[Gpdd] {RESUCE} This is messed up.

[Trina Pelham]

Hi Fellow Friends of GPDD,

Trina here again, I am posting this written by Shannon Cauthen of Cavy Care 
Inc. This man passed away and was a breeder, 400 piggies needed a home and 
we wanted to help. Please read what happened with our crew next, please post 
and replies if you wish here or to me personally. Please know we are not 
talking poop on a person that has passed, it's more on the situation that 
happenend and why we are here. For the piggies. Please read on and this is 
also on the front page of our website at www.cavycareinc.com

Warmly,
Trina
Pigpals Coordinator
Cavy Care Inc.

David Hardesty noted ARBA cavy judge and breeder died
January 19th, 2005. He has left behind over 400 guinea
pigs in need of re-homing

Ms. April Crumley, David’s sister has been left with
the daunting task of re-homing all these animals. With
the help of Christi MacWaters of MacWaters Magnificent
Guineas of Ft. Collins they joined forces to find a
solution.

Friday Shannon Cauthen Founder/Director of CCI,
contacted Ms Crumley to offer our organizations
services. She indicated that she was desperate for
help in cleaning this great number of animals and that
she would need help in re homing many of these
animals. During our second conversation that day I
advised her that I had twelve members ready to help.
She wept, and could not believe that people would be
willing to help her.  She asked our members to come at
noon.

Arriving at noon, we received a frosty reception by
Ms. MacWaters. Apparently she had not been informed
that we were coming to help. Often avoiding us, the
reception from those in the breeding industry was
chilly. Many of the better-known breeders would not
speak to us despite the fact that we had taken animals
from them in the past.  Ms. Crumley on the other hand
seemed to be deeply genuine and concerned for the
animals welfare permitting several of our members to
take individuals guinea pigs at no charge.. Two of
David’s staff members also seemed concern. Mrs.
MacWaters another story.

Arriving at the commercial location 4-H and members of
the Columbine Cavy Club where purchasing, and loading
animals in to carriers and crates. Sometimes, there
where animals over crowded into plastic tubes, or
crates stacked five and six high. The stench of the
room was so overpowering that remaining in the room
for long periods of time was impossible and unhealthy.


There where double-stacked sterilite totes stacked on
bakers racks on one wall, along with double stacked
short-sided metal stock tanks. It was apparent that
they had not been cleaned for a very long time. In
several of the stock tanks Theresa Geary and I found
the remains of several baby guinea pigs. In fact they
had been dead so long that the only thing left was the
skin. This would have meant that they were there while
David was still alive. Pelleted poop appeared to be
the ONLY floor covering in the most stock tanks. I
over heard Ms MacWaters advise buyers that these
animals were really use to the cold since heating in
the building was minimal.

Often admonished by breeders for classifying them as
uncaring. I did not see any “caring” going on in this
room and this room was filled with breeders who were
attempting to snatch up as many piggies as they could
stuff in a create. And based on observation I would
say that my original assessment was accurate.

At one point we were permitted to take three guinea
pigs slated for the Raptor Society. Why the raptor
society? No body wanted to deal with their medical
issues. . Heck not a breeder in the room was willing
to get them the simple medical help they required. One
had a cold and mites, the other two possible scurvy
and definitely mites. Such a sad thing for these very
young little creatures, see their pictures under the
abuse section.

Perhaps their health would have been better, the mites
a little less ~expect they were all living in crap and
being feed rabbit food. Yes, rabbit food. Not guinea
pig food. But then guinea pigs food costs double what
rabbit food costs and actually has what guinea pigs
need. That is why the bag says “Guinea pig food” We
watched the Rabbit food being shoveled out of the bag
and into the feed bins..

Rabbit food is fed because it is CHEAP. I didn’t say
it was good, or proper but CHEAP. And David prided
himself on setting an example and rising above. Above
what? I was beginning to wonder if we had truly
misjudged this man.

When this day began the concern was finding placement
for the animals. As the day progressed it was how much
are we going to make off of them and then finally it
was we have buyers for the whole lot of them. They had
buyers back east, and a local wholesale buyer. .

So since they had buyers and there weren’t going to be
any guinea pigs in need of placement CCI left.  Did we
clean? No we figured that those present were more then
capable of cleaning up that mess or where financially
able to hirer some one to clean up their own messes.

What is sad is that all those animals, frightened,
living in filthy, did not know what was going on. They
did not know why all these people where picking them
up, cramming them in to plastic totes, create, boxes,
or tossing them in to the neighboring stock tanks like
live meat. These poor creatures never knew what hay
was, or veggies, or igloos. The only thing they knew
was that the poop was plenty the humping numerous and
the babies never ending. They could count on one thing
for sure that if they got sick they would be raptor
food. What a life for such a gentle loving creature.
But hey, breeders care. Right?

Those few that we were able to rescue because we
pooled our money, sit out side their igloos, huddled
together refusing hay or veggies because they don’t
know what hey are. No care was given for families,
siblings; children as they were sorted in to stock
tanks for buyers.

David Hardesty, I thought you were better then the
average, but it is evident you were no better then
your fellows. And the only thing I can hope is that
justice is being served at the gate.








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