know your limits...

if rescuers could do just one thing....practice introspective, objective, critical thinking...it would save a lot of animals from unneccessary pain.

case in point...today's news feed, from manitoba...several dead puppies and several neglectfully sick adult dogs found in rescue directors home today.

really? are you kidding me? rescuing animals from rescue???

actually not surprised. been in this business for far too long not to know that sometimes rescued animals are directly suffering at the hands of those who are rescuing.

and why is this?
it is actually pretty simple.
these animals suffer because their rescuers are incapable, unable or unwilling of living in actual reality.
these folks have entire movie series playing inside their heads...rescue segments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7..play out with a new and darker story line each time the script in their heads is re-written.

maybe they start out sort of ok with the very best of intentions..but somewhere along the way, limitations, inadequacies, cracks in the facade and foundation deepen and the veil falls away.

the story lines in their heads are more important than the animals themselves.

the human need to find self worth, to be valuable, to be right, for respect, to be an angel or a hero supercedes the animals needs. and so all imaginary storylines are written to support these human needs.

but here is the thing...fantasies aren't real....real comes in reality.

rescuers who are successful have one critical thing.
honest insight.
they know their strengths and their weaknesses. and they know how to use both to assist in their rescuing.

so for someone like me who sucks at picky details...like paperwork, accounting, and legal charity things....i surround myself with animal loving people like sheila and ann who excel at dotting "I's" and crossing rescue "T's."
when things are swirling around in my head and i am not sure if i am crazy or brain dead...i ask people i trust what they think. and i listen to their perspective so i can view whatever it is with an objective lens.
i have absolute trust in my ability not to rely just on myself because i am not big enough, smart enough, strong enough, good enough to manage this all.
and the knowledge and acceptence of these weaknesses are my greatest strengths.

rescuers have to be willing to turn off the storylines inside their heads and focus on what is actually real.
our job was never to be their saviors..our job is to care for them respectfully and well.

that manitoba rescuer had she opened her eyes and her mind to her own and very real limitations...could have prevented the suffering around her and maybe written a kinder, and more reality based true story instead.

know your limits and work within it.
oh and.... clear out the utter bullshit inhabiting your fantasy head.