Petra Dunn, of Richmond, VA., age 39, has a history of "adopting" many cats from shelters but then placing them with fosters and never following through on her obligations to provide what they need and to take them into her home. One of her fosters has been "stuck" with Petra's cats for approximately six months reportedly (I am still waiting on this person's statement). This has occured in several situations and yet Petra is still trying to adopt more cats as of present. I know of at least four cats that she recently tried to adopt but the people involved were warned about Petra and she was denied (see below for specifics). There are at least two rescue groups that have reportedly DNA'd Petra, plus it's been reported that she has been DNA'd in most of the Miami, FL. area.
Petra also has a very bad habit of offering to adopt cats and then disappearing from the cat's thread. Then, when she reappears days later, to discover that (naturally) people are upset that Petra went MIA, Petra makes a lot of excuses, gets defensive and even sounds threatening at times at the idea of anyone saying anything negative about her. The Pets On Death Row - Urgent Death Row Cats and the Friends of Shelter Cats - Cobb County, Georgia Facebook pages have banned her and I believe the MDAS cat page has as well (waiting on verification).
Steve Sninsky had a bad experience with Petra earlier this year that illustrates how irresponsible Petra is and he agreed to go on the record and share his experience with Petra. Here is his timeline of events re: this dated Aug.14, 2012.
My adventure with Petra Dunn
By Steve Sninsky
I am currently housing 3 cats and 2 kittens that were pulled from the Gaston NC shelter at the request of Petra Dunn. After multiple scheduling of appointments to pick them up, Petra consistently missed each appointment. The following is a documentation of my experience with her regarding these 5 cats:
April 20, 2012
Petra contacts me via FB asking if I could emergency foster the 3 cats and 2 kittens en route from Foster #2, who rescues from the Gaston NC shelter until April 25th. She had originally contacted Kitty Angels of CT (where I volunteer at) and asked if they could hold them until the following Tuesday/Wednesday, but they could not. Following that, she contacted me. She said she missed the rendezvous in Richmond VA with the transport (she does not know who the transport company is, only the names of the drivers (Brenda & Brian). I agree to foster them, meeting the transport at Kitty Angels.
April 20, 2012 (evening)
I meet the transport at Kitty Angels, and bring the cats to my home. Having never fostered cats before, I spend approximately $200 at PetsMart for supplies (litterboxes, litter, food, toys, bedding).
April 21, 2012
I contact Petra via FB and let her know that all the cats are safe. Also send an email explaining the physical condition of the cats, and that they will need vet care due to Gisele having diarrhea, and the kittens sneezing since their arrival. I suggest she come to CT on the weekend (April 28th/29th) instead of during the week. She responds via FB that she has to work tomorrow and that she would call me from work.
April 22, 2012
Petra responds via email, agreeing to the vet visit for Gisele and the kittens. I do not receive a phone call.
April 23, 2012
I contact Petra via email and inform her of the results of the vet visit and that the bill was $192.50 with my rescue discount included. Gisele is on Metronidazole and all three adult cats are being fed special Royal Canin high-energy food (to aid in nutrient absorption), kittens are on Amoxi-Drops for their URIs and being fed Royal Canin Kitten Growth Formula dry and wet food. Twice a day doses of Amoxi for kittens, once a day Metronidazole for the Miyu (whose name was originally Gisele), the 8 month old female tux. I inform her that Rufus and Buttercup may also need vet care if they begin to show signs of diarrhea. She responds that she is off on Sunday and can drive up on Saturday, if that works for me.
April 24, 2012
I contact Petra and inform her of a change in the cats' living arrangements (moved the kittens out of a cage and into their own separate room for more freedom of movement). No response.
April 26, 2012
I contact Petra via FB asking the status of her coming to pick up the cats since I had not heard from her in a few days.
April 27, 2012
I contact Petra again via email due to not receiving a response from my FB message, again asking about the status of her coming to pick up the cats. She responds via FB that her phone is off and some info about a doctor visit, and that she “decided to take a break from FB for a week” [RU: edited out Petra's reason as it is irrelevant here]. She states that she can come to CT on Sunday April 29th or May 5th (the following Saturday).
April 28, 2012
I respond that Sunday the 29th would be good, but if she needs until May 5th, I (reluctantly) say that will be OK, but we need to set a concrete date ( am becoming concerned about her reliability at this point). I tell her again about the vet visit for the kittens and Gisele. I ask how she is going to fit 5 cat crates in a Toyota Celica, how they will be fed and will relieve themselves during transit.
April 29, 2012
I post on Petra's wall in response to Maureen McGrath's post (she had asked how Petra is enjoying her new cats), stating that they are with me and that Petra was coming next weekend (see screenshot). Petra responds that she had written an email (that I had not received). She then sends a PM via FB, saying she has tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday off and that she has a friend with a 4-door car and “will get it sorted out”. I respond and say that she has one big crate here from the transport, but she needs more crates for the other cats.
May 1, 2012
I inform her via FB PM that Rufus and Buttercup both need to go to the vet and are scheduled for Thursday. I state that I will scan all the vet bills and email them to her. I tell her that I do not need money for the fostering, but the vet bills are climbing in cost - currently at $450, including food at this point. She responds that the vet bill is already more than she makes in 2 weeks and will bring donations, food, etc and will make arrangements to pay the bill off. She asks what is wrong with Rufus and Buttercup.
May 2, 2012
I respond saying that I don't take IOUs from strangers and expressed my confusion as to why she didn't let me know ahead of time about her financial situation and ability to cover the costs. I then tell her I could take the expenses of food off, so she would just pay for vetting & meds.
May 3, 2012
I come up with a total of $382.37 for the vet invoices (I had originally miscalculated, in that one of the invoices included some expenses I was responsible for). I tell her I am OK with her wanting to reimburse me with food donation, but I don't need $382 worth of pet food so she could pay the rest via PayPal. I ask what time she is coming on that weekend (May 5th/6th) and I recommend a place where we could meet. I tell her the results of today's vet visit and that the vet gave all 3 adult cats Profender and that they are on Metronidazole. The kittens are still sneezing a bit and are both on Amoxi-drops now, but they are otherwise healthy. I email her the vet invoices.
May 4, 2012
Petra writes via FB PM that she is working today and tomorrow and Sunday due to her boss changing her schedule. She now “surmises” that Tuesday would be “an excellent day to meet”. She apologizes for her inability to talk on the phone and says she will have a cell service tomorrow.
May 5, 2012
Petra sends a FB PM asking if Wednesday would be a good day to meet and tells me she got paid and can pay me $250-$300 and donate food for Kitty Angels (not sure why she involved Kitty Angels at this point)...dog, cat, puppy food and toys & treats. She also tells me about the friend who is traveling with her. I respond saying Wednesday afternoon would work, after 4:00 (due to my work hours). She responds saying “That sounds great to me!” and that she now has a cell phone. She also says (and this is a KEY point IMO, considering her overall conduct in rescue): That “I am not as responsible as I should be. That's really embarrassing to admit. Especially at my age. Because I know better. Sigh....”. I respond and accept her proposal (both meeting time and payment) and tell her how we can transfer the cats from my vehicle to hers with no chance of any cats escaping. I tell her I don't need dog food and ask if she can send the money via Paypal (due to my concern that she may drive up to CT and show up with “insufficient funds'). I tell her to take into account the cost of tolls and give her some ideas for a route to drive up on. I ask her about how many cats she has, and how many of these 5 cats are staying with her.
May 8, 2012
I send a FB PM and ask if we are still on for Wednesday afternoon (so I'll know if I have to go to Kitty Angels to borrow some carriers for transport to the meeting place) and ask if she is sending the money via PayPal. She responds that she doesn't have PayPal or a credit card linked online, and that she “halted all online purchasing” and that she will pay me in cash and cat food and toys. She tells me that she will be in her car (Toyota Celica) unless she can talk her girlfriend into taking her Ford (probably the 4-door car she mentioned previously). She says she will confirm which car she will be arriving in. She also sends an email telling me her phone is now on, and asks “how is tomorrow is looking for you?” She sounds excited to meet the cats and for us to meet in person, and says she is bringing me a few bags of Royal Canin, but does not have the formula I feed my cats with.
May 9, 2012
7:23AM – she informs me via text message that her Mom is insisting on her getting car repairs today when she gets off at 12:00. She cannot refuse because her Mom is paying for it (the repairs), she owes her $12K for the car already, and she could not tell her about the trip because she would “flip out”. She says she has money for the cats and would not write a check. She says she is off tomorrow but does not know if her car will be ready. She thanks me for my trouble and kindness, and says she will pay me $300. She apologizes for missing my call due to her falling asleep.
May 10, 2012
At this point I am fed up. I had rescheduled an appointment so I could meet her yesterday. I respond via text message, giving her the ultimatum that the next time she misses a pickup date, I am keeping the cats. She responds that she will send me a copy of the car repair invoice as proof (I never do end up receiving it). She goes on to say:
“4 of those cats were sponsored for me. Meaning 2 people paid adoption fees for them. I am getting the cats and paying you in cash and giving you food. The cats are mine. 2 at my work. 2 at home. And one for my niece. I will keep my next appointment. No need to threaten you will keep them. I want them and like I said 2 people sponsored them for me for a reason. I have helped save at least 80 cats from gaston and PODR since oct. I don't appreciate feeling attacked at all”
- I respond:
"I don't appreciate having to wonder IF you will show up for an appointment. How many cats you've saved since October is irrelevant. I've funded and saved a similar amount since February. Close to $15K worth of funding, vetting and transport. So what? Make good on your word to pick up THESE cats. I stand by my original statement. Not negotiable, not a threat. LAST CHANCE. I've spoken with the people who originally pulled these cats, fostered them and funded them previously. I am at work and am tuning out for now.”
I get no response.
May 14, 2012
I send her a text message saying that we need to set a date for her to pick up the cats, any day except Saturday the 19th or Memorial Day is OK (I am on animal transport duty on the 19th). I get a blank text message in response. She responds that is fine. I respond that the kitties are all doing well. She responds that “all is a go with my car” and she will “take my advice regarding the cat carriers” (I assume this means she is bringing hers).
May 17, 2012
I send a text message asking her about the date on which she is coming (asking “next week or hopefully before month end?”). She responds saying that “the 23rd/24th are both open!” and asks about the ages of my cats (so she will know what kind of Royal Canin food to bring), and says what kind of food she is bringing me, says she will bring food for Kitty Angels, and asks if there are any others I need. I tell her to check her email, since my phone battery is dying. I sent an email describing the cats age, conditions and behavior. They are all through with their meds at this point and are getting Proviable probiotic. I tell her that May 23rd/24th work for me but “PLEASE make absolutely sure you can make it on one those dates.”. I tell her I am OK with a particular formula of food for my cats (Royal Canin Adult Fit 32).
May 19, 2012
She responds with a rambling email, where at the end (after signing her name) she trails off with “I will absolutely be there! We do have Royal Canin Indoor. We have”. The message ends there, seemingly unfinished.
May 20, 2012
I respond with “I am taking that in as we are locked in for one of those dates...but which one? I need to know so I don't schedule anything on the day you are coming.” I thank her for offering to bring the food, and tell her that the last bit of her email was cut off, and ask if there was more that she meant to say. No response.
- I send a FB PM to Foster # 2 asking about her situation with Petra, and explain what I am going through with her.
May 21, 2012
Foster # 2 responds that Petra is not her friend, and that she was fostering the cats for her through Maureen McGrath, who funded the pulls and (presumably) the vetting. She also says she will “never get a cat for her”, (Petra), and that “Rescuer x still has 3 of her cats waiting on her to come and get them. She has rescues get her cats all the time and then never picks them up. She missed four or five appointments with me before the transport was scheduled.” I respond with more info about my situation, and she responds “I did not know Petra when I accepted the cats to foster, Giselle and Rufus, or accepted them from Maureen to keep them until the adopter was chosen like Buttercup. I was just being helpful. I am sorry she has done this to you. She did the same to me. Either she will show up and get them or forfeit them.”
- I send a FB PM to Rescuer x to get her side of the story and if she is having as many issues with Petra that I have recently. She confirms, and says she is way past “4 strikes”, and that she has had 4 cats of Petra's for 4 months now (and as of July 27th, still has them), and has totally given up on her coming to get them or even meeting half way.
May 22, 2012
I respond to Rescuer x in amazement that she has had the cats for 4 months. She responds saying that one is FIV positive and one is feral, but she has calmed her down a lot. She also states that “I don't believe Maureen will sponsor anymore for her after this last one with you and the other lady.
I strongly feel Petra is mentally ill. Not just her health problem that she uses as an excuse of why she hasn't done this or that. To me the best way to deal with her is not to acknowledge her on pleas for offering to take a cat for her.”
May 23, 2012
I send a text message asking what time she wanted to meet today or tomorrow.
No response.
- I send another FB PM to Foster # 2 asking for her permission to adopt out the cats if Petra doesn't show up. She responds with her acceptance and wishes me “Good luck but don't expect her to show up. She never once came when she promised me either.”
- 9:23PM I send an email:
”OK, what is the deal here? I have emailed you, I have sent you a text, and
no reply. You said you were coming on the 23rd or 24th. It is obviously safe
to assume that it will be the 24th. What time will you be at the Willington
Rest Stop? It must be between 4:00PM and 9:00PM. I have sent you information
previously on May 8th on where to meet and the best route.”
No response.
May 24, 2012
I send another text message “Still waiting for a response...”. She replies that she has been sick all week and has been out of work and been through hell. She now says she will send the money via PayPal due to her getting a Visa ATM card within the next few days, will mail bags of Royal Canin to Kitty Angels or my address. She writes “The drive is not what I can handle at this point. Too much going on.”. She sends a 2nd text message about 3 hours later saying “I am sorry steve. I don't want to burn you. I will give yo uwhat I owe. and i want those cats. i do.”.
May 25, 2012
Foster # 2 responds giving me written permission (via FB PM) to adopt the cats out, since her name was on all of the pull paperwork and she would most likely be legally considered the legal “owners” of the cats. She responded in writing in agreement, giving me permission to adopt them out. However, I decided to keep them myself instead.
Petra's lack of response to my messages seals the deal. Too many lies, no action and this is not an isolated incident. Her lack of commitment to picking up these cats as well as the ones Rescuer x is fostering was unacceptable, and everyone I had explained the situation to agreed that she was deserting them with me. I decided to stop wasting my time and accepted that the cats were “failed fosters”, and end up keeping them myself. I have spent approximately $1800 on them out of my pocket, but I do feed them the best Royal Canin foods, which are not cheap.
Note:
- Petra's location and age are based on her Facebook page information. I cannot verify the accuracy of this, it is only what she has posted about herself.
Screenshot from Steve taken from Petra's wall.
Screenshot from Petra's page where she discussed the cats she asked Steve to foster for her and explaining why she did not ever go get them as she promised she would.
Source:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=444995335518098&set=a.427856207232011.99353.100000229053133&type=3&theater
Email communication re: Knight (cat posted on Pets on Death Row - Urgent Death Row Cats) by those who were receiving warnings about Petra, discussing her vet reference check.
Cats that Petra has recently tried to adopt but was prevented from being able to do so:
Friends of Shelter Cats - Cobb County, Georgia
8-12-12, OREO
Petra posted that she wanted to adopt this cat Oreo on Aug. 12, 2012. Then when at least one person apparently criticized her she acted insulted. As of late last night, Aug. 16, Petra still had not reappeared on Petra's thread and Oreo is as of present still in need of rescue or adoption. Petra has now been banned from this page.
Death Row Cats Columbus Georgia
8-1-12 to 8-3-12, TWITCH
Petra posted that she wanted this special needs cat (he had had at least two seizures while in the AC) on Aug 1, 2012 but then disappeared from the thread for over 24 hours and by the time she returned, the page had been alerted about her history and she was denied the adoption of this cat. This cat, given the name of Twitch, was sent to Animal Haven of Hope Society and was doing well until Aug. 12th, when he had a severe seizure that he was unable to recover from. RIP sweet boy. :(
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=448927121813949&set=a.443033592403302.104717.442712515768743&type=1&theater
Pets on Death Row - Urgent Death Row Cats
7- 22-12 to 7-26-12, KNIGHT
Petra's posts are not visible since she was banned from the Pets on Death Row - Urgent Death Row Cats page but she disappeared from this cat Knight's thread after stating that she would adopt him. A PODR admin and another person involved in the page were alerted to Petra's history of not being responsible for other cats she has adopted and Petra was denied the adoption of Knight and banned from the PODR page. Knight was rescued by Anjellicle Cats Rescue.
Gaston County NC: Available Pets in Animal Control
5-16-12 to 5-22-12, Female cat in cage # A8 (no name)
Petra posted on May 16, 2012 that she wanted to adopt this cat, then disappeared for over 24 hours (5-18 at 2:08am EST to 5-19 at 7:51 am EST) then disappeared again for a long time, considering this is a kill shelter, (5-20 at 5:47pm EST to 5-22 at 7:10am EST). By this time, it was clear that Petra was not reliable and others had stepped up for her. Petra responded defensively, angrily and with excuses as is typical of her. Petra was denied her adoption request and this cat was adopted by someone else.
References:
Petra Dunn's Facebook page:
Friends of Shelter Cats - Cobb County, Georgia
Death Row Cats Columbus Georgia
Pets on Death Row - Urgent Death Row Cats
Gaston County NC: Available Pets in Animal Control
Brenda Ellis was the transport and her husband Dave, as Angel Cats should KNOW this, considering they were the transport. I NEVER attacked anyone at Gaston, or Pets on Death Row. Knight was pulled by Angelic Cats and I was told, and I have the email to prove this, that he went to a foster that specializes in behavior issues. I can see from previous attacks on others that this is quite common for some of you to do this. This will not go without legal action, this is not a threat. It is a promise.
ReplyDeletePetra, I am glad that you commented here. First of all, I would like to say that I do not believe you are a bad person who is heartless or anything of that nature. I believe that you do sincerely care about saving the lives of these cats and that you believe you are doing good by getting them out of kill shelters. While you may be technically saving their lives, you are not providing for their futures and are placing them at risk by not having a solid plan for them and honoring your obligations to them. That is NOT what real rescue is and it is grossly irresponsible. You are failing these innocent souls and it is very sad that you cannot recognize that you are merely removing these cats from one risky situation and placing them in other risky situations.
DeleteSecondly, to respond to your comment, it's irrelevent who transported the cats you are referring to or the rescues involved. This is about YOU and your behavior. Period. Screenshots will be added to the blog soon showing the sort of responses that are typical of you. This is not an attack on you at all. I understand that it must be upsetting to you but this is the time for you to be accountable for your own actions and to take responsibility for your mistakes. By all means, feel free to take whatever actions you feel are necessary but we are excercising our First Ammendment right to free speech and of the press and everything that was stated is supported by facts and evidence so it is not defamation of your character if that is what you are implying.
One other note, I have noticed that you have a lot of passion for animals and that is a wonderful thing. My personal opinion is that you might be better suited as an animal rights' activist, rather than an animal rescuer. You could do some real good for animals but your irresponsible nature would not put lives at risk. Sounds like the perfect solution to me. In case we do not hear from you again, I'd like to say that I do wish you well and I really hope that you get the help you seem to need (in my opinion) with your issues. I really do hope that you can learn how to be a great animal advocate in some way in the future.
If you feel I need help how is attacking my character going to aide in that? I have some help with my medical issues, thank you. Screen shots, ect. You are publishing what YOU want, not the entire picture. My phone calls can't be documented here in regards to the animals I tried to rescue. My responses from whatever threads you have will stand. You are attacking me, and you've done it to others as I've seen. You post what your side of the situation, not the entire situation. And I have my proof to back that up as well. I have NEVER harmed one animal. I am not an abusive person, towards animals, or humans. I don't get my kicks going after people that disappear from threads, repeatedly, or don't honor pledges. I expect to see more of this in the future. I have accepted my responsibility in contacting the fosters telling them I could NOT come. I will continue to respond, absolutely. I am an animal rights activist, I have been since I was preteen. Please don't be condescending and wish for me to get help. I am doing fine with the help I need. I am not a sociopath, not a stalker, and I am not mentally ill. I am shocked that anyone can post anything they want, true, or not and post it on a search engine and defame that person's character. So, it's guilty until proven innocent. That harms everyone.
ReplyDeletePetra, no one accused you of being an animal abuser or said that you are a sociopath (believe me, we know how they operate). I don't even think you are a bad person. I just think that you are trying to help in ways that you can't really pull off and endangering the animals you want to help in the process. You need to recognize the limits of what you can do to help animals and what you are not able to do. You cannot help get animals out of the shelter and then abandon them with fosters who only agreed to help out temporarily. It's not fair to the animals or the fosters. And if you do so anyway, we and others have the right to report it in the interest of helping the animals and/or protecting other animals in the future.
DeleteWe never made any personal attacks against you and we have nothing against you on a personal level. I know you are (or were) upset that we posted this but we did not do so to hurt you and I am sorry if you feel it has damaged you in any way. We just want to help keep animals safe and it did not seem that you were trying to be more responsible on your own. I hope that since this was published you have found ways to be the passionate and amazing animal advocate that I know you have the potential to be. I really do wish you well and we won't post anything further against you unless you give us a reason to do so.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI will take your advice and stick to activism and not rescue. Because clearly I caused a messed, though unintentional, I would not harm any animal. It is too much for me to take on in the position that I am in. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear it Petra and I don't believe you would intentionally harm any animal. I am sure you can be a wonderful asset to animals as an activist and I look forward to seeing you helping animals in this way in the future. Best wishes to you!
Deleteyes I find this also a social murder of character as well .. I do not know Petra aside from where I run across her efforts to save animals .. have not had any other than light conversation with her on those issues ... do not have an agenda other than to get animals out of harms way ... I admit it would be an inconvenience to me if I did what some of the above did on behalf of her requests but I would certainly be at ease knowing that the animals themselves are out of harms way ... I do not know what is true or not ... I am disappointed with the animal rescue scene as a whole ... too much infighting , too much ego ... and far too much fraternizing with the enemy which to my mind will always be animal control ... I applaud a release of a captive animal to safety under ANY conditions ..... I am sorry for anyone who is out money or time but to me you are also a hero for your trust in the process ...though it may have failed you personal expectations, you are part of a great save ... I would be forced to get over my disappointment in a fellow rescuer as soon as possible ... I believe that the hardship we incur by our generosity in saving a life of an animal may be part of the deal we have to go through to get freedom for the innocent animal in captivity and a spiritual reprieve for ourselves ... if you can't take that risk get out of the game because you are in it for the wrong reason. this is not for hobbyists in my opinion .... we are playing on a field of life and death ... i choose to raise money for those who are doing what I can't ... I have a 501 c 3 that raises money for other animal activists that are having financial problems, but me myself , I can not afford to do what the above complainants have done .... but that being said all parties have saved lives ... I wouldn't stop that process at any expense ... I can find no fault anywhere to that end ... I can also say I understand the human element but we got no shortage of complaints when it comes to what we think is ours that has been lost ... that to me is moot when an animal is saved .... I do offer an opinion that somehow this needs to be prevented in the future ... but if an animals safety is in question I do believe that any loss we incur financially is well worth it ... I myself would focus on breaking down a system that is killing, murdering healthy and treatable animals that are not under our jurisdiction ... they belong to something we can not comprehend ... a power that will also allow us to receive mercy in our time of captivity, whatever that will be .... too much me and mine ... save something besides yourself and you actually save yourself .... the money isn't yours either ... but that is another story and another philosophy ... all I know is there are animals out of harms way because of the efforts of this Petra ... too bad for the inconvenience ... hopefully she will have and easier time of it in the future ...
ReplyDeleteHi Tony! Thank you for your input here and I'm sorry I didn't reply back when you posted this. I will say that I agree with some of what you stated, especially the part about the problems with rescue. However, our position is that only responsible rescue truly helps to save animals. I've seen far too many times that irresponsible rescue places animals in danger and prolongs or causes a great deal of animal suffering and even death, and there are much worse fates than dying in a shelter (although I hate that animals die in our shelters every day). Rescuers who endanger animals or use them for their own personal gain need to be stopped and responsible rescuers need our support. We cannot just give people who makes mistakes with animal lives a free pass - the animals deserve a hell of a lot better than that.
DeleteAs far as Petra, her desire to help and her intentions may have been very good but she still failed to rescue animals responsibly. I believe that she recognizes that and hopefully if she ever attempts to help rescue animals in the future, she will have the resources she needs in order to do so in a way that puts them in loving homes with forever families.
Petra – Thank you for considering a role in activism. I apologize if I caused you any stress or problems with my reaction to them to this unusual chain of events. I don't believe for a second that it was your intent to harm these cats (or any of the others), but rather that these events were rescue attempts that had simply gotten out of hand, which is what we were hoping to prevent recurrences of.
ReplyDeleteI respect your passion for the animals, as well as the fact that you looked inward and resolved what role you feel is best suited to you in the animal world. It must have been a difficult decision to make, but I am confident that you will do well in an activism role and I wish you good luck in that endeavor. Despite my tone in previous messages, I hold no grudge against you or harbor any anger over what happened. It's time to re-focus on what I got involved in in the first place.
I hope it will ease your mind to know the cats are, and always will be safe and well-cared in their forever home. I have chosen to keep them rather than adopt them out. They are all acclimated to their environment now, and to rehome them again would cause them stress that they do not need.
Best regards,
Steve
I do hope you post my response. I do hope you are, "watching" my facebook, or have others doing so for you. I do have something to add that I failed to include this morning. My job, as in- where I work- is based on animal adoption so...I won't be, "leaving rescue" exactly, nor will I stop volunteering at the TNR clinics. I don't recall saying Steve said anything malicious about me either. Post the comments that are written, not just the ones you want spotlighted. There hasn't been any cussing by me on this blog, nor have I even been rude. "Rescue Under Cover", you don't know me, or even what's typical of me. You aren't a mental health professional are you? And you probably shouldn't tell me how to react when people criticize me. I decide how to react. Maybe you need fashion advise? But, I'll refrain because I'm not the boss of you, nor are you the boss of me. Finally, I do have, clearly noted a thyroid disease. Hashimotos. It does cause many problems. Me "disappearing" from threads were days that I was sick. And I can not sign on every day anyway. These are facts, not excuses. And once again, I never disappeared from Knight's page. I would like for you to understand exactly what this blog has done to me personally. When I first read it I felt like I was a criminal. That my entire reputation was ruined. That becoming a vet tech would never happen. I accepted my bad decisions, hasty, mistakes, bad attitude at times, ect. I am responsible for my actions, good and bad. I have been an accountable person when it comes to faults. I cried a lot for the first 2 weeks. And felt like all of the cross posting, getting 2 cats from Gaston that were on the euth list in Nov, asking for pledges for cats, begging people to adopt or foster had all been erased. It hit me very hard and depression quickly followed, which is typical with my thyroid disease. I never would have imagined seeing my name on the internet with DO NOT ADOPT/DO NOT RESCUE in the same link. I have been an activist for so long that I don't know how to describe myself without including it. Because it is what I chose as a child, it is part of who I am. Rescue is activism. I am not going to become someone I'm not. Your tone towards me has been more negative and judgmental than is necessary. You seem to excel at talking down and abrasively when you pointed out I seemed hostile at times on threads. Emotions are in high gear on threads. I am guilty of comments that were angry at times. Since the post of your blog I have not cross posted or even signed on to Facebook. I am sure there are others who took my place. I have not been banned from Miami Dade. I didn't fax the application back fast enough in- Dec 2010 and that cat went to someone else. Before you add any more information about me, make sure they are facts. And not hearsay. Or an opinion. And I don't feel I can benefit from any of your flawless advice on the perfect way to save animals or how I should react to any situation. You've spent the time to create this page about me, so please give me the respect to respond and have my responses public as well. You felt the need to detail my name and what involvement I've had in rescue. I hope you've achieved your goal. And that it was worth your time, and that you effectively whether intentional or not, felt like I was a menace to the animal world, more than a proponent. I will never forget the feeling of that complete disconnect, shock, and hurt. I don't feel I deserved any of this humiliation and attack on my character, integrity, or sincerity. Thank you.
ReplyDeletePetra, I did not reply to this when you posted it because it just wasn't worth the effort at that time. You were clearly angry and I wasn't sure how to help you feel better. I hope that you feel less angry about the situation now and that you are doing well and have found ways to help animals responsibly. I am truly sorry that you feel this post has damaged you or hurt your goals for yourself in any way. It was never our intention to hurt you or make you feel like you described above and I do understand, but to be fair we never tried to portray you as a monster in any way... only as a person who made mistakes and needed to be much more responsible. I don't think you are a bad person or that you would ever intentionally hurt any animal. We had to do what we felt was the right thing for the sake of the animals you were trying to help. I hope you understand and realize that none of this was personal. Like you, we love animals and are advocating for them the best way we know how.
DeleteI just want to say that petra doesnt deserve character attacks and shes very respected and has done alot to save lives...noone is perfect we all screw up at times myself included...this is real life...as much you can plan and prepare stuff happens to throw you off track i know from my own experience thats why ive been on break for over a year from active rescue..im broke from what ive spent but lives are saved yeh its great but now i need to focus on me.
ReplyDeleteWhat im sayin here point wise is rescue is teamwork support help........i agree very much with tony who is a very respected person...too much ego on here and too many are losing focus in the name of defamination. Lets pull it together and focus on those who rescue and sell to labs? Rescue and use as a profit margin? Rescue and displacement...thats all i wanted to say.
Hi Anonymous and thank you for your comment. I don't believe that we have attacked Petra's character, in fact we have posted several positive things about her here. We only reported the facts about what happened with animals she was involved in helping to save from shelters. She made mistakes and has acknowledged this herself and I agree that we all do so. Hopefully Petra can find a way to help animals responsibly and can work with others who are also responsible, whether it is with rescue or activism or in some other way. Yes, there are also other very important issues that we need to get involved in but that does not mean that any of us should overlook when a rescuer is placing animals in risky situations or endangering them in some way.
DeletePlease take this page and posting down. It's years old and not relevant anymore. It unfortunately still haunts Petra and has caused her much pain. I think there has been enough suffering and there is no need to have a permanent page that continues to humiliate and bully her.
ReplyDeleteHi Jewels! Thank you for your comment. I disagree, this post is still relevant because it reports the facts of what happened at that time. I am sorry to hear that Petra feels hurt by this, it certainly wasn't anything personal against her. Our goal is to help protect animals from those who may pose a risk to them, not to cause anyone suffering. I don't know if we would ever consider removing this post, but anything is possible. We are all responsible for our mistakes, and we all make them, but it is how we are accountable and whether or not we are willing to change for the better that matters most.
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