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Just Fur Fun: For the Rescuers

  
     
 
The Reason 
(to you from all your rescue dogs)
 
I would've died that day if not for you.
 
I would've given up on life if not for your kind eyes.
I would've used my teeth in fear if not for your gentle hands.
I would have left this life believing that all humans don't care
Believing there is no such thing as fur that isn't matted
skin that isn't flea bitten
good food and enough of it
beds to sleep on
someone to love me
to show me I deserve love just because I exist.
 
Your kind eyes, your loving smile, your gentle hands
Your big heart saved me...
 
You saved me from the terror of the pound,
Soothing away the memories of my old life.
You have taught me what it means to be loved.
I have seen you do the same for other dogs like me.
 
I have heard you ask yourself in times of despair
Why you do it
When there is no more money, no more room, no more homes
You open your heart a little bigger, stretch the money a little
tighter
Make just a little more room...to save one more like me.
I tell you with the gratitude and love that shines in my eyes
In the best way I know how
Reminding you why you go on trying.
 
I am the reason
The dogs before me are the reason
As are the ones who come after.
Our lives would've been wasted, our love never given
We would die if not for you.
 
 
By Kim Senke-Rocka
Associate Executive Director
Heart Bandits American Eskimo Dog Rescue
 
RESCUE HELP NEEDED ASAP !!!!!!!!
 
Please help! After two long years of being on a waiting list for an exotic rare breed dog, we were finally notified by the breeder that at long last, our number has come up, and... WE'RE HAVING A PUPPY!
 
We must IMMEDIATELY get rid of our children now, because we just KNOW how time consuming our new little puppy is going to be! Since our puppy will be arriving on Monday, we MUST place the children in new homes this weekend!!!
 
They are described as:
One male, white, blonde hair, blue eyes. Four years old. Excellent disposition. He doesn't bite. Name is Tommy. Temperament tested.  Current on all shots. Tonsils removed already and very healthy condition!
 
Tommy eats everything, is very clean, house trained and gets along well with others. Does not run with scissors and with a little time and training, he will do well in a new home
 
One female, strawberry blonde hair, green eyes. Three years old. Can be surly at times. Non-biter, thumb sucker. Her name is Mary.  Temperament tested, but needs a little attitude adjusting occasionally. She is current on all shots, tonsils out, and is very healthy and happy (mostly.) 
 
Gets along well with little boys, but does not like to share toys. She is house trained, and would do best in a one child household.
 
We really LOVE our children, and want to do what is best for them. I  hope you understand, that ours is a UNIQUE situation, and we have a real emergency here! They MUST be placed by Sunday night at the latest.
 
 
Rescuer's Bridge I
 
Unlike most days at Rainbow Bridge, this day dawned cold and gray, damp as a swamp and as dismal as could be imagined. All of the recent arrivals had no idea what to think, as they had never experienced a day like this before. 
 
But the animals who had been waiting for their beloved people knew exactly what was going on and started to gather at the pathway leading to The Bridge to watch.
 
It wasn't long before an elderly animal came into view, head hung low and tail dragging. The other animals, the ones who had been there for a while, knew what his story was right away, for they had seen this happen far too often. 
 
He approached slowly, obviously in great emotional pain, but with no sign of injury or illness. Unlike all of the other animals waiting at The Bridge, this animal had not been restored to youth and made healthy and vigorous again. 
 
As he walked toward The Bridge, he watched all of the other animals watching him. He knew he was out of place here and the sooner he could cross over, the happier he would be. But, alas, as he approached The Bridge, his way was barred by the appearance of an Angel who apologized, but told him that he would not be able to pass. Only those animals who were with their people could pass over Rainbow Bridge. 
 
With no place else to turn to, the elderly animal turned towards the fields before The Bridge and saw a group of other animals like himself, also elderly and infirm. They weren't playing, but rather simply lying on the green grass, forlornly staring out at the pathway leading to The Bridge. And so, he took his place among them, watching the pathway and waiting.
 
One of the newest arrivals at The Bridge didn't understand what he had just witnessed and asked one of the animals that had been there for awhile to explain it to him.
 
"You see, that poor animal was a rescue. He was turned in to rescue just as you see him now, an older animal with his fur graying and his eyes clouding. He never made it out of rescue and passed on with only the love of his rescuer to comfort him as he left his earthly existence. Because he had no family to give his love to, he has no one to escort him across The Bridge."
 
The first animal thought about this for a minute and then asked, "So what will happen now?" As he was about to receive his answer, the clouds suddenly parted and the gloom lifted. Approaching The Bridge could be seen a single person, and among the older animals, a whole group was suddenly bathed in a golden light and they were all young and healthy again, just as they were in the prime of life.
 
"Watch, and see," said the second animal. A second group of animals from those waiting came to the pathway and bowed low as the person neared. At each bowed head, the person offered a pat on the head or a scratch behind the ears. The newly restored animals fell into line and followed her towards The Bridge. They all crossed The Bridge together.
 
"What happened?"
 
"That was a rescuer. The animals you saw bowing in respect were those who found new homes because of her work. They will cross when their new families arrive. Those you saw restored were those who never found homes. When a rescuer arrives, they are allowed to perform one, final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort those poor animals that they couldn't place on earth across The Rainbow Bridge."
 
"I think I like rescuers", said the first animal.
 
"So does GOD", was the reply.
 
 
Special thanks to:
CCDR/DUR/TRUCKNPAWS
Saving the World, four paws at a time
 
NOT AN ANGEL
(Rescuer's Bridge II)
 
The young pup and the older dog lay on shaded sweet grass watching the reunions. Sometimes a man, sometimes a woman, sometimes a whole family would approach the Rainbow Bridge, be greeted by their loving pets and cross the bridge together.
 
The young pup playfully nipped at the older one. "Look! Something wonderful is happening!" 
 
The older dog stood up and barked, "Quickly. Get over to the path."
 
"But that's not my owner," whined the pup, but he did as he was told. 
 
Thousands of pets surged forward as a figure in white walked on the path toward the bridge.  As the glowing figure passed each animal, that animal bowed its head in love and respect. The figure finally approached the bridge, and was met by a menagerie of joyous animals. Together, they all walked over the bridge and disappeared.
 
The young pup was still in awe. "Was that an angel?" he whispered.
 
"No, son," the older dog replied. "That was more than an angel. That was a rescuer."
 
Rescue Barbie
We've all heard about Menopausal Barbie and Trailer Park Barbie, now here's one (or rather two) for us:

K-9 Rescue Barbie
 
This Christmas season, give the latest, hottest new Barbie -- K-9 Rescue Barbie. She comes with her own Ford Aerostar van, and various size dog crates inside. She has a cell phone that's barely working due to over use and underpayment. 
 
Barbie herself is decked out in jeans, grungy athletic shoes, and a t-shirt that says "Dogs are Better Than Any Other Living Thing on Earth". She comes with a road atlas of every town and state in all of North America, and a compass on the dashboard of the van. She also has a map of every McDonald's in the world. 
 
Optional is the special Rescue Dog Barbie laptop computer with the names and addresses of every other dog rescue person on earth, in case she gets somewhere and a contact fails to show up. 
 
Running buddy, "Lucky", the three-legged, blind Shih Tzu doll is available for an additional $ 49.95. 
 
For $89.95, you can complete the set with "Pissed off husband at home, Ken," and the various foster dogs at $ 20 each. 
 
Prices for accessories are:

Fake snow falling on Barbie's van: $12.95
Flat tire for Barbie's van: (see Barbie's Road Service")
Barbie's First Aid Kit: (human): $11.75, (canine): $69.50
Barbie's Speeding Ticket: $95 (Mississippi--$195)
Barbie's coat-that-she-had-to-buy-in-Minnesota: $85
Barbie's Vet Bill for Lucky in Vaughn, New Mexico: $63.45
Barbie's contact, Rhonda, who she had to give gas money to in Mesa Verde, Texas: $20.
Barbie's bill to get her contact, Luis, out of jail in Bakersfield, California: $500.
Barbie's bill to get Luis's dogs out of the pound in Bakersfield, California: $265.
Barbie's hotel/kennel bill in Laughlin, Nevada, while she waits for her contact:$532.
Barbie's overalls that she has to buy while in Minden, Nebraska, hunting down lost coonhounds: $49.95
Pizza for Barbie's suspicious looking hitch-hiker with sick puppy: $15
Vet bill for hitch-hikers sick puppy in Des Moines, Iowa: $143.29
Barbie's doggie wheelchair for "Klause" the rescue dachshund in Leavenworth, Kansas: $143.
And Barbie's van detailing/fumigation from hauling parvo/kennel cough puppies: $187.
Barbie's resume to get new job when she gets home from run: $29.95
 
And let us not forget her sister doll - Cat Rescue Barbie, who comes with the same equipment, (substitute "cat" for "dog"), also:

Folding ladder in vehicle: $129.95
Have-a-heart trap: $29.95
Cans of tuna for baiting trap: $11.95
Long handled fishing net: $39.95
Case of Simple Solution: $259.95
Black light (to detect cat urine): $29.95
Tee shirt that says "The More I Know About Men, The More I Love My Cat" $19.95
Running buddy "Jeep" - 3-legged tailless cat named after vehicle that claimed her missing appendages: $89.95
Vet bill for Jeep $397.95
Friend Edith, 87-year-old feral colony feeder, who calls begging favors when her arthritis acts up and she can't get out. $59.95
Food for Edith's colony cats (after all, Edith is on Social Security) $139.95
Friend Margie, do-gooder with pristine home and one spoiled cat, whose idea of being a rescuer is to pick up strays and take them to Barbie for rehab, vetting, fostering, and placement. $89.95
Vet bills for Margie's rescues $892.95
Mother Sadie, who calls weekly to ask Barbie when she is going to get rid of all those smelly cats and give her some grandchildren already $ 89.95 (telephone extra)
Shrink who talks Barbie out of killing above-mentioned persons each week $500
Vet who makes house calls and doesn't blink at unannounced visits and odd-hour consultations: priceless

Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light
 
ONCE I WAS A LONELY DOG
 
Once I was a lonely dog,
just looking for a home.
I had no place to go,
no one to call my own.
 
I wandered up and down the streets,
in rain in heat and snow.
I ate what ever I could find,
I was always on the go.
 
My skin would itch, my feet were sore,
my body ached with pain.
And no one stopped to give a pat
or to gently say my name.
 
I never saw a loving glance,
I was always on the run.
For people thought that hurting me
was really lots of fun.
 
And then one day I heard a voice
so gentle, kind and sweet,
And arms so soft reached down to me
and took me off my feet.
 
"No one again will hurt you"
was whispered in my ear.
"You'll have a home to call your own
where you will know no fear."
 
"You will be dry, you will be warm,
you'll have enough to eat
And rest assured that when you sleep,
your dreams will all be sweet."
 
I was afraid I must admit,
I've lived so long in fear.
I can't remember when I let
a human come so near.
 
And as she tended to my wounds
and bathed and brushed my fur,
She told me 'bout the rescue group
and what it meant to her.
 
She said, "We are a circle,
a line that never ends.
And in the center there is you
protected by new friends."
 
"And all around you are
the ones that check the pounds,
And those that share their home
after you've been found."
 
"And all the other folk
we're searching near and far.
To find the perfect home for you,
where you can be a star."
 
She said, "There is a family,
that's waiting patiently,
and pretty soon we'll find them,
just you wait and see."
 
"And then they'll join our circle
they'll help to make it grow,
so there'll be room for more like you,
who have no place to go."
 
I waited very patiently,
the days they came and went.
Today's the day I thought,
my family will be sent.
 
Then just when I began to think
it wasn't meant to be,
there were people standing there
just gazing down at me.
 
I knew them in a heartbeat,
I could tell they felt it too.
They said, "We have been waiting
for a special dog like you."
 
Now every night I say a prayer
to all the gods that be.
"Thank you for the life I live
and all you've given me.
 
But most of all, protect the dogs
in the pound and on the street.
And send a Rescue Person
to lift them off their feet."
 
~~ author unknown
 
 
THE ANIMALS' SAVIOR
 
I looked at all the caged animals in the shelter...the cast-
offs of human society.
 
I saw in their eyes love and hope, fear and dread, sadness
and betrayal. And I was angry.
 
"God," I said, "this is terrible! Why don't you do
something?"
 
God was silent for a moment, and then spoke softly, "I have
done something," was the reply. "I created you."
 
-- copyright 1999 Jim Willis
 the book can be found at the following web site:
http://www.crean.com/jimwillis
 
An Open Letter 
to Mr. and Mrs. Average Pet Owner

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Average Pet Owner:

Thank you for contacting us animal rescuers, shelter volunteers, and foster-homes about your inability to keep your pet. We receive an extremely high volume of inquiries and requests to accept surrendered animals (and none of us is getting paid, OK?). To help us expedite your problem as quickly as possible, please observe the following guidelines:

1. Do not say that you are "CONSIDERING finding a good home" for your pet, or that you, "feel you MIGHT be forced to," or that you "really THINK it would be better if" you unloaded the poor beast. 
 
Ninety-five percent of you have already got your minds stone-cold made up that the animal WILL be out of your life by the weekend at the latest. Say so. 
 
If you don't, I'm going to waste a lot of time giving you common-sense, easy solutions for very fixable problems, and you're going to waste a lot of time coming up with fanciful reasons why the solution couldn't possibly work for you. For instance, you say the cat claws the furniture, and I tell you about nail-clipping and scratching posts and aversion training, and then you go into a long harangue about how your husband won't let you put a scratching post in the family room, and your ADHD daughter cries if you use a squirt bottle on the cat, and your congenital thumb abnormalities prevent you from using nail scissors, etc., etc.

Just say you're getting rid of the cat.

2. Do not waste time trying to convince me how nice and humane you are. Your co-worker recommended that you contact me because I am nice to animals, not because I am nice to people, and I don't like people who "get rid of" their animals. "Get rid of" is my least favorite phrase in any language. I hope someone "gets rid of" YOU someday. 
 
I am an animal advocate, not a people therapist. After all, for your ADHD daughter, you can get counselors, special teachers, doctors, social workers, etc.  Your pet has only me, and people like me, to turn to in his or her need, and we are unpaid, overworked, stressed-out, and demoralized. 
 
So don't tell me this big long story about how, "We love this dog so much, and we even bought him a special bed that cost $50, and it is just KILLING us to part with him, but honestly, our maid is just awash in dog hair every time she cleans, and his breath sometimes just reeks of liver, so you can see how hard we've tried, and how dear he is to us, but we really just can't . . ." 
 
You are not nice, and it is not killing you. It is, in all probability, literally killing your dog, but you're going to be just fine once the beast is out of your sight. Don't waste my time trying to make me like you or feel sorry for you in your
plight.

3. Do not try to convince me that your pet is exceptional and deserves special treatment. I don't care if you taught him to sit. I don't care if she's a beautiful Persian. I have a waiting list of battered and/or whacked-out animals who need help, and I have no room to foster-house your pet. 
 
Do not send me long messages detailing how Fido just l-o-v-e-s blankies and carries his favorite blankie everywhere, and oh, when he gets all excited and happy, he
spins around in circles, isn't that cute? He really is darling, so it wouldn't be any trouble at all for us to find him a good home.

Listen, we can go down to the pound and count the darling, spinning, blankie-loving beasts on death row by the dozens, any day of the week. And, honey, Fido is a six-year-old Shepherd-Lab mix. I am not lying when I tell you that big, older, mixed-breed, garden-variety dogs are almost completely unadoptable, and I don't care if they can whistle Dixie or send semaphore signals with their blankies. 
 
What you don't realize is that, though you're trying to lie to me, you're actually telling the truth: Your pet IS a special, wonderful, amazing creature. But this mean old world does not care. More importantly, YOU do not care, and I can't fix that problem.

All I can do is grieve for all the exceptional animals who live short, brutal, loveless lives and die without anyone ever recognizing that they were indeed very, very special.

4. Finally, just, for pity' s sake, for the animal's sake, tell the truth, and the whole truth. Do you think that if you just mumble that your cat is "high-strung," I will say, "Okey-doke! No problemo!" and take it into foster care?
 
No, I will start a asking questions and uncover the truth, which is that your cat has not used a litter box in the last six months. Do not tell me that you "can't" crate your dog. I will ask what happens when you try to crate him, and you will either be forced to tell me the symptoms of full-blown,
severe separation anxiety, or else you will resort to lying some more, wasting more of our time.

And, if you succeed in placing your pet in a shelter or foster care, do not tell yourself the biggest lie of all: "Those nice people will take him and find him a good home, and everything will be fine." 
 
Those nice people will indeed give the animal every possible chance, but if we discover serious health or behavior problems, if we find that your misguided attempts to train or discipline him have driven him over the edge, we will do what you are too immoral and cowardly to do: We will hold the animal in our arms, telling him truthfully that he is a good dog or cat, telling him truthfully that we are sorry and we love him, while the vet ends his life. 

How can we be so heartless as to kill your pet, you ask? Do not ever dare to judge us. At least we tried. At least we stuck with him to the end. At least we never abandoned him to strangers, as you certainly did, didn't you? 
 
In short, this little old rescuer/foster momma has reached the point where she would prefer you pet owners to tell her stories like this:

"We went to Wal-Mart and picked up a free pet in the parking lot a couple of years ago. Now we don't want it anymore.  We're lazier than we thought. We've got no patience either. We're starting to suspect the animal is really smarter than we are, which is giving us self-esteem issues. Clearly, we can't possibly keep it. Plus, it might be getting sick; it's acting kind of funny.

"We would like you to take it in eagerly, enthusiastically, and
immediately.  We hope you'll realize what a deal you're getting and not ask us for a donation to help defray your costs. After all, this is an (almost) pure-bred animal, and we'll send the leftover food along with it. We get the food at Wal-Mart too, and boy, it's a really good deal, price-wise".

"We are very irritated that you haven't shown pity on us in our great need and picked the animal up already. We thought you people were supposed to be humane! Come and get it today. No, we couldn't possibly bring it to you; the final episode of "Survivor II" is on tonight."

Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Pet Owner, for your cooperation.

--Author Unknown, but could be any shelter worker or rescuer
 
Rescued Hearts

Taking care of rescue dogs
Is something I do best.
I know because I've done it
And I've surely passed the test.

The dogs I've bathed, the food I've fed
The vacuuming I've done,
And all to watch a frightened soul
Sit dreaming in the sun.

My own dogs I've neglected, 
But I tell them every day,
That I love and cherish each of them,
Though a new dogs come to stay.

I know they understand this,
For in their eyes I see,
The love that I have given them
Come shining back at me.

Some people think I'm crazy,
Some others think I'm great,
But very few can understand
What really is at stake.

If I can love and help a dog
To find a better way,
My own life is much richer,
I look forward to each day.

So now you know my secret,
It's there for all to see,
The love I give, the life I save,
I do it all for me.

by
Kathleen Parsons
 
You are the Answer
 
Good Morning, may we help you, is how we start our day.
"You won't kill them?" are the first words you say.
 
They're female, mostly female, nine in this liter,
I gritted my teeth trying not to sound bitter.
 
You bring LIFE to us and briskly come in.
The novelty now faded along with your whim.
 
You smile as you offer what to you seems a present.
We smile right back and try to be pleasant.
 
Your gift is the third since our office just opened.
We're your last resort - but you were just hoping.
 
For a miracle - nine people to rush in
And choose each pup for a friend.
 
Our heart has grown heavy - our soul quite sad
You thought we would thank you and surely be glad.
 
Glad to relieve your careless mistake.
To appear in six months for another retake?
 
We're a shelter, a place for unwanted animals
Where everyone loses and so many gamble
 
Humane workers are desperate, weary, forlorn
Concerned for those that should never be born.
 
This is not what we wanted to be.
Please understand - don't you see? Won't you see?
 
The hurt that's inside because we do care.
About those nine pups you have over there.
 
Bouncy and cuddly, cute - so much more,
But you only shrug as you walk out the door.
 
You left them for us to make the decision
Which ones will die or go right on living.
 
Only one of of ten will be given a home
And for how long a time will she belong
 
To a family who chooses, for whatever reason,
To return her to us when she is in season.
 
History repeats, for she will have been bred.
She trembles it seems with fear and with dread.
 
The face of each worker can plainly be read,
Because they know she will will be dead.
 
We feel that we love her more than you,
There are so many, what else can we do?
 
You point your finger and say, "Oh the shame.
You put them to sleep, you are to blame.
 
Little do you realize how we try not to hate you.
And strive with much effort to educate you.
 
You didn't stay 'til the end to see us weep
When we had to take them and put them "to sleep".
 
Euthanasia - a kind death, by definition.
Less birth would be kind, is our declaration
 
But you go on in your merry ole way,
Forgetting too soon and without much delay
 
That you cause the problem - You are the SOURCE.
You just won't admit it, of course.
 
You give our best for the animals and for you
Although the thank-yous are sparse and quite few.
 
Love and concern carry us through every day
We need your help THERE MUST BE A BETTER WAY.
 
              

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
     
 

1979 by Barbara Smith

  
 
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