Notes from a rescuer...
The Daily Layla: Day 2
The Daily Layla: Day 2: "Layla has done so well today! Although it has become apparent that she does not prefer to be left behind a puppy gate. Let me explain... ..."
The Daily Layla: Layla's First 24 Hours at the Myers'
The Daily Layla: Layla's First 24 Hours at the Myers': "Layla's first 24 hours in her new foster home have gone so well! After meeting her in 'person' (or puppy?) for the first time, I could tell..."
a shared post from one of our foster families.
please read this wonderful blog about our Layla in her foster home and think about the joys fostering can bring both sides of the table. Mandy will be blogging each day about layla. so please follow her progress.
http://arflayla.blogspot.com/
the time we have is now
I lost a beloved pet last week. a dog that stole my heart the first day I saw him ambling down the road years and years ago. it took me six months to catch him - but I did. and from that day forward he and I had a bond and love that was so very deep. My heart aches for him each day. I will be walking along and a breeze will cross my face and a photograph in my mind will pop up of Deuteronomy.
tonight that breeze crossed my face and it hit me - the fact that I allowed life to live me. so many days would pass when he was alive that I was rushing around from one responsibility to the next and I would not give him my full mind and attention. Don't get me wrong, he was well loved and he knew it. but still - I didn't fully realize the need to appreciate the time I had when I had it.
tonight, I got word that a dear friend lost her husband. We all knew he was ill and he was on the road to a triple transplant. it all went so terribly wrong suddenly last week. tonight he left this earth and she is grieving. they loved each other very deeply although they had only been together for a few short years.
The time we have is right now. we are not promised tomorrow. yesterday is gone. Love your family, love your pets, do good on this earth. leave a mark that you were here and when you cross a path of someone, smile. touch them kindly.
I hate this part
I am sitting on my couch holding a days old puppy that is gasping on his last breaths. He has been doing this since I met him a few hours ago. it is too late to go to a vet to have him euthanized. so. I sit and rub him and hold him as he gently dies.
I don't know this puppy. just met him as he came to me dying. his litter mates are making it. a friend brought the litter over to see if they could latch onto a mama dog that another friend found yesterday with no pups. she had no pups, had milk, pups had no mama, needed milk. we got them together tonight. only one was destined to not make it.
so. we got the others settled with the mother as I help this little one pass across the river jordan to the other side.
i really really hate this part
EIGHT MILLION
Are you aware that there are over 8 million homeless companion animals in America today? staggering number. EIGHT MILLION.
Eight Million dogs and cats who didn't ask to be here. Eight Million who didn't want to have to scramble and search for a safe place to sleep at night. Eight Million who have a hollow emptiness in their bellies and just want a scrap to eat. Eight Million who have to drink from whatever puddle of muddy water they can find. Eight Million.
This is simply unacceptable to me. How does this happen you ask? easy. People don't understand that their animals litter that they think is so cute is adding to this problem. People buy from breeders who are then encouraged to continue the business of creating animal life for profit. People are complacent about the issue. People turn their head to the issue. People think of animals as disposable without emotions or feelings. These people are wrong. DEAD wrong. Dead wrong because these animals are dying due to these people. The deaths of these animals rides directly on the backs and shoulders of the people who run puppy mills, from the people who buy from back yard breeders, from people who turn their head when they see a stray dog or cat searching for a helping hand, from people who allow their animals to remain unaltered.
Each day I am slammed with people wanting me to take in their animal that they don't want or need anymore, nine times out of ten, this animal has had no vet care and is unaltered. so, not only do they want our shelter to take in their pet that they no longer want, they expect us to take on the expense of housing, care, feeding and VET CARE for this change of mind. Everyday, I get calls from people whose dog or cat has had kittens and they can't keep the litter or can't find homes for the litter. when I ask how this happened, they either get belligerent and defensive or have a lame excuse like "I keep my pet inside or in a fence, someone else's dog/cat got to her..."
I get slammed each day with calls, other shelters get slammed each day with calls, and if the shelters are no kill such as ours, then usually there is no room, because we are already full. if the shelters are open door shelters then they are forced to make the terribly hard decision as to who gets to live and who has to die. and these calls don't even begin to touch the ones that are out there just surviving on sunshine and air. EIGHT MILLION.
I should have won the lottery
but I didn't. I suppose it is because I didn't buy a ticket. Le' sigh.
however, I should have won.
doing the business of animal rescue is very expensive. extremely expensive. even when you barely get by, it is expensive. and there is always more that should have been done even if you had all the money. there is always more.
today it cost ARF approximately $1,000. and that does not tend to the 28 dogs and 9 cats that I received calls on needing us to take them in. do you have any idea how much that hurts? to not be able to help in the area that you choose to help? it hurts deeply. but not as deeply as it hurts the animals we can't help.
you can help. if you choose. you can pledge to contribute any amount on our click and pledge monthly donation. it is easy. just click and pledge to give help to these animals needing our help.
your donations are tax deductible. and you will be sending support to so many in need. Please consider any amount for these precious animals that didn't ask to be here in the first place.
