the rescue industry, the ‘research’ behind the idea being
one small American town, flaws in the process, the secretiveness of the fact these
cats along with kittens were free from RSPCA and fully vetted yet ONLY the
older ones were free from paws and claws. The list goes on to the discussion we
had. No one was planning to take any action on this discussion, it was merely a
bunch of animal advocates and rescue workers discussing news in the rescue
industry. We even agreed it was great the animals were finding homes, but
discussed the negativity that came with it. We also discussed the election and
what politicians we could talk to and what things we would fight for. But none
of that was brought up again.
One woman named heather took it upon herself to tell Miriam
who owns Paws and Claws that Bauhas Mission was planning to ‘bring her down’. I
was informed by multiple people about this rumour that was spreading like
wildfire. Multiple other people were accused of the same thing. I chose to
publically announce this was UNTRUE! While I disagree with the method it was no
reason to try to ‘take down’ a rescue. I asked Miriam to make a formal apology as
it was unfair I was being accused of something so awful. Instead this turned
into a mud slinging match and I was targeted by Miriam’s supporters and
friends. I do not lay down to bullies, unfortunately this is my undoing. While
other people sucked up to Miriam and friends, I refused to, I refuse to allow
someone to stand over me to change my opinion.
Because I stand up for myself and my beliefs I was seen as a
target. This is why Paws and Claws hate me.
NEW issue
– ‘gracie and her pups’, I was aware of the issue from the start, I did not
want to get into it but after the owner of the small rescue begged me to help I
shared their plight. Paws and Claws lied to the public, shaming the small
rescue on not taking grace and for holding the puppies after they requested
they be re-united. The entire situation of this dog and her puppies was a sad
one, but it was used and abused by paws and claws, one of their supporters in
boxed me telling me they will say and do whatever they have to to get their
way… I hate liars, to lie is one of the most low acts you can do. The small
rescue was absolutely distraught their name was being smeared by such a large
organisation, when they had done nothing wrong.
I did not interject in any of this, I simply shared the
small rescues appeal for honesty. This was seen as an attack on the larger
organisation and they are not happy = TOO BAD! If you were honest from the
start there never would have been an issue.
Conversation between myself and the person pushing paws and
claws lies on social media. I inboxed asking for the truth as I was sick of
constant lies. Im accused of ‘being up to something’, go figure.
Figure 1 reply to me asking whats going on and who did what
/////Figure 2 confronting her with a screenshot of the truth
Screen shot of what ACTUALLY happened.
‘donna lindsay’ justifying the lies with the death of an
animal
Hope for
Life –
I will be upfront and honest, I have never liked Megan who
runs this rescue. She was originally a supporter of mine who offered to help
foster for me. I got an inbox from a foster carer from another rescue (who I
will not name as they are a great rescue) letting me know she had been banned
from fostering for them, and tends to give back the animals once the novelty wears
off, once the kittens are older, when it all gets too hard. Obviously this was
not the reason I disliked her, I just used this information to not use her as a
carer.
Fast forward a few months and she asked me to help advertise
some semi feral kittens she had, I agreed on the terms she show me the desexing
certificate as I would only advertise animals who had been desexed. She refused
saying her vet didn’t give out certificates. This made me suspicious and I
refused to help her advertise.
A few weeks later she decided to open her own rescue ‘Hope
for Life’. It was about this time she won auction items from me, as she lived
so far away I dropped the items off at kay Boyd’s house, a mutual acquaintance
of ours. It was about this time the two struck up a sort of friendship, kay
befriended her because, in her own words, keep friends close and enemies closer.
Not long after the rescue was born I found out she had been
using an unlicensed back yard vet from overseas. She had been planning to get
this backyard vet to amputate a cats back leg. Myself and Kay put a halt to
this and told her to go to Elizabeth park vet as no matter how cheap this back
yard vet was it was not ok to risk an animals life like that. Thankfully
Elizabeth park agreed to assist her.
The following are dot points on why I grew to not trust Megan.
I never had a good feeling about her, I asked kay as well as other rescue
workers how they felt and 100% felt something was not right.
- -
Public call out for foster carers and agreeing
to using them with no contract, no house check, no yard check, no knowledge of
the person. Getting them to pick up the animal and care for it without knowing
anything about them.
- -
Back yard vet doing LOTS of desexing operations
on dogs and cats as well as other surgeries.
- -
Adopting a puppy out by having a person come to
her house, meeting them in the driveway with the dog, handing the dog over and
getting the cash. A meet and greet in a driveway is NOT the right way to do
things
- -
Early adoptions, allowing kittens to leave at 6
or so weeks without any vet work being done, in hope the person will bring them
back later.
- -
Not microchipping or vaccinations, its pretty
much standard guidelines to make sure a puppy or kitten has its first
vaccination, desexed and microchipped before leaving. She now has this as
‘options’. Her excuse of not doing this prior is to keep costs low.
The most recent issue is the young dog Megan took in. A
friend of mine (who is more like family) asked me to assist in finding someone
to help save a dog, he was emaciated and had an abscess on its ear/cheek from a
bite/sore. They knew his chance would not be good at the council because of his
state. They offered to pay for his vet work if they could help him. I asked
multiple rescues but Megan insisted on helping. I took Kays word that Megan had
‘changed’ and would do the best by him.
Megan took the dog, promising the finder that:
-she had a foster carer ready to go
-she would NOT surrender him to the council but advise them
on the found dog, she would look for the owners and if no one stepped forward
would desex and rehome like she did with multiple other dogs she had taken in
similar circumstances.
That night I was at the vet and saw her and the dog, he was
a bouncy playful boy, no training but good temperament. He was playfully
barking and megan was sitting on the floor cuddling him and kissing his face. i
asked if he was good with dogs, she said he was great with her puppy. I asked
if she had a foster carer, she said yes. I then overheard her speaking to her
friend that she ‘couldn’t be bothered waiting to take the dog to the foster
carer’.
When I got home from the vet I got a phone call from my
friend, Megan had surrendered the dog to the council pound. Stating he was
severely dog aggressive and she had no choice.
Megan later told me she had every intention of taking him to
council in the first place.
My issue is not with taking an
animal to council, my issue is not with removing a dangerous dog from society.
My issue is that Megan lied. Over the next few days the lies changed and
twisted. She could not tell the truth to save her life.
In my opinion on the half hour I spent in the waiting room
with the dog he was NOT dog aggressive, he was a playful pup. In my opinion she
not only lied to my friend’s family but also to me and the public. While
claiming she would not take him to council she later admitted she had every
intention on doing so.
Over a week later and my friend cannot get a straight answer
from her to what happened to the dog. The council protocol is to have the dog
for a maximum of 2 days. It then gets taken to AWL. Aggressive dogs get
euthanized on arrival. Megan stated she had phoned the Salisbury council every
day. Yet Monday said it was not her who phoned but a lady from Lost Dogs of
Adelaide so she would have to ask her what happened to him. Kay informed me she
knew people who worked there and as she ‘wasn’t just some member of the public’
she would be able to decide if she wanted him after the hold period was up.
Ironically megan had a dog ‘surrendered’ to her on Monday,
near identical to the one my friend found. Great with people and fantastic with
dogs. But she swears its not the same dog because the one that was found was
‘aggressive’.
I do not know the truth of what happened and both Megan and
Kay refuse to tell anyone any information. From this I have learnt to go with
my gut instinct.
Kay Boyd
and Crazy Kays Creations –
I do not have any issue with the rescue, she does a
wonderful job by the animals.
My issues arose when I phoned kay asking what the ****
happened to the dog, as I knew after the vet visit megan would head to kays
house. Without meeting the dog Kay supported the choice to surrender him to
council for aggressive behaviour. My issue is with the fact she supported Megan’s
choice to lie.
I later found out Kay is in fact in debt to Megan, hence her
support of Megan in everything she does even down to back yard vets and lying
to the public. My main issue lays with the conversation via Facebook after
where kay laid the blame on my friend and her family, accusing them of
neglecting the animal… even though they sought help and offered financial
assistance. It is apparent she is so caught up with protecting a friendship
that honesty is being neglected.
I decided to cease my friendship with Kay as a result of
this. Under no circumstance should someone claiming to be an advocate for
animals EVER put a human’s ego before that of an animal. I lost respect when
she backed up a lie and blamed the people who asked for help.
Bettys
place – Elizabeth / Kerry Mckinnon
Now, this ‘rescue’ is quite small and unheard of. This woman
was a supporter of my mission and I quite enjoyed the updates of ‘bettys
place’. This was until I realised that the 14-20 cats, 3 dogs, chickens, birds
ect were not up for adoption or fosters but her pets. Now, that’s wonderful,
good on her for rescuing these babies and giving them a home. My issue came
with glossing over the fact they were her pets, while soliciting monetary
donations as well as asking for help with vaccinations, desexings, food and
litter.
I have NO issue with someone needing help, my issue lies in
the fact this woman gets money from every which way, people think they are
helping animals looking for homes when they aren’t. Kerry did NOT like the fact
I pointed this out, OOOOH NO! instead she took to her facebook page (seems to
be a trend here) saying im a trouble making little cow… all for asking her to
tell the truth?
causing trouble with other rescues
pointing out my PRIVATE health issues...lovely
fooling people into donating money
Since then this woman regularly sends abusive messages and
reports my mission as well as personal facebook. At 38 she seems quite obsessed
with me. She claims a massive police report is filed against me, in the same
paragraph as saying she is going to start more rumours about me… class.
Now I add this woman to the list as she thrives on drama,
she loves it! Its like oxygen to her. As a result she has made close friends
with people like Megan, bonding over hatred of people who tell the truth. Kerry
has a history of actively causing trouble in the rescue community (shown
above).
CONCLUSION
So why have I put this all in writing? Because im sick and
tired of being told ‘I heard you’re a trouble maker’ or ‘you have a bad
reputation’. If YOU hear this, send this to the person who made the comment. Do
they actually know WHY I have a bad reputation? It’s easy in this day and age
for rumours to start, facebook allows gutless people to be keyboard warriors. I
will never be sorry for standing up for what I believe in, I will never be
sorry for not allowing people to walk all over me. I was not put on this earth
to allow others to manipulate me.
This is what I got the other day, because I lost my shit
over Megan lying and putting a dog at risk. Suzanne is pissed off as im ‘making
small rescues look bad and people lose faith’. Well you know what? Rescue is
bad, rescue is bitchy, like every industry in this world there are assholes.
People are sick of my ‘naming and shaming’, I have an easy solution:
STOP lying, STOP
spreading rumours and do it FOR THE ANIMALS!
Rescue doesn’t HAVE to be full of bitches, but because they
constantly get away with being assholes without anyone standing up to them they
continue it. Its easy to say ‘you better not, it doesn’t look good’ but
sometimes it takes someone who doesn’t give a shit about their ‘look’ and
instead cares more about integrity to make a change.
With the opinion im bitchy and always running people down,
WHY am I doing this? 1 - because I see injustice or 2 – an animal’s life is at
risk. Yes It would be easier to do what most people do (bitch behind peoples
backs and spread rumours so it doesn’t look bad on them), but that’s not right
is it?
I was taught lying was the worst a person can do without
physical harm. It truly baffles me to see people lie with such ease, who are
comfortable with causing havoc for the hell of it.
I have no issue with being hated for what I have done, I
stand by what I have done, but DO NOT lie about what I have done. That’s why I
have written this, if you hate me for the above, go ahead. I’m fine with that
as I’m comfortable with my actions. But accuse me of something I didn’t do and
I will call you out on it.
Something about me that is good to know, I don’t care what
others think of me, I don’t care about opinions on what I do. I just HATE lies
and I HATE people saying ‘I stand up for injustice’ when all they do is hide
the truth so It looks all rosey to the public and wider community.
So I hope this clears up some rumors about who I am and what
I stand for, I am strong headed and passionate. I will speak for the voiceless
and the under dog and I will not stand by and watch someone lie to look better
or cover their ass.
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