I went to the auction today

It was the last Odd and Unusual auction for the year today at Picture Butte. I have a few things I needed to get rid of so I took them up. Wile I was there I would just look around to see what I could see.

I kind of dislike auctions. I feel sad when I see someone selling horses there and always wonder what the animals story is and how he ended up at a sad little auction like that.

Today I watched them bring in a pen of goats. They were dirty breeds, but that doesn't really matter. What I saw coming along at the end of the pack made me so so sad. A poor little goat doing the high step with all four feet. I wondered why she was walking like that until I saw her horribly overgrown curled up hooves. They had to have measured five inches! Poor girl. The first thing she did when she got in the pen was lay down and stayed that way.

I wanted to buy her just to take her home and try to fix those feet!

I would NEVER bring an animal like that to a sale. I would be embarrassed to have anyone see my animal like that. I would like to find the person who let this happen and let them know they should be ashamed.

I have 23 goats and although it takes a lot of time and work they all have their feet trimmed regularly. And if I want to sell one the first thing I would do is make it look good!

I am not fond of most auctions. The last questionable one I attended was selling puppies and then the adult dogs that produced them. Disgusting. I was near tears watching them hold the adult male in the air and hearing the low bids on him, knowing whoever bought him really didn't want him. He looked so sad.

I do attend POPWA. They have a super auction each spring and fall. Quality birds and supplies.

It is simply not safe for me to go to the auction..... I want to bring everything home!

I think it is the "arms length" selling and lack of accountability at auctions that allows sellers to bring animals that are neglected/and or in poor condition to these venues.
Also the fact that it is an auction can allow split second decisions by the buyer when they may not in fact have properly looked at the animal first.
I appreciate that auctions may be a good way to get rid of animals you don't want but that is also the reason that I prefer to either sell person- to -person at a market style sale or else dispose of the animals myself.

Yes Sue. POPWA has a very good sale, I also like the Lloydminster sale as all entries have sellers name on the box I also put my #eggs on the box so that if the buyer has a problem they can call me or the might want to buy more stock from me. :-)

I do think all auctions have to give more accountability to the buyer. It should be protocol that the sellers name is disclosed to the buyer. And contact info too if the seller is willing.

Maybe auction marts should step it up too and do a quick visual of animals and refuse to handle any that are visually unwell or uncared for. Although this would cut into the bottom line and after all most everything in the world comes down to money. Sadly.

POPWA is the only auction I attend on a semi regular basis. I have yet to see a questionable lot of birds. All the birds I have seen look healthy and are dencently crated for their sales with food & water.

I attended Tys auction he put on at Innisfail back in May. This was his first auction production and I have to say that the birds and animals there also looked very healthy and were well crated with food & water. Most of the sellers had their name and contact info on their lots.

Sadly though these sales are in the minority. Too many auction marts see the poultry & small animal sales as nothing more than fodder. Dumping grounds for animals that are sick and unwanted. My first experience was a few years ago at Thorsby. I went. Saw the animals and was sicken. I saw birds crammed into boxes were they couldn't move with no water and food thrown on the bottom of the boxes mixed with their own crap. One crate had a dead bird and no one seem to care even when it was pointed it out. Worse was a dog & puppies. They would allow the dog & puppies into the sale. You can tell they wer sick. Their eyes had some sort of discharge. The auction placed still allowed that person to sell the dogs on their property outside. I just turned around and left. I was so disgusted.

Ugh so sad, which auction has puppies for sale?!?!? That's horrible

I think Toybarons and I were at the same auction. It was Thorsby. The dogs were Pugs.

I remember that auction too because there was a huge lot of rabbits, all with snuffles.

When there are clearly sick and uncared for animals at auctions, isn't there someone to report it to, I don't mean at the show, isn't there some sort of governance over auctions?

Schipperkesue wrote:I think Toybarons and I were at the same auction.  It was Thorsby.  The dogs were Pugs.

I remember that auction too because there was a huge lot of rabbits, all with snuffles.

Yup. That was the first and last sale of that kind I went to.

Cathyjk wrote:When there are clearly sick and uncared for animals at auctions, isn't there someone to report it to, I don't mean at the show, isn't there some sort of governance over auctions?

Most of these auctions have a list of rules to which they will accept livestock, including how they are to be crated, how many to each crate, ect. Just seems that many of them turn a blind eye though. Even when you bring it to their attention.