Rescue Journal

updates and morning ponderings.

Carol  ·  Apr. 20, 2018

tang had his dental....sadly he lost all of his teeth. but the good news is..he is recovering really well!
nadia had her spay surgery...because she is so very, very shy...it was a tough day for her but it is over now.
sam and flynn had their vet checks...both did very well. sam will soon be available for adoption thru saints and flynn after some temperament checks will be ready thru chilliwack animal control.
noodle had her neurologist appointment..sadly there is little to be done to improve her mobility, she will remain parapalegic. i must say tho, she handles it well!
new cat charley is still hiding in his cubby hole but is starting to come out for petting once in awhile.
the rabbit vaccines are here in BC..just waiting for delivery to our vets.
chewy is feeling better with the metacam injections so that is good news.
we are 6 weeks away from our annual open house so we need to get moving on our yearly sprucing the place up.

lots has been going on this week!

yet this is the simple part of rescue...animals have a need and our job is to meet that need.
i have been working on a power point presentation for an animal welfare conference in the fall. and it is reminding me about all of the invisible things that really aren't invisible because it is a part of what everyone looking in or outside of saints actually sees.

i am talking about ethics, a moral compass, courage to follow that moral compass, transparency and respect.
respect is a funny thing because it sometimes collides with our interior conflicts in saying or doing difficult things.
and that is where both courage and transparency enters the rescue ring.
we can't just sweep the hard stuff under the carpet. we can't just pretend that the uncomfortable parts of rescue don't really exist. we can't run away from our responsibilities.
we live in a world that is not all rose petals and cupcakes and we need the actual will to step into the darker corners, holding our candles high to bring in the light.

fear is a normal human emotion...i am afraid of lot's of things..like people not liking me, thinking i am a hag, of people laughing at me behind my back because they think i am too far outside the box when i really believe in something i say.
but i have learned over the years the thing that feels far worse than being afraid...is feeling false. i still sometimes practice avoidence, esp. if i am feeling unsure. but eventually the unsureness evolves into finding the right..and once that happens, i'm stuck. once you know right..you do right, there is no other choice because wrong will haunt you forever.
so i won't adopt animals out into wrong homes simply because politically or personally it is easiest. i will pull animals out of foster homes if it is in the animals best interests. i don't see these decisions as a negative judgement against the people involved..almost always the people themselves are great but they just happen to be the wrong home for that particular dog. sometimes we have to euthanize a dangerous animal and no one wants us to do that. but sometimes we simply have to. the decision is a hard one but if we truly believe it is necessary, we don't hide it or conveniently forget to mention what happened to that poor animal. if their lives truly have value, then their deaths must be mourned. we can accept that not everyone will agree or understand. the kind or unkind ripples in that pond of controversy are just part of the job.
and none of it certainly is something i look forward to doing...it is really uncomfortable, full of second guessing and self doubt. but i walk into uncomfortable situations knowing there will be consequences..hurt feelings, disagreement, negative judgements, and sometimes anger at me as the target.
whatever. rescue is not easy. rescue is full of many, many responsibilities..we don't get to pick and choose only the feel good...sometimes we have to accept the feeling shitty too.

the struggle is sifting thru all the layers and finding the truth. once that is found..it becomes simple too..we do what we have to do because we work in the flawed real world not in an imaginary perfect world...one where rainbows and butterflies are more important than truth.

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