Sunday, March 20, 2011

and the exchange goes on

This was the woman's response, she not only called me by the wrong name but also CCed the person I was supposed to be volunteering with in the e-mail. All I can say is Shameless. (also note the comparison to a child in the Email).








Hi, Jennifer.  We are so sorry that you take offense at our concern and
care. You prejudge us which we feel is narrow minded. I don't know if it
could be called discriminatory, but I guess it could.  However, I don't want
to insult you and call you names because I don't know you.  I had wanted to
get to know you, though.  It's just a shame that you have taken our attempts
to volunteer with you and turned them into something unkind and negative.

Just to let you know, we ALSO do not bring new volunteers who are quite
young to Sundays because of our need to focus on the immediate attention of
a large number of customers with dogs of various personalities. We don't
want a young person to get hurt in the hurry and crowd...because we know
what the atmosphere is like, and because we care. We are not being
discriminatory, just smart.  We are supportive of our volunteers.  We want
them to have an enjoyable, rewarding experience.  It is our responsibility
to help them volunteer in ways that will be rewarding to them because we
know all of the different volunteer avenues we can offer.

As owner of Wescott Acres Luxury Pet Resort, I have the responsibility to
separate that company from Wescott Acres Pet Rescue so that both run
smoothly without danger or disruption to anyone.  Sundays are always very
different than the rest of our week for Wescott Acres Luxury Pet Resort.  We
have never had more than one volunteer on Sundays to help with pet
adoptions.  Anne is fairly new and still learning about volunteering on
Sundays.  She is doing a great job on her learning curve, and we appreciate
her very much.

It appears that we have been misjudged by you, and that is such a shame.  We
are compassionate about all pets, and we have a large volunteer base.
Wescott Acres Pet Rescue has depended on volunteers in many capacities for
10 years. Volunteering is a mutually respectful, partnership relationship.
We had wanted to have that relationship with you.


Kindest regards,
Laura
web site: www.WescottAcres.com

6 comments:

FANCY the Red Standard Poodle said...

Hi Y'all,

Sounds like the person is not very business oriented...and it does make one wonder about the boarding and training facility they offer.

I sure wouldn't leave Hawk at their Luxury Resort after reading that email she sent to you!

BrownDog's Momma

Just Jess for now said...

Hi Brown Dog's Mama: Thank you. I understand that people don't always know about the capabilities of a disabled person. Like able-bodied people, the abilities can range from one disabled person to another. That said, asking questions and having a discussion as opposed to just saying no and then twisting the wording of the email so that she can blame me is very unprofessional.
Again, thanks. :)

Kolchak Puggle said...

Wow...seriously, if that happened to me I would probably fly off the handle. I think you're response was MUCH more responsible and professional than that women's. Not only was what she did RUDE and UNCALLED FOR, it was illegal. The Ontario Human Right's Code specifically prohibits discrimination based on a number of things, including physical disability. Her argument that it might not be safe just doesn't fly, as organizations that accept volunteers have an obligation to to make changes where required to accomodate diverse volunteers. Page 7 of this web article explains it better than I could - http://www.nelligan.ca/e/pdf/Volunteers_and_The_Law_Stout.pdf. I would be absolutely livid! if I was you. This is certainly their loss, you'd make a wonderful animal volunteer.

Just Jess for now said...

Thank you for that. :)
You have no idea what I would have liked to say instead! LOL I was so angry and still am.
And you did a good job paraphrasing. :)

Brooke, Cessna, Canyon & Rogue said...

Your name's not Jennifer?? LOL! Who does that? and to assume you're a kid...that's so weird! Obviously she's not worth dealing with any further and I probably wouldn't even bother further exchanges since she seems to care less about the facts and likes to go immediately on the defensive.

I wonder if there's a spot on her website where you could make a comment on her lack of professionalism and disregard for over looking your disability...

Just Jess for now said...

She emailed me again after I responded to this email, but I haven't even bothered to reply. She just doesn't get that her attitude sucks. LOL