This might not related to any bitty therapy in particular.... From what I gathered, you believe Bitties to be sentient. The whole Regular Monster but Small thing. If so, don't you think it's illegal to put them on sale (or 'adoption' center)? I'm planning to revolutionize the 'bitty' society and just called them Monster, cause bitty sale is just slavery sugar coated in cutesy fake wholesome façade. Are you in?
Yes, Bitties are definitely sentient and sapient, I've learned from firsthand experience! They really are just tiny monsters.
On one hand, I do agree that a lot of the whole industry and trade is corrupted, especially the places that have them for sale outright. The adoption centers are actually a bit better to me, because they're usually not in it for the money and they tend to have Bitties' best interests at heart most of the time, kind of like a cross between a pet shelter and an adoption agency.
On the other hand, I think that because humans (and other monsters, actually) breeding Bitties for so long has made it difficult to untangle things in a big way. Humans and bigger monsters have been breeding these little guys for a long time, to the point where a big chunk of them are bred to want to be companions to humans; which, in turn, makes it hard for them to accept that they don't have to be, in a lot of cases. That in particular is going to take a lot of work to undo. It's not impossible, but it won't be easy or instant.
There are differences between larger monsters and Bitties, not just size, and they're mostly the result of breeding, but also some of them just have this natural instinct to seek out human companionship. I don't think the name needs to be entirely done away with, because it's a descriptor, sort of like you'd describe any other monster by their attributes like 'skeleton monster' or 'fire monster'. Though it certainly would be a nice step to add it for something like 'Bitty monster', maybe? I usually just use Bitty because it's a good shorthand that most people recognize.
Definitely agree with most of what you're saying, of course! Bitties being sold in pet stores and stuff has never sat well with me, so I think it's a good first step to be trying to get laws passed that keep them out of the pet trade. Some of them do like being treated as pets, but it really shouldn't be the default. Thankfully, there are a lot of laws now being put into effect that realize Bitties are more people than pets, so hopefully that will ban them from being sold in pet stores.
Adoption centers do a lot of good, though. My center is actually sort of an adoption center in that once I feel that a Bitty is ready to be released from regular therapy sessions, I do house them here until someone adopts them. Like I said, adoption centers for Bitty monsters are like a cross between foster care and an adoption agency, looking after these guys and facilitating adoptions. Based on my personal experience, most Bitties who get adopted out from an adoption center go to good homes which meet their personal needs and wants.
Some of them aren't great, but then the issue is holding them all the same standards we hold foster care and human adoption agencies, performing regular inspections to make sure they're meeting those standards, and having consequences for the bad centers. Sometimes these places are the only options for some Bitties, so I don't think this kind of resource should just be taken away completely. Reform is always good, though!
Above all I really think it's important to respect whatever the Bitties want. Some of them do want to be pets, and some of them don't. They need to be heard and listened to and have their wishes respected, whatever those wishes might be. Just like some humans might prefer to have lots of roommates, and some might prefer to not have any, they need to have the choice.
I'm in for a lot of this! Though I do want to make it clear that I don't think excessive violence is the way to do it, so I hope that isn't in your plan! Some violence can serve its purpose, but it needs to be balanced with peace.
On the whole, count me in for lots of negotiation and protests! Most of the pet stores near me have already banned the sale of Bitties in their stores... so, while change is slow at the moment, it certainly is happening. Anything constructive I can do to speed it along, put me down for!
(... As long as it doesn't interfere with Blueberry's bedtime story. 💙)