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I volunteer at the local animal shelter with the large dogs, and normally people are super nice. Not so much today.
Let's Run Up To Unfamiliar Animals, Because That Always Ends Well
I noticed a dog was looking ill and one of the vet techs asked me to bring it into an exam area. To get there, I had to walk through the middle of the public area, and a kid (elementary school aged) ran up to the dog to pet it. He ran like halfway across our lobby. This dog is a normal sized lab mix.
Me: I'm sorry, but please don't pet the dog. He's not feeling very well right now and I need to take him to the vet.
The kid actually backed away, but his mom flipped out.
Mom: How dare you tell me what to do with my son!! He can touch any animal he wants as long as we are here to spend our money. You shouldn't have dangerous animals anywhere near kids!!
Me: The animals available for adoption are not dangerous, but there is no guarantee that they will like children. In addition, this dog is not feeling well, and sick animals can overreact.
I then walked really quickly away from the family.
But I Wanna!!!
The animal shelter I volunteer at has various farm animals.
Adult Woman in at least her mid 30s: I saw a barn out back. Do you have horses here?
Me: We may, though most of our horses are at another site with more room. Were you interested in adopting one?
Woman: Can I look at them?
Me: For farm animal adoptions, we require people to fill out an application that must be approved before an appointment can be made to look at the animals. The majority of our farm animals come from cruelty situations so we want to make sure that people know what they're getting into and that they'll be responsible owners.
Woman: But can I just look at them?
Me: No.
Woman: But I like horses! I wanna see some! They're so pretty!
Me: That is our policy and we cannot make exceptions.
Woman: I wanna see horses!
Me: I apologize, but we cannot accommodate that request. Is there a dog you would like to meet instead?
The woman flounced off.
Puppies Are Easy To Deal With
We have an adorable 3 month old puppy in the large dogs area. I had just taken Spot out to meet a potential owner, and I'm asking a bunch of nosy questions to see if the owner is prepared for the specific animal.
Clueless Dude: He doesn't chew much, does he?
<I look at the puppy, who is attempting to chew his leash off>
Me: Chewing is part of being a puppy, but his foster mom says that she was able to mostly train him to chew his toys. Animals tend to relapse after they move to a new home, so you will have to be careful about what you leave laying around for awhile.
Clueless Dude: I guess I can deal with that. He's house trained, right?
Me: No, he is not. We have puppy training available here that addresses house training if you need help.
Clueless Dude: This dog is going to take a lot of work! It's like a baby!
Me: I know of a few older dogs that have very relaxed personalities that sound like might be a better fit for you.
Gah, I can't believe I got all 3 of these in one day!
Let's Run Up To Unfamiliar Animals, Because That Always Ends Well
I noticed a dog was looking ill and one of the vet techs asked me to bring it into an exam area. To get there, I had to walk through the middle of the public area, and a kid (elementary school aged) ran up to the dog to pet it. He ran like halfway across our lobby. This dog is a normal sized lab mix.
Me: I'm sorry, but please don't pet the dog. He's not feeling very well right now and I need to take him to the vet.
The kid actually backed away, but his mom flipped out.
Mom: How dare you tell me what to do with my son!! He can touch any animal he wants as long as we are here to spend our money. You shouldn't have dangerous animals anywhere near kids!!
Me: The animals available for adoption are not dangerous, but there is no guarantee that they will like children. In addition, this dog is not feeling well, and sick animals can overreact.
I then walked really quickly away from the family.
But I Wanna!!!
The animal shelter I volunteer at has various farm animals.
Adult Woman in at least her mid 30s: I saw a barn out back. Do you have horses here?
Me: We may, though most of our horses are at another site with more room. Were you interested in adopting one?
Woman: Can I look at them?
Me: For farm animal adoptions, we require people to fill out an application that must be approved before an appointment can be made to look at the animals. The majority of our farm animals come from cruelty situations so we want to make sure that people know what they're getting into and that they'll be responsible owners.
Woman: But can I just look at them?
Me: No.
Woman: But I like horses! I wanna see some! They're so pretty!
Me: That is our policy and we cannot make exceptions.
Woman: I wanna see horses!
Me: I apologize, but we cannot accommodate that request. Is there a dog you would like to meet instead?
The woman flounced off.
Puppies Are Easy To Deal With
We have an adorable 3 month old puppy in the large dogs area. I had just taken Spot out to meet a potential owner, and I'm asking a bunch of nosy questions to see if the owner is prepared for the specific animal.
Clueless Dude: He doesn't chew much, does he?
<I look at the puppy, who is attempting to chew his leash off>
Me: Chewing is part of being a puppy, but his foster mom says that she was able to mostly train him to chew his toys. Animals tend to relapse after they move to a new home, so you will have to be careful about what you leave laying around for awhile.
Clueless Dude: I guess I can deal with that. He's house trained, right?
Me: No, he is not. We have puppy training available here that addresses house training if you need help.
Clueless Dude: This dog is going to take a lot of work! It's like a baby!
Me: I know of a few older dogs that have very relaxed personalities that sound like might be a better fit for you.
Gah, I can't believe I got all 3 of these in one day!
Uh, no, dumbass! These are not his animals, and the fact you plan to spend money does not convey any specific rights to anyone. And since we are a not for profit organization, we don't HAVE to adopt an animal out to a clueless bitch like you!
How old are you?
I'm glad we have people willing to spend their time helping animals. 
Although...he does chew things....
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