Introducing…Pig Notes

You asked, we listened.

For the last couple of years, the community of loyal adopters and donors who have supported our Connecticut-based guinea pig rescue have asked us to find a way to share more of our stories, tips, advice, experiences, insights, reflections, and the like.

At the same time, we’ve wanted to expand further out into the community to libraries, schools, community groups, or anyone wanting a presentation on small animals and their care, animal rescue in our state, responsible pet ownership, and other related topics.

So we, like other rescues, grappled with issues of logistics, time, resources, and money. How do we reach a lot of people — and create a tighter-knit community with our adopters and donors (and beyond) — without taking too much time or money away from our first priority…the animals?

The answer — a blog — finally came one day in the midst of brainstorming with friends. It’s a perfect way for us at The Critter Connection to talk with all of you regularly, and protect the environment at the same time (no printing and mailing means no paper which means a few less trees are cut down). It also lets us make steps toward our definition of a better world for animals and people, one where:

• Animals are brought into homes after a considered decision, and not on impulse.
• Animals stay in these homes for the duration of their lives, not the duration of someone’s attention span.
• Breeders are held responsible for their breeding practices, in order to combat the problem of overbreeding (of all animals) and the release of animals that are too young to stores.
• Pet stores are held accountable for how they house and care for animals until they find homes, and for taking steps to eliminate unwanted pregnancies that leave new animal owners with more animals than they’d bargained for. (Don’t get us wrong – there are lots of good breeders and pet stores out there. But there are also bad ones that drag down the standards of breeding and care.)
• Government agencies are able to keep up with necessary inspections.
• Legislative bodies pass and uphold laws that protect animals and their equally vested interest in our planet’s welfare.

So we’re going to try this, and see what we all come up with together. Visit frequently, comment often, and drop us a line when you have ideas.

Here we go…