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"Sheltering an Animal’s Perspective"
by Gregory M. Simpson
Vice-President, Meriden Humane Society, Inc.
Standing in front of a supermarket or department store on a three hour shift collecting money for the Meriden Humane Society provides one with a study in human nature. It is always fascinating, often heart warming, but not always pleasant. I continue to be impressed with the generosity of the majority of folks when asked to help animals in need. Considering that the Meriden Humane Society was incorporated in 1893, the long tradition of public support is already a matter of public record.
As you approach each shopper with, "Would you like to donate to the animal shelter?" or "Would you like to contribute to help homeless animals?" one is met with an array of responses. Some are as simple as "Of course." Some folks have their money ready to donate before they even leave the store. Others give money to their children to put in the bucket.
Conversely, sometimes when the question is posed, you receive a direct stare but no verbal response as you are passed by. I mentioned to a co-worker that I found this lack of response hard to fathom, until he pointed out the similarity between my solicitation and that of the homeless asking for money. In both cases, some people respond by just silently passing by.
To help pass the time, I play a game with myself to try and guess whether an approaching person will donate. There are no reliable patterns. For instance, sometimes a senior citizen will generously donate, saying something like, "I don’t have any animals, but my son does," or telling me about the scores of stray cats that they feed behind where they live. So, I was taken aback when in response to my question of whether they would you like to donate to help stray and abandoned animals, I received cold stares from an elderly couple where the husband muttered under his breath as he walked away, "Kill them all." Somehow that didn’t instill in my heart the desire to wish him a nice day.
"Who’s going to collect for the poor people?" asked one young man caustically as he marched by. Being able to retort that I am a social worker by vocation and an animal welfare worker by avocation usually takes the wind out of their sails on that one.
Sometimes people are more direct. "I don’t like animals," one man in his twenties barked. On the flip side, as one man donated he added, "Animals are better then people – at least they’re loyal."
Despite having literally only seconds to greet each person leaving a store, there are inevitable conversations that develop with some. One woman wearing a t-shirt with a big cat on it explained how she has 17 cats, all rescued as strays. "A woman just called me about a kitten she found outdoors. What was I to do, just leave it out there?" she asked rhetorically. To these kind people, I always express great thanks and sincerely add, "God bless you. There are not enough people out there like you."
Another woman approached me saying something about needing to help her son place his cats because of having a baby. I thought she was referring to her daughter-in-law so I asked what does her having a baby have to do with needing to get rid of their companion animals? What I figured out she was trying to say, however, was that his cat had "babies" and he needed help in finding them homes. Not bothering to tell her that cats have kittens, not babies, I asked her bluntly why her son did not have his cat spayed before this happened. "It accidentally got out," she posed weakly. "That’s why they need to be spayed and neutered," I repeated.
The experience of soliciting for donations may have been best summed up by one young man who remarked on the abundant donations in my collection bucket. Speaking of the evident generosity, he offered, "What goes around comes around." "Yes," I agreed, "I believe that it does."
For the animals,
Gregory M. Simpson, Vice-President
MERIDEN HUMANE SOCIETY, INC.
Gregory Simpson is Vice-President of the Board of Directors of Meriden Humane Society, Inc., a no-kill shelter incorporated by Connecticut legislative charter in 1893. He is also past state advisor to the national organization, Friends of Animals, Inc. In the December 2005 issue of CAT FANCY, he was named one of the 40 Ultimate Cat Lovers in the U.S.
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