I learned something new yesterday. I was riding on the bus and this couple got on with a tiny kitten in a new carrier and the man was toting a litter box with 20 lbs. of litter, a big bag of cat food, and 2 large jugs scoopable litter. It was incredible. Plus there was a collar and leashes. I said what a cute kitten. She said they are from New Orleans and lost everything including their dog and cat in the flood. People in that situation can go to the Humane Society and get free pets, in their case a cat and a dog, plus tons of supplies. She said they go back tomorrow because the puppy was having its surgery to spay or whatever that night. It amazed me. I never heard of that. It is certainly nice. Albeit I don't think I would be too quick to "replace" a lost beloved pet so slick. They are living in a motel for free. It gives me pause to think of adopting pets without a permanent place, but they are confident they are there free for a year at least. I know not, I'm just reporting.
Good grief!
I don't think we can take people at face value any more. I was on a bus going to Las Vegas not long ago, and a man got on in Phoenix and sat down behind me. He reeked of cigarettes, and was very rude. The woman he sat next to began to tell him all the people she knew in Vegas and how influential she was.
The man said he had heard that the welfare and other benefits were higher in Vegas than anywhere else, and that was because they knew people needed the money for gambling.
Some things about this story were a little difficult for me to accept. 1) If the woman was so well off, why was she riding a bus? 2) If the man was truly a Katrina victim, why did he think his disability checks would increase in Vegas? He's still responsible for his own behavior.
Having lived in Vegas for a long time, I learned one very important thing about people: They all have "The Answer."
If, as you say the animal shelter was "giving" animals away, I doubt very much if all that other stuff came with it, because of the sheer cost of the items. That much equipment (including the carrier) is not cheap, and most shelters are struggling for funds for the food and meds for the animals.
Most vets like to get paid for working with animals. So I think I'd have to take the information from these people at face value. Something is not right about the story.