What You Should Know When You Go To A Shelter or Rescue

What You Should Know When You Go To A Shelter or Rescue:

We find it extremely annoying when the first thing out of your mouth is “where is all the puppies?” or “why don’t you have any kittens?”. We are a charity that takes in unwanted, abused and neglected animals – not a pet store stocking puppy mill dogs.

If you have to surrender an animal to us – there will always be a fee. You’re coming to us because we’re likely to adopt out your friend, unlike animal control which will take every animal for free – and euthanizes for time and space (typically 5 days). Help us take care of your old responsibility.

Do not tell us you are “donating” you animal(s). Do not ask to exchange you animal for one of ours. Also, just so you know, we make notes on our interactions and all shelters associated with us will know what took place.

We do a counseling session and let you meet the animal because pets have individual personalities and we want to make forever homes. If your counselor keeps telling you warnings, such as “this dog is mouthy” or “this kitten is very high energy”, please consider the implications of that on your daily life – and that it may be something the animal never fully overcomes. It’s okay to wait for a more suited animal for you to come along, if necessary.

We appreciate your donations, and encourage you to volunteer if you want to interact with the animals. We always need fosters, dog walkers, people to play with cats and more! However, if you’re just visiting – please mind the signs. Most shelters discourage touching animals in their cage. It spreads disease, it invades their territory, it’s stressful for them, and it can be dangerous to you. Shelter employees tire very much in reminding you of the signs hanging. Please be respectful.

There’s no such thing as the perfect pet. People come in remembering only the best things of their childhood family dog, and want an animal that’s low maintenance, calm, quiet, and already fully trained. This can only be achieved by years of hard work. Most animals turned in to the shelter were unwanted for not being housetrained, being too energetic, jumping, barking, etc. By rescuing an animal in need, you’re assuming the task others weren’t up to. Take pride in yourself and be willing to work with an animal.

Yes, puppies and kittens cost more. Even though we’re a non-profit, we can’t operate on the meager fees we ask for the adult animals. If price is a problem, please look elsewhere instead of throwing a tantrum in our lobby.

If you want to make an impact, walk slowly through our shelter, and spend extra time on a second trip to notice the animals you overlooked the first time. Chances are, they are black animals or unwanted breeds like pit bulls. Watch them, and consider if they would make a good fit for your family (and please consider whether your home or hometown bans certain breeds, it’s your job to protect these pets). If they fit the bill, meet them over the cute german shepherd puppy you wanted to looked at before.

If you see a shelter attendant running, rushing or with a large load in their arms, it probably isn’t the best time to ask them a question.  Being caught with 3 bags of 45lb cat litter, or if you’re trying to get to a time pertinent task such as removing an aggressive dog from the lobby, makes it difficult for us to provide good service to you. Be wise, and if you can’t find someone who seems available, go back to the front desk – it’s why they are there.  

There are times of day when employees or volunteers will walk dogs. Please do not touch the animal (again for your safety and for the health of the animals), and stand to one side as we walk them out. We try to make it obvious with our body language that these dogs need room and respect. If you need to pick up your toddler to ensure they get it, then please do so.

We are not a daycare. While at our shelter no one under 18 is allowed into the shelter without supervision that does not mean once you are viewing animals you should let your child run rampant. It’s extremely dangerous, and very stressful to the animals. Shelter attendants already must watch out for our animals, we can’t be babysitting your child as well. That being said, we understand kids will say silly things, will try to talk over us, may grab our hand or pants, etc while doing a counseling session. You don’t need to constantly reprimand them. All we ask is you make sure they are being respectful to the animal and maintaining a safe environment for both the animal and child.

If you see an adoption event going on at your local pet supply store, don’t fret! These animals have a clean bill of health and enjoy the interaction with others in a new environment. Come say hello, pet and have fun. If you aren’t interested in adoption, don’t pretend you are, we just appreciate getting the animals some much needed social interactions. Please approach as if they are someone’s pet and ask if they are ok to be petted. The biggest help comes when you can leave some donations, even loose change. But if you see someone who may be interested in actually taking home the animal you’re loving on, please give them room to meet their possible future pet!

Sometimes, we do deny adoptions. If you owe us money (our particular shelter has a Vet Clinic attached you may have unpaid bills at), if you say something concerning to us, or if we know the animal you are interested in will not be a viable match – we will tell you no. And we will always tell you why. It’s never meant to be personal, and normally it’s a temporary problem that you can fix and come in again to find a pet in the future. An appropriate reaction will be a thank you, and you can go home to rectify the issues. An inappropriate response is threatening us, trying to steal the animal, or screaming. You’re an adult, act like it.

Surrendering your animal is a permanent option, and perhaps eternally so for your animal in particular. There are very limited no-kill shelters in America, and most of the time they are full and cannot accept your loving pet. You better be sure you are making the right decision by your animal. If you notice the front desk attendant is saying to you “we are not a no kill shelter, we do not guarantee adoption. We do euthanize for health and behavior” or more, and seems to be saying it an unusually numerous amount of times – then you’ve probably said or indicated (or perhaps your animal showed a behavior) that we think means we won’t be able to make your animal adoptable. Aggression, even fear based, can lead to the end of your friend.   We need to be able to process the animal – that means shots, nail clipping, inspections, restraining, ear cleaning and more. If YOU can’t do those things to your animal, then we can’t. It’s your job to have raised your animal to the best of your ability and desensitize them to common handling techniques and new situations. You can’t pass off your irresponsible mistakes onto others. If you absolutely cannot keep them, please do your best to rehome them yourself. The shelter is the closest your animal will come to death.

Spay and neuter your pet! Microchip your pet! There are always events going on for cheap or even free services, and you just need to look. During the summer we get flooded with feral animals having litters, and between that and rescues coming en masse from hoarding situations and puppy mills, we hardly ever have room for private pets – the most likely to be adoptable. We want to serve the public, and when you don’t fix your animal it adds to the problem. And when you don’t microchip them, and they are brought in as a stray, they take up valuable room – not to mention it lowers the possibility of us finding the animal’s owner.

Muppets and Accountability

Watching the Muppets movie recently brought back a wave of nostalgia and sentimental ideals that I never even realized I’d lost. It’s difficult to express the types of feelings that come with watching a movie that honors such a close memory as a show that you grew up with. A show that was more than just that; it was a teacher and a friend.

The Muppets wasn’t the only show like that to me. Mr. Rogers, Fraggle Rock, Looney Tunes, Wishbone, Bill Nye, and many other shows I grew up with made me who I am today. They all brought wonderful messages to my life. But lately the world has grown into a place that seems to suggest these old values are equivalent to non-existence.

Kermit started in on one of these ideas. It was a short speech that he never even got to finish the first sentence due to being interrupted. A friend of mine mentioned this scene in particular stuck with her because of what Kermit was starting to say. He mentioned something along the lines with how kids are smarter than what we give them credit for, and they deserve so much more respect. Think of many years ago. Kids used to work by the age of 7 or 8. Those growing up on farms were up at dawn and asleep by sunset every day. They found work, games, and ways to learn to fill their day. And in all honesty, these children were probably much healthier and balanced, and grew up feeling less entitled than recent generations. Today we coddle toddlers. They can’t go outside, hold anything sharp, or even learn how to get over falling down because their overbearing parents feel they must protect them from everything. By making a “child-safe” world, we’ve stripped away their childhood.

Respecting children is just a small part of what these shows displayed. They were also teachers for children. It was a “feel good” atmosphere, without being cheesy or thoughtless. These shows were clever, and enjoyable for adults (just like classic Disney movies) and not just for children. They never talked down to us when we were growing up. They encouraged learning, and being kind to others, and made us laugh.

They also instilled a sense of accountability. Part of a song in the new Muppets movie says ‎"You’ve got everything that you need – right in front of you. Nothing’s stopping you, nothing that you can’t do that the world can throw at you." People today have taken to blaming everything wrong in their life on anything they can that’s not themselves. I can’t count how many times I’ve had to remind family and friends that they are the only one responsible for making themselves happy. No other person, place or thing can give them the sort of happiness they deserve. You must allow yourself to be cheerful , and until you give yourself that permission, then you will remain in the sad, unfulfilled place you hate being in.

Seeing the Muppet movie reminded me of these old sentiments (and more). And I’ve been in a content way lately because of it. My problems haven’t disappeared, and I still have many hours of homework each night regardless, but I’m not drowning under a heavily growing weight of responsibilities. I’ve remembered what it feels like to be a kid. I’ll do my chores, but I don’t need to dwell on them all night and day. There are other, better things to do with my spare time.

I think sometimes we need a reminder of what used to be important to us. To me it was catching an episode of Barney, and then going out to our swing-set to work on sticking my landing when I jumped off from the highest height. It was listening to my Mickey Mouse cassette tapes and then seeing who could run down the hill the fastest. It was playing pretend with my stuffed animals, and then helping my Mom bake in the kitchen. And then riding my bike until I couldn’t stand up because my legs hurt.

My life never used to be about being so bored I wondered what was on TV, and then watched shows I didn’t care about for half the night. It wasn’t about living at a computer screen waiting for facebook to update. It wasn’t about reminding myself what I’m “supposed” to be eating. It wasn’t about lying awake at night for hours wondering if I’m doing the right thing with my life. And it wasn’t about being so frustrated at the end of every day that I need to blow steam with a walk around town just to be okay for another day. And your life shouldn’t be about your trivial problems either. It shouldn’t be a letdown, and we are the only one’s letting ourselves feel this way.

The Muppets movie wasn’t only great for its story, the acting, choreography, songs, cinematography, characters, or even for reviving a wonderful show. It was great for reminding us that when things get bad, like when Fozzy was working for a second rate casino in Reno, that we can take charge and make everything right. That when we don’t know who we are anymore (are you a man or a Muppet?), that only by looking inside can we find out. The Muppets movie was great because it reminded us of our youth and what once was important. And it reminded us of all those lessons we once learned and have forgotten over time. The movie was great because of what it brought with it.

And they brought it in a package that everyone can enjoy. 

Genius

Genius!

I was struck with a pretty novel idea tonight that may add a few years to a long-time pet's life. Lately our family has been discussing letting out 18 year old cat pass away due to poor health. She lived a legacy as an outdoor and indoor cat, and battled many foe's such as two german shepherds, three pugs, and many cats (and the chinchilla). She rules as Queen in our home for many years, and was a strong yet benevolent leader. She never struck first at the others, but always stood up for herself. We never feared for Rosie's health when it came to her versus any animal. She lived outdoors for many years until an unfortunate accident with my one cat, Doc Holiday. Rosie was moved inside, and lived the spoiled life as a fat house cat (and do I ever mean fat). But a few months ago, not long after her 18th birthday, Rosie became incontinent. She urinated in the most unwanted places (and let's face it, any where that is not her litter box is unwanted). We had one cat that consistently peed in our bathroom sinks, and was just a general menace, and so she was eventually given away. But Rosie has been with us for a lifetime, and is a year older than my younger brother. She was just as much one of us kids as anyone. So I took Rosie to the vet (the first time in many, many years) and had her examined. It was determined her problem was most likely psychological. Another cat, a terror of the household that with bite at anything within distance, was stressing our older cat and making her uncomfortable to use the litter box. We tried buying quite a few litter boxes (the logic was she would have more opportunity to make it to one, and could choose one not guarded by the half-feral cat in our home). When this didn't ease the problem, we moved a litter box to the upstairs bathroom and locked Rosie inside for a week. The knew plan of action was to have her own seperate box, in an area the other cat never came to (for at the time, the other cat would hardly even leave the basement) and give Rosie a private sanctuary. After the week in the bathroom, and accumulating her to the idea that she had a litter box in there, we let her out to wonder the household one more time. Not even a day passed and she was urinating and defacating in our living room. It became apparent that unless the litter box was at her side, she could not hold it and would use the restroom wherever she was at. Rosie has since been contained in our bathroom once again. And because I have been out of state for school, I was no longer able to actively work on the issue. Rosie has lived in the small bathroom for almost three months. I am visiting home for the holidays, and I saw the deterioration occuring. Rosie's muscles have completely atrophied from lack of use, the litter box is hardly cleaned, there is litter, puke and hairballs all over the floor, and a smell that may never go away. Rosie is living no life for a pet. And we have all come to this sad realization that her life is at it's end.
For days I've sat on this knowledge (and was dealt an even heavier blow when it was announced that our 12 year old pug, Bodi, may be at his as well). Bodi, I do not believe is near the problem. He cannot hold his waste for long, but will still make it outside if let out frequently. He has a head tilt (right ear down) that we've had the vet check probably four different time (more or less, I lost count). And when I came home I noticed his right eyelid drooping, and in further inspection I noticed the cataract growing, and dilated pupil. A quick test proved he can still see, but not well. He has lost most his hearing, which has been a gradual process for most his life. But Bodi still enjoys spending time with us and outside, and he will bark and chase things. He has trouble standing after sleeping, and gets clumsy at times, but he maintains a healthy weight and has regular movements. He's just an old dog that needs his rest, and still enjoys his life. I'm not willing to say he is at his end just yet. Rosie on the other hand once lived a fairly healthy lifestyle. She was a good weight, and would go up stairs and over baby gates until just a few months ago when we were forced to confine her. Now she is a shell of her former self. But I believe I've found the answer that does not involve ending her life. I make the suggestion we move her to the basement. Our basement is unfinished and is generally ruined from Rosie's progressive incontinence. We've cleaned it up, but the damage has been done. The smell is retained from years of keeping litter boxes down there, and piles of puke and hairballs still retain down there (what can I say, we don't go downstairs often). I suggest we section off a part of the basement that she can do the least amount of damage, and build an area that Rosie can actually move and exercise in. I also move we change her from a hard kibble to a soft canned-food diet. Perhaps ease her digestion, and provide her with something more rich in fat and protein to help her build up her muscles. She can hopefully recover, and live in a more expansive area, without ruining our bathroom (or making us listen to that awful wailing). Amissa, the half-feral cat that has wreaked havoc, can still use the basement with a seperate litter box (god knows that cat needs the basement to hide from the german shepherd after provoking her). We will see Rosie each day to feed her and change her water, and clean the litter box (we have to do the same for Amissa anyway). A heater may need to be placed in the basement to keep her warm, but as it is a fire risk, that idea will need to be scrutinized. I say we try this idea, at least for the two weeks of school I have left. If in the two weeks she does not improve, then I am out of ideas. But I want to give this one last try, for an old family friend.

Ignorant vs. Stupid

Ignorant vs. Stupid

I think it needs to be said. There is a vast difference between the words “ignorant” and “stupid” and we need to learn that. I don’t claim to be an acclaimed grammar/English professional or any such thing, and I make my fair share of mistakes. But misusing a word only propagates the degradation of the English dictionary, which by my guess probably involves some “chat speak” in it these days. Pretty soon “book” will be redefined to mean the same thing as “cool” due to the dreaded T9 app. But this does not excuse our current war against our established vocabulary that our unwilling-to-learn youth are pushing.

Let me start with stupid. Stupid has been in our word repertoire for many years now, and you may recall being a very young child and “stupid” was the biggest insult you could dish out. It grew into “retard” (although now politically incorrect), “moron”, “idiot”, “dumbass” and now suddenly we have it in our heads that “ignorant” is the next level of synonyms for “stupid” in the evolution line. College students throw the word around, sometimes paired with an old “stupid” replacement word, to make themselves feel smart. Oooh, I just used a big word, “ignorant”.

Except, the only thing ignorant going on is the misuse of this word. Dictionary.com defines “stupid” are a person who is “lacking intelligence or common sense”. Someone who is not educated, or unwilling to assess something and come to smart conclusions is and always will be considered “stupid”.

Ignorant is almost the opposite of stupid, I would say. Just as RENT says, the opposite of war isn’t peace, its creation. Well the same is true for the word stupid. The opposite of stupid isn’t smart, its ignorance. Being ignorant doesn’t mean you’re ill-informed, or just making a poor decision.

Ignorant means that person just doesn’t know.

A child learning how to spell may spell “knife” like without the “k” because they don’t know about the silent “kn” rule. They are ignorant about it. This doesn’t make the child stupid by any means.

Calling someone “ignorant” during an argument however makes you look like the ignorant one. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean they don’t know your side of the argument, they just disagree with you. In fact, they may be well-informed on your stance.

But when it comes down to it, calling someone names is as good as admitting defeat. To me, it’s the lowest form of debate, and means the person throwing around these words just doesn’t have anything significant to say anymore. They are throwing a tantrum, and by misusing such a common word as “ignorant” it only affirms to me that they can go no further in the argument.   

So save some face, and just lay off the word “ignorant” (and any other name calling tactics). Regardless of how “eloquent” your insult is, it is still an “ad hominem” in the end, which in general is a logical fallacy.  

A compilation of research

I’m pretty sure no one reads these things, because I probably piss most of you off with my “ignorance”. But I suppose this will help me gather about 2 years’ worth of research and resource.

I was looking into Buddhism because it’s always intrigued me. This site outlines the main similarities and differences between Buddhism and Christianity. Some of these parallels are a bit scary how alike they are, and I made a mental note that Buddhism has been around much longer than Christianity. So, food for thought. http://frimmin.com/faith/lotuscross.php

Just to have a bit more look into Buddhism I “thumbed” (or the digital equivalent) through the Dhammapada. I’ll post this in case anyone else would like to read it. (Click on “Buddharakkhita” for the english translations for Buddhists) http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/index.html

This is a book posted online that I’m still reading, but it scrutinized the Mormon Church from beginning to end in every detail, and outlines the corruption, changes, fallacies and all else in the religion’s history and ‘holy books’ and brings them to light. They do a spectacular job of checking everything against the Mormon Church’s own word on the subject (I mention this because I know a few Mormons who are mad if their church hasn’t been able to ‘rebuttal’ something). Here’s from the first chapter:

                “The Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt said that if the Mormon religion had errors in it the members would be grateful if someone would point them out: ". . . convince us of our errors of doctrine, if we have any, by reason, by logical arguments, or by the word of God, and we will be ever grateful for the information, and you will ever have the pleasing reflection that you have been instruments in the hands of God of redeeming your fellow beings from the darkness which you may see enveloping their minds" (The Seer, pp. 15-16). After making a long and careful study of the Book of Mormon and the history of the Mormon church, we have come to the conclusion that the claims made by the Mormon church leaders are false. In this book we will present some of the evidence which has led to this conclusion, in the hope that Mormons will be grateful for the information.”

                                -http://utlm.org/onlinebooks/changecontents.htm

This is the case of the Smithsonian Institute rejecting pressure from the Mormon Church to use the Book of Mormon as a scientific guide. After a while the Smithsonian got tired of all the drama and instead of trying to give reasons of why they would not regard it as scientific guide, they just send out short letters of “it’s a religious document, so no” these days. http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/smithsonian.shtml

This site I find rather petty, honestly. They just nitpick over the bible. The bigger picture they are trying to push is that if the bible can’t be right in even small facts, how can we expect it to be right in big aspects? They argue about rabbits having hoofs and chewing cud, and some discrepancies within the bible itself. I’m only posting this one because of my favorite failed prophecy: 2 Samuel 7:10-11 (also see: 1 Chronicles 17:9-10). http://www.coppit.org/god/contradictions.php#Unfulfilled

Going back to Mormons, this one disputes Joseph Smith’s “translation” of an Egyptian hieroglyphic. It even states that Mormon Church recognizes this mistake, yet still thinks nothing of it, despite the fact that the whole Book of Mormon was supposedly translated by Joseph Smith from “reformed Egyptian”. http://vintage.aomin.org/Mintract.html

This video series just argues the Book of Mormon against the Bible and how they are incompatible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYiOc2g0SEE&feature=related

This next one is important to me. I remember arguing with some friends about whether or not Joseph Smith used a seer stone, and we argued if he was translating from looking inside a hat (they claimed that part was made up by South Park). Well: 

“Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man.” (David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, Richmond, Mo.: n.p., 1887, p. 12.) http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1993.htm/ensign%20july%201993.htm/a%20treasured%20testament.htm

This is an all around fun site debunking Christianity in general: http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/god6.htm

I read all the “chapters” and this just leads to the last one I had bookmarked, so feel free to just surf around. There’s nothing specifically amazing about that particular chapter. They are all generally awesome.

This is a sister site to the last one; also same story with the particular placement of my bookmark: http://godisimaginary.com/i51.htm

And finally here’s the American Atheists organization’s website: http://www.atheists.org/events/National_Convention

Keep in mind a good deal of my bookmarks were ‘lost’ due to now broken links or dead websites. And this is just a small portion of hundreds of sites I’ll read, these are namely just ones I decided to save for a later date for one reason or another. It is by no means a limited or comprehensive list of all the places I’ve read through. 

Motorcycles

Some things you probably didn’t know about motorcycles.

Motorcycles are seen as fun, death-defying vehicles only a select few seem to have the kahunas (or as some like to assert, the mere ability) to operate. But there’s a lot of misconceptions and downright ignorance that comes with people’s perceptions of motorcyclists and their rides.

One such thing is: riding a motorcycle on a hot day is nothing like riding a convertible. Imagine its stifling hot outside and you hop in your car with the roof folded down and a/c turned on. Between the wind and the cold air from the vents, it’s pleasant and a fun way to cool off (and look cool too). Now imagine jumping on a motorcycle. You wear a helmet because, hey, you’re a responsible driver (and you can’t trust other people on the road anyway) and you take off. The hot air seems to just push against you, rather than pulling off sweat. And each time you stop the motorcycle beneath you radiates heat from the seat because most motorcycles don’t actually have a fan to cool off the engine. Your bike depends on being in motion to cool down. By the end of the ride the inside of your helmet is sticky from sweat, your butt feels roasted, and you feel like you just have a fever in general. It’s not really a good way to cool off, in retrospect.

Another problem motorcyclists face is our rearview mirrors. Those stupid things can rotate just about anywhere (as they are mounted on a ball and socket type joint) and getting them juuuust right is a headache. I’m often trying to adjust them either while riding or when stopped (as I only have one hand free during each activity) and even if I get them right they get bumped later that day and need to be fixed again. I would adjust them before I ride, but having a sport bike I tend to be in a different position when I’m just sitting on my bike than when I’m in motion. And let’s say I’m lucky and actually do have them in the right place – I still can’t see behind me unless I move my elbows.

So normally I just trust my eyes over my mirrors, and swivel my head around like a top. I don’t have any windows or frames to look past, so it’s actually pretty darn effective.

Another thing that drives me crazy is people don’t seem to realize the traction I have with the road is maybe two inches wide. If I need to slam on my brakes, it’s going to take me just as long, if not longer, than a car to actually get stopped. I also have a process I must complete before I can ever even apply the brake. Pull clutch, let go of throttle, and then pull both the hand and push the foot brakes. And then normally either my front or back wheel will start to snake. It’s scary, and I don’t like doing it. So stop cutting me off, cages.

The lack of traction also means I can’t handle gravel. At all. There’s a parking lot at a building off-campus that is completely gravel, and every time I’m on it (normally going an astounding 5 mph, the minimum I can achieve without toppling over) I still skid around like ice on ice.

But a cool part about being a motorcyclist is the camaraderie. Bikers will wave to each other in passing. It’s not like a normal hand in the air and frantically whipping our wrist around. The “wave” is more of a flag where you stick your arm, or finger, out straight while passing the other rider on the road. It’s always the left arm, and we don’t wave perpetually at each other. It’s really a rather short process. I’m not turning, or merging, or being a dick. But it confuses the living hell out of cages, and I find it hilarious.

As a side note: just because you and I are both at the stoplight does not automatically mean I want to race you. I know I can win, which is enough for me, considering I’m on a bright green motorcycle and the cops in town are ticket-happy. So save yourself the fine, because I’m not going to gun it off the line because you revved your engine. This is why I don’t look over at you. And when I salute you, it’s not a “hat’s off” signal. It is a “enjoy the speeding ticket” signal. And trust me; every time someone has tried to race me, they get pulled over. Just don’t do it.

And this is call of attention to those who actually have bikes (or would consider getting one): wear your helmet, and don’t leave it out on your bike. UV rays from the sun will destroy the foam in your helmet, and I can’t count how many people I’ve heard of that crash and realize they’ve been wearing nothing but an eggshell on their head (this is also a very good reason to never buy a used helmet). And it is inevitable that you will crash, so just wear the god damn thing. It’s not even a big deal. If you think it’s too hot outside to wear it, then you don’t need to be riding anyway.

Driver Safety

Driver Safety

It feels like since the accident two and half weeks ago where my roommate was hit by a car that our apartment has heard nothing but constant berating from strangers on pedestrian safety. I’m here to shed a little light on the situation.

My roommate, Jen, left our apartment around 7:45 am.  There’s a popular crosswalk just in front of our apartment, with large flashing beacons that you activate via button each time you cross. Ironically, I even witnessed some workers repaint the crosswalk not a week beforehand. Jen, being conscious of the terrible drivers in our college town, hit the button and checked to her left (with the immediate traffic approaching) and saw it was clear and continued across the road. No cell phone (as one old man tried to accuse her of when he asked about her injuries at an Arby’s), no mp3 player, nothing distracting at all. Jen made it halfway across the street before she saw someone on her right who was not braking (we believe the car had pulled out of the parking lot across the street and that is why Jen  did not see her earlier). The car did not brake nor swerve, and Jen hopped a bit backwards to try and get out of the way. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in time and was hit.

Later, in the police report, the driver said her window was “foggy with dust” (what does that mean?) and didn’t see Jen until she was rolling off the side of her car (even though Jen smashed her entire windshield). Jen will have large scars on her elbow, permanent nerve damage in her knee, and a fear of that crosswalk from now on. The driver never came by to apologize, check on Jen, or any such thing. We haven’t heard from her since that day.

The car flew straight through a normally crowded crosswalk. She didn’t take the time to stop a second and wipe off her windshield. She didn’t check for any lights flashing. There’s even talk she may have been on her phone (texting or otherwise) but this is speculation (witnesses saw her get out of her car with phone in hand). Regardless of what may have been happening in her head, there were many precautions she could have taken to prevent this accident.

When we went to the hospital the nurse immediately tells us how angry she is that pedestrians aren’t safer on the streets (and regales to us how she almost hit some boys on their bikes). The officer writing the report came in for Jen’s statement, then came out to us in the waiting room and told us of a drunken lady walking on a highway who is likely to die soon from a car accident. And he adds defense to why the police in the area have been ticketing jaywalkers, reminding us to be safer crossing the street. We had people stopping by who believed Jen must have been just as at fault as the driver, until they heard the story. The old man at Arby’s asked Jen about her crutches and when she told him about the accident he says, “Did you look both ways?” which Jen responded “Yes.” Then he makes a motion of holding a phone to his ear and says “Were you looking like this?” I walked over and gave him a snarl, and so he finally stepped away from Jen who was a bit flustered that he would assume such stupidity of her. 

And, finally, the big hit to the face was the University newspaper writing about Jen’s accident to promote pedestrian safety. The writer even states he “doesn’t know who is at fault” and it “doesn’t matter”. If it truly didn’t matter, he wouldn’t be assuming Jen was at fault. He wouldn’t have written an entire article about the incident and other ones like it just to push pedestrian safety. He never spoke to Jen, and never had his facts straight. It was the most irresponsible news reporting I’d ever seen. For him to use this accident as a staple of pedestrians being unsafe is a huge insult to Jen, who couldn’t have done much more than she had to keep herself safe.

So I want to make a new suggestion here that may seem crazy but I think it needs to be said. Maybe, now keep with me here, just maybe drivers need to do a little more to be safe in this town. In driver’s ed. we’re taught to do some “pre-flight” checks if you will. Mirrors, windows, seats – they all need to be in their right place and clear. My van at home often gets dirty on the windshield, but I keep a rag in my car to wipe it down. I always make sure I can see before I take off. I’ll be late because I’m waiting for windows to defrost, but hey, I didn’t hit anybody on my way there. I always figure that’s a fair trade off. And understanding the rules of the road is a big thing that seems to be glossed over here in town. Four-way stops never seem to operate how they should in this town, and no one seems to care if they are passing by a busy crosswalk. The town has even lowered speed limits all across the town limits just because so many drivers don’t look. So, you know, hopefully the pedestrians now have time to look.

I seem to be one of very few people on the road that cares that there are others driving. I look two cars in front of me, which will help me brake faster if that car should slam on its brakes. I’m always watching the people next to me and behind me. Sometimes the guy next to me can’t see me, and sometimes the guy behind me is tailgating. Pumping brake lights gently will sometimes warn them to back off, but if not, I’ll move behind him. But maybe I’m a bit too cautious, because you see, I’m on a motorcycle. If I’m in an accident, odds are I will die.

But maybe that’s how we should all be driving. Because we all are gambling with each other’s lives each time check the radio, or don’t wipe our windshield, or aren’t sitting up straight (and can’t reach the brake very well). When we don’t take the time to be a bit more cautious, then we get into the situations where it’s the “other persons fault”. Like the pedestrians.

But one day you will be the “other person”.  Or your child. Or your sibling.

So for once in your life act like you’re the responsible one on the road, and you are the one that needs to look out for others and not just for yourself.