My Pet World: Traveling with birds whether by car or plane

Cathy M. Rosenthal, Tribune Content Agency on May 18, 2022

Dear Cathy,

I was appalled by your stance on "rescue" and "adopt" being the same thing. I have been doing adoptions of ferrets for 31 years. The organization takes in ferrets and does adoptions. If anyone were to say they "rescued" the ferret they adopted from us, they would be flogged. There is a clear delineation between rescue, adoption, and purchase. Rescue means someone took the animal from someone giving it up or that the animal was taken from the streets. Adoption means that a person has gone to a facility or to an individual that has taken the animal in and goes through a process to see if they are an acceptable candidate to adopt. They pay a fee and off they go. Purchase means the person has gone either to a breeder or a store and picks out an animal, pays for the animal, and goes home with it. Stores don't check who is purchasing the animal. Most breeders want to know something about you before selling you the animal. So, to expand the definition of any of these terms is wrong on your and anyone else's part.

– David, Oceanside, New York

Dear David,

While I agree with your definitions, I am willing to accept your public flogging because I think you are missing out on the nuance of the word and the pride it gives to adopters who simply want to be a part of their pet's story. I have worked in animal welfare for 30 years so I understand the effort required to rescue a pet from a hoarder or abusive situation. I am not trying to diminish that work. All your efforts though would be for naught if not for the person who steps up to adopt one of these pets. So, if someone says they "rescued" a pet instead of “adopted” a pet, it tells me that their mindset is on saving pets’ lives and that the animal welfare field has done a great job over this last decade connecting rescue work with adoptions.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)