"i want to start my own rescue"
i honestly swear to god these words never came from my mouth. i never even thought of it in those terms.
when i started katies place it was under SANS because kathe's small cat shelter in new westminster run by another volunteer, was crapping out big time and she was desperate for a place to send cats anywhere but out to her. ever helpful me said i would find some help and set up a shelter for her in maple ridge..which is exactly what i did.
eventually katie's place, kathe and i all parted ways and we became independent of each other and continued on different paths in rescue life.
i went to best friends in utah where it took me all of 2 weeks of several desperate phone calls about senior canadian cats and dogs to realize, i had enough work to do at home. i returned from BF in oct of 2004 and saints was officially born 2 months later (i really needed charity status for legitimacy in order to solicit donations to help pay the rising vet bills.) saints became the next logical step in getting help for senior cats and dogs.
but i am sure the thought.."i want to start my own rescue" never even crossed my mind. it just was the next logical step in accomplishing what i was already out and doing. five years ago...this was not quite what i had envisioned.....it is a helluvalot bigger with a helluvalot more pee and poop.
every time i read or hear the words.."i want to start my own rescue"....the first thing i always think of..."why would you??"
it is not that rescue is so absolutely horrible that i think folks must be crazy to think they want this (but sometimes it is)...i think i mostly wonder at their innocence for thinking what rescue isn't.....it is called rescue not because we rescue animals who need it....it is called rescue because the people really in it, need rescuing.
our search and rescue ships sunk somewhere along with our dreams before we even left shore. the leaky row boats we commandered to do us in the meantime, are overful and threatening to founder and capsize with every wave.
being a forward thinker...i have no intention of drowning so i found a deserted island that no one else wanted and started a ferry service to the mainland...get the animals out of the real world and bring them to safety over here. it was a good idea except, now our little no longer deserted island is too small too.
sigh...what to do, what to do????
this is why i don't believe in fairy tales...they have a beginning, a middle and an end....but fractured fairy tales start out predictibly, get broken up, and then get pieced together again......in many different times, in many different ways...over and over again.
you cannot survive in rescue just staying the same, you just cannot drift forever in the ocean currents of rescue....those leaky survival boats are not meant to last beyond a few years....the first island you find you will eventually outgrow and then you start thinking in terms of a really big island...sigh...dare i wish it be in some place warm, like hawaii?
probably not...if i could stay close to the lower mainland (and my job and my family)...that would be good enough.
i am thinking my 3 acres needs to become...30 or maybe 300...that might be big enough to fracture this fairy tale up to the next level.
If SAINTS gets much bigger, you should think about geting a private vet. With our 9 pugs (8 rescues) we have paid about $50,000 this yr alone to vets. I can just imagine what yours run! Seriously, think about it.
More complicated testing could be done somewhere else, but most of it is the vet themselves, time, travelling etc. The drugs are the very least of it. Must be a retired vet or someone like that around who would like to keep their hand in it, and maybe not quite full time.
Hope everyone there has had a great holiday season, and best wishes from Bella (Pugsy) and I in th eNew Year.
Hugs Joan