catdarthvader, originally uploaded by La Pauline.

Yesterday I had a student who wrote a piece about the assorted hoops one has to jump through in order to adopt a stray animal in New York. There are applications and reference checks and agencies want to know the fate of any animal you have ever had.

My student was frustrated with the process for a lot of reasons, but eventually got herself a little tabby kitten.

While I understand why agencies have to be so picky about who they give animals to (hoarders, animal torturers, etc.), I think one question they fail to ask is whether potential owners ever plan to dress up their animals in costumes If so, their applications should be denied.