You know, there really is a difference between hearing and listening. Think about it.
Martina McBride, who, in my opinion, is quite the singer, has a song with the line: “I know you can hear me, but I’m not sure you’re listening.”
Hearing is the physical act of detecting sounds. A number of people can “tune out” certain noises – the rumble of a subway car at 3 a.m.; a mother’s insistence that if your room isn’t cleaned by the end of the day, there will be no television for a week (that one worked really well on me, by the way, as if you didn’t know); or the buzz of locusts.
Listening, on the other hand, is a completely different ballgame. Listening is actually tied quite closely to understanding and comprehension. It involves an actual effort to hear something. No tuning out here. Thus, it’s easy to see how a person can “hear” you, but not really be “listening.”
Now, believe it or not, there is actually a point to all of this seemingly irrelevant rambling. Listening is a skill that is critical in many situations and one such circumstance is bringing an animal into your home. We have a lot of folks come out to the animal shelter to adopt pets. Sometimes it’s an ebb and flow. One day we’ll adopt out four or five animals and the next day, none.
I wish I could figure out what brings the public to our doors so I could manufacture it, but until then, I’ll continue to sit with crossed fingers when our in-house population swells. Because of the very nature of our business, we attract a whole lot of animal-lovers to our doors. Which means, quite typically, that the people looking to adopt already have a pet in the house.
We also get a lot of families – many with small children. So there are a lot of souls to match up. Whatever impetus brings people to our doors, by the time they’ve reached the parking lot, many of them are absolutely dead-set on taking an animal home. They’ve got the hankering, the urge, the need to bring a furry friend into their household and love them forever, and they’re not planning on budging from their desire.
And here’s where the listening part comes in. Animals are a tricky business. Every single one in this shelter at any given time has definite, distinct personalities. Some are happy-go-lucky and love absolutely everyone. Some are a little more reserved and shy because they’ve been through a lot in their relatively short lives. Some dogs like cats, but not other dogs. Some cats like other cats, but can’t stand dogs.
You get the picture. Some of our canines are rather large and rambunctious, with a whole lot of energy, and think that everything and everyone (including toddlers) constitute play toys. It’s our job to match up the person who comes in looking for an animal with the right one.
And you can see, from the above examples, how a lot of times that task can be quite daunting. Add to that the fact that when some folks step through the doors, they have a whole host of pre-conceived notions of the animal that would work best for them, and many times they won’t take no for an answer.
So, if I may offer just a piece of advice: please, please, if you’re looking to adopt an animal (and can I say off the bat, thank you for that) make sure you listen quite carefully to what the shelter workers are telling you. We get a lot of folks with the single-minded goal of adoption, and I know they can hear us talking, but you can definitely tell they are not at all listening.
Shelter workers have dealt with the animals in their care. They get to know the personalities, behaviors and limitations of the animals. They are the perfect ones to tell you whether a dog would be good with children, cats or other canines. Please, please make sure you listen to what they are saying. It’s very easy to get attached to one of our furry critters. A lot of times it can happen almost instantaneously.
But if you have small children or other pets, be sure to listen to the background of the dog or cat. Despite the fact that you love him, he may not be the best addition to your family. We want to adopt animals. That’s the reason we are here. But we also sincerely don’t want to have animals returned because they didn’t work out with other animals in the family or children.
It’s tough on dogs and cats to shuffle them back and forth from a home situation to a kennel. We want them to find a home for life and that means matching them with a family who can provide that. Look, I know how easy it is to hear and not listen. I am guilty of that with my mother.
I’ll have to ask, “What did you say, ma?” And she gets that motherly look of consternation on her face. Oh, I heard her. I just didn’t have a single clue what she’d said. It happens a lot in a variety of situations. I understand that. Just make certain when the subject concerns the welfare of an animal you tune-in intently and don’t miss a word.
Jennifer Vanderau is the public relations coordinator for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at [email protected]. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, readers may call the shelter at 717-263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. Support the animals at the shelter is easy by donating to or shopping at the store.
