Special Snowflake Stories

[wolfie]

When I was in my early teens, I remember "saving" a wild baby bird.  That was over 40 years ago.  I was a great animal lover and I thought I was saving the baby bird's life.  It lived for a couple weeks, then died.  Now I know there are wild bird rescues and I would turn to one of them instead of trying to do it myself.  I recognize that, for all my love of animals, I am not qualified to care for a wild young 'un.

Now I won't even pet feral cats or feed any creature I do not shelter.  I am strongly opposed to feral cat colony caretakers and people who throw stale bread in the canal to feed the fish.  I have learned not to *enlighten* strangers who don't see the harm, so I'm not as obnoxious as I used to be.

There are plenty of domestic animals in need of good homes.  Leave the wild animals alone or let the professionals take over.

[stepping off my soapbox now]

I must admit to some confusion at the bolded statement. As far as I am aware 'the professionals' are all strongly supportive of feral cat colony caretakers. If you just mean that you're opposed to people who feed ferals without any attempt at TNR, then I can understand your reaction more. But then I wouldn't refer to those people as feral cat colony caretakers, either.

We'd do more TNR, if it weren't for the fact that we have to use our carrier, and transport the animal ourselves.  The last time we did that, it took days to get the urine smell out of the minivan (frightened animals tend to lose their ****.)

That is why we started using an old shower curtain/blanket. It soaks into the blanket and the shower curtain is under to to make sure any "overflow" doesn't stay in the car.

[Midnight Kitty]

Let's drop the feral cat discussion.  I PM'd the posters who questioned me.  I don't want this thread derailed into a discussion of feral cats.  That is why I will not post any more on the subject.  Anyone who wants to discuss the etiquette of feeding feral cats is welcome to start a thread or PM me.

I'm sorry I said anything.  It was just to illustrate that I no longer *help* wild animals.

Back to the SSs please

[CrochetFanatic]

This morning, I went to a gas station/convenience store for some coffee and half-n-half.  I encountered two Special Snowflakes there.  The first one was ahead of me when I was in line, and the cashier had to switch from one register to another.  There are four registers in sort of a kiosk-type structure near the two sets of doors (one on the left front of the store, and one on the right front of the store).  When the cashier switched registers it was from one side to the other, and the man ahead of me groused loudly, "Great, now I'll have to go around to get to the door..."  I assume he was parked on that side of the store, and was annoyed that he couldn't make a straight shot to his car.  Pardon me while I shed a tear of sympathy.    The cashier acted like she hadn't heard him, but her face turned red.

The second one was when I was in my car and leaving the parking lot.  I had to stop as someone crossed in front of me.  I would have stopped for him in any case, but he just sauntered out into the parking lot with his coffee without looking, and headed for the fuel pumps.  And then he made eye contact with me and walked veeeeeery slooooooooooowly.  The vibe I got from him was, 'I'll go at my own pace, and you will wait for me.'  Yeah, I will.  And I'll also mock you in my head, sir. 

[Kimblee]

I'm not so sure about these, but...

There's a petition site I keep track of, mostly curiosity.  The site is mostly about trying to change human rights/criminal acts etc., and a few cases have been honestly needed, and at least one of them has pressured the arrest of a criminal suspect.

However...

More and more of the petitions coming out of it sound less Human Rights, and more Snowflakey.

There was one fairly recently where a petition was going around because the local Game department was trying to fine them for keeping a deer.

According to them, they had found the young fawn along the road and it was horribly injured, so they kept it in their house to nurse it back to health.  The Game board found out about this and issued them with a fine for illegally owning a wild creature without permit, and I think the board must be right.  They, however, spinned a yarn into a sobstory of how the board was mean and how the animal would've died without them and they put up a petition asking people to sign so the board would back off.

Personally, I think the couple were snowflakey for taking in a severely wild animal and trying to care for it themselves and complaining when they got caught, versus taking it to a local vet or BLM, where it could receive proper care from people who were licensed to handle these kind of situations.  I know my local vet had plenty of injured, wild animals he's taken care of, a red tailed hawn and a bobcat included, who were later released back in the wild.

Weirdly, I know a family who took in an injured fawn. They did take it to a vet and it lost a leg, after they paid up the bill they called the game department (warden?) and told them about it, asking if they could pay a fee or something to keep the animal, since a three legged deer might not do well back in the woods.

They got a permit to keep it provided they had it horn buds removed. (No idea why) They just renew their permit once a year and they rave about how fair the game department is.

[Reika]

They got a permit to keep it provided they had it horn buds removed. (No idea why) They just renew their permit once a year and they rave about how fair the game department is.

Probably so they don't run the risk of getting gored once the horns are out.

[HoneyBee42]

The DNR had actually sent someone to kill the fawn, but the fawn was back in the wild so they chose to pursue the couple (the husband was a police officer and if there was an issue really should have known).

The state of Indiana ended up dropping the case.With the uproar in this circumstance, imagine what social media would have had to say if the DNR had managed to kill the deer...which was all healed up and showed no signs of illness.

Yeah, if it's the same story, the fawn made it back into the wild awfully conveniently before DNR arrived.

I have no sympathy.  I've killed Bambi once (driving ... $2200 damage but fortunately I wasn't hurt).  Those things are just rats with hooves, and getting one that is too used to humans and then letting it go is just *asking* for someone else to encounter the darn critter with *their* car.

[Diane AKA Traska]

I'm not so sure about these, but...

There's a petition site I keep track of, mostly curiosity.  The site is mostly about trying to change human rights/criminal acts etc., and a few cases have been honestly needed, and at least one of them has pressured the arrest of a criminal suspect.

However...

More and more of the petitions coming out of it sound less Human Rights, and more Snowflakey.

There was one fairly recently where a petition was going around because the local Game department was trying to fine them for keeping a deer.

According to them, they had found the young fawn along the road and it was horribly injured, so they kept it in their house to nurse it back to health.  The Game board found out about this and issued them with a fine for illegally owning a wild creature without permit, and I think the board must be right.  They, however, spinned a yarn into a sobstory of how the board was mean and how the animal would've died without them and they put up a petition asking people to sign so the board would back off.

Personally, I think the couple were snowflakey for taking in a severely wild animal and trying to care for it themselves and complaining when they got caught, versus taking it to a local vet or BLM, where it could receive proper care from people who were licensed to handle these kind of situations.  I know my local vet had plenty of injured, wild animals he's taken care of, a red tailed hawn and a bobcat included, who were later released back in the wild.

Weirdly, I know a family who took in an injured fawn. They did take it to a vet and it lost a leg, after they paid up the bill they called the game department (warden?) and told them about it, asking if they could pay a fee or something to keep the animal, since a three legged deer might not do well back in the woods.

They got a permit to keep it provided they had it horn buds removed. (No idea why) They just renew their permit once a year and they rave about how fair the game department is.

EvilTraska would have relished the chance at a good venison leg that night.

Come to think of it..

[Diane AKA Traska]

The DNR had actually sent someone to kill the fawn, but the fawn was back in the wild so they chose to pursue the couple (the husband was a police officer and if there was an issue really should have known).

The state of Indiana ended up dropping the case.With the uproar in this circumstance, imagine what social media would have had to say if the DNR had managed to kill the deer...which was all healed up and showed no signs of illness.

Yeah, if it's the same story, the fawn made it back into the wild awfully conveniently before DNR arrived.

I have no sympathy.  I've killed Bambi once (driving ... $2200 damage but fortunately I wasn't hurt).  Those things are just rats with hooves, and getting one that is too used to humans and then letting it go is just *asking* for someone else to encounter the darn critter with *their* car.

That is completely, utterly untrue.

Rat doesn't taste nearly as good.   

[wheeitsme]

A fellow in the northern part of our province (New Brunswick) was killed by one of his penned deer a couple of years ago.  Who knew a white-tailed deer could do that?

The only animal to have killed a human in Yosemite Valley is a deer.  Their hooves are razor sharp. 

[snowdragon]

The DNR had actually sent someone to kill the fawn, but the fawn was back in the wild so they chose to pursue the couple (the husband was a police officer and if there was an issue really should have known).

The state of Indiana ended up dropping the case.With the uproar in this circumstance, imagine what social media would have had to say if the DNR had managed to kill the deer...which was all healed up and showed no signs of illness.

Yeah, if it's the same story, the fawn made it back into the wild awfully conveniently before DNR arrived.

I have no sympathy.  I've killed Bambi once (driving ... $2200 damage but fortunately I wasn't hurt).  Those things are just rats with hooves, and getting one that is too used to humans and then letting it go is just *asking* for someone else to encounter the darn critter with *their* car.

That is completely, utterly untrue.

Rat doesn't taste nearly as good.   

I was just thinking it's a new entry into the rat scale

rat

rat with bushy tail ( squirrel)

big rat with prehensile tails ( 'possum)

rat with fluffy tail and wiggly nose ( rabbit)

rat with wings ( pigeon)

rat with bandit's mask ( raccoon)

ect.


but you're right rats do not taste as good as Bambi. 

[VorFemme]

The DNR had actually sent someone to kill the fawn, but the fawn was back in the wild so they chose to pursue the couple (the husband was a police officer and if there was an issue really should have known).

The state of Indiana ended up dropping the case.With the uproar in this circumstance, imagine what social media would have had to say if the DNR had managed to kill the deer...which was all healed up and showed no signs of illness.

Yeah, if it's the same story, the fawn made it back into the wild awfully conveniently before DNR arrived.

I have no sympathy.  I've killed Bambi once (driving ... $2200 damage but fortunately I wasn't hurt).  Those things are just rats with hooves, and getting one that is too used to humans and then letting it go is just *asking* for someone else to encounter the darn critter with *their* car.

That is completely, utterly untrue.

Rat doesn't taste nearly as good.   

I was just thinking it's a new entry into the rat scale

rat

rat with bushy tail ( squirrel)

big rat with prehensile tails ( 'possum)

rat with fluffy tail and wiggly nose ( rabbit)

rat with wings ( pigeon)

rat with bandit's mask ( raccoon)

ect.


but you're right rats do not taste as good as Bambi. 

Bambi venison in a lasagna - Garfield would never eat anything else if he ever got his paws on one......yuummm....I miss Mom's cooking sometimes.  I've never had the right kind of venison sausage.....

[siamesecat2965]

I think the customer I got on the phone tonight at the store was a bit of an SS. We will ship items to customers all over the country, and she is in TX, we're in NJ, and had ordered something Friday, knew Monday was a holiday, and was calling for the tracking number.

Ok fine, but only the managers have access to that info, so I very politely told her I'd be happy to take her info, and have the manager look it up, and someone would call her back. I did say, however, knowing we were super busy, that it might not be tonight,  but definitely tomorrow, that she would receive a callback.  Never once did I use any tone of voice other than my normal one. 

I guess my answer wasn't acceptable to her as she then proceeded to tell me I was rude, and how the lady she spoke with when she ordered her item was soooo much more pleasant, and if i was having a bad day, don't take it out on her, and that I needed to put someone else on the phone! I said "Ma'am, I'm very sorry if you thought I was rude, it was not my intention at all" (I know I wasn't).  she then announced "I WILL get a call back tonight" several times, and hung up on me.

Ok. the only thing i might have done differently was to simply say i would have the manager look up the info, and call her back as soon as possible. The reason I didn't do that was sometimes when they're busy, and I've asked for stuff like that from a manager, they've told me they are busy, and it will have to wait. So i didn't want the customer to get mad if we said we'd call today, and did not. 

I think she wanted us to fawn all over her, and say, oh yes, i will find that out right now, and call you back in the next 10 minutes, or whatever.

and my co-worker who overhead me, said i was in no way, shape, or form rude.

I was so angry, and this was the climax to an already frustrating day, plus i suspect some PMS, she made me cry. In 8 years, that's the first time its ever happened.  but on a good note, we were not busy, had an extra person on, so I got to leave an hour and a half early.

[Kimblee]

I'm not so sure about these, but...

There's a petition site I keep track of, mostly curiosity.  The site is mostly about trying to change human rights/criminal acts etc., and a few cases have been honestly needed, and at least one of them has pressured the arrest of a criminal suspect.

However...

More and more of the petitions coming out of it sound less Human Rights, and more Snowflakey.

There was one fairly recently where a petition was going around because the local Game department was trying to fine them for keeping a deer.

According to them, they had found the young fawn along the road and it was horribly injured, so they kept it in their house to nurse it back to health.  The Game board found out about this and issued them with a fine for illegally owning a wild creature without permit, and I think the board must be right.  They, however, spinned a yarn into a sobstory of how the board was mean and how the animal would've died without them and they put up a petition asking people to sign so the board would back off.

Personally, I think the couple were snowflakey for taking in a severely wild animal and trying to care for it themselves and complaining when they got caught, versus taking it to a local vet or BLM, where it could receive proper care from people who were licensed to handle these kind of situations.  I know my local vet had plenty of injured, wild animals he's taken care of, a red tailed hawn and a bobcat included, who were later released back in the wild.

Weirdly, I know a family who took in an injured fawn. They did take it to a vet and it lost a leg, after they paid up the bill they called the game department (warden?) and told them about it, asking if they could pay a fee or something to keep the animal, since a three legged deer might not do well back in the woods.

They got a permit to keep it provided they had it horn buds removed. (No idea why) They just renew their permit once a year and they rave about how fair the game department is.

EvilTraska would have relished the chance at a good venison leg that night.

Come to think of it..

I'm ashamed to admit, while I might pay for a deer's vet bills, I *would* ask if I could have the cut off leg.

And Mikado(the deer) is utterly spoiled. Very calm around people, and often reminds me of a sheep. He's not as energetic as an average goat but is VERY human socialized. He also comes into the house to watch TV. (The floor is cement, so his "mama" sweeps his gifts up and tosses them out the screen door.

[Jocelyn]

I thought the same thing about that post.  That poor receptionist.  She was only doing her job and this little witch was toying with her.  I felt bad for her.

On the other hand, I think that it's understandable for a bereaved person to be reluctant to say 'He's dead.' It could be that the caller paused after her first comment, gathering herself up to say, 'You see, he died last week', and the receptionist's speech about how everyone needed an appointment took her as being rather insensitive. Personally, I'd be unhappy if I called in to my health care provider, and was scolded about being overdue for an appointment. IMO, health care providers need to remember that it isn't just an individual's irresponsibility that leads them to not keep an appointment- it could be a tragedy intervened.

[Minmom3]

I'm not so sure about these, but...

There's a petition site I keep track of, mostly curiosity.  The site is mostly about trying to change human rights/criminal acts etc., and a few cases have been honestly needed, and at least one of them has pressured the arrest of a criminal suspect.

However...

More and more of the petitions coming out of it sound less Human Rights, and more Snowflakey.

There was one fairly recently where a petition was going around because the local Game department was trying to fine them for keeping a deer.

According to them, they had found the young fawn along the road and it was horribly injured, so they kept it in their house to nurse it back to health.  The Game board found out about this and issued them with a fine for illegally owning a wild creature without permit, and I think the board must be right.  They, however, spinned a yarn into a sobstory of how the board was mean and how the animal would've died without them and they put up a petition asking people to sign so the board would back off.

Personally, I think the couple were snowflakey for taking in a severely wild animal and trying to care for it themselves and complaining when they got caught, versus taking it to a local vet or BLM, where it could receive proper care from people who were licensed to handle these kind of situations.  I know my local vet had plenty of injured, wild animals he's taken care of, a red tailed hawn and a bobcat included, who were later released back in the wild.

Weirdly, I know a family who took in an injured fawn. They did take it to a vet and it lost a leg, after they paid up the bill they called the game department (warden?) and told them about it, asking if they could pay a fee or something to keep the animal, since a three legged deer might not do well back in the woods.

They got a permit to keep it provided they had it horn buds removed. (No idea why) They just renew their permit once a year and they rave about how fair the game department is.

If it's anything like goats - the horns get snagged on the darndest things, AND, being animals that instinctively use their heads to fight, defend, play, etc - people get HURT by those horns, even when goats have been hand raised from birth.  They also can kill themselves by getting them stuck places, sometimes at high speed.  Goats have been domesticated for a long time.  I can only imagine how a wild animal, even if socialized to 'those people and that place' could react when startled by something.  Antlers aren't something to mess around with, and a fence and antler intersection could be lethal, let alone what a proddy buckling could do to a person who inadvertently instigated hormonal behavior. Removing the horn buds would be easily done with a disbudding iron, (always assuming the deer is young enough to put in a restraining box such as is used on goat kids).  Goats shown by 4-H children cannot have any horns, and the kids are disbudded usually in their first week of life.  It's a lot harder to do when they get older, as those horns start to come in.  Deer would probably be much the same, I'm guessing.