Today I saw a woman give up her dog.
At first I didn't know what was happening, as she sat at a small table at the MaxFund with another volunteer. I was bringing a dog back from a walk and noticed that she was crying and holding the leash of a beautiful basset hound. It wasn't quite what I expected it would all look like, but it was fairly quick and after about 10 minutes she was turning over the leash of the family dog, Bellow.
I was brushing one of the shelter dogs in an empty room when Bellow came in. She walked around for a couple minutes smelling the few items in the room, all the while a shelter volunteer was bringing in the dog's plush bed, a new crate and a few other items from Bellow's now past home.
After a couple minutes there was nothing left to smell, and Bellow realized she was alone in a room with no one she knew. She looked confused and maybe a little sad, but I thought to myself that it was nice she had a little time before she went to her cage in the back ... the one that would be her new home until she got adopted.
Shelters receive about half of the 5 to 7 million companion animals in their shelters from pets relinquished by their owners, with the other half being animals picked up by animal control or brought in by Good Samaritans. Once in a shelter, about 60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats are euthanized each year, according to the ASPCA (http://www.aspca.org/about-us/faq/pet-statistics.aspx).
I'm not writing this blog to judge, and I can't pretend that I understand or that I know all of the circumstances, as I'm sure sometimes people feel like they don't have a choice in relinquishing their animal. The National Humane Education Society reports a variety of reasons for people giving up their family pet, ranging from moving to cost of the animal, to not having time for the pet to the animal having an illness.
Still, with the statistics the way they are, it seems like giving up your animal, in many cases, is almost like signing their death certificate - like asking someone to put them down, so you don't have to.
I've seen the sad eyes of too many caged animals that had homes and no longer do, to have much sympathy for their humans.
Although there are no doubt cases where people honestly can no longer care for their animals - where the pet's chances at a shelter are better than their life at home - it is hard to imagine that number being around 2.5 to 3.5 million a year. On the contrary, I'm guessing a lot of the relinquishments just made the person's life a little easier.
So while my opinion of relinquishment is likely not much of a secret at this point, I think there is a bigger idea at play here. As a society, we need to value animals, we need to take pet ownership as a permanent, lifelong commitment, rather than only keep an animal when it is cute and cuddly and causes us no difficulty.
Think of your animal as your child, because that is what they are - they need you, they love you for who you are, they need love and affection and they need you to be their parent forever. A pet isn't a commitment for a couple years - it is a commitment for a lifetime - and with half of all dogs and cats in shelters being given up, just imagine what a dent we could make in the lives of animals if families didn't see their pets as disposable.
I think how many more animals could be saved if I could fill half the cages at MaxFund - a no-kill shelter, with dogs and cats that truly needed homes - not animals that someone figured life would be more convenient without.
People may think it's just one animal they are giving up, but honestly when someone gets rid of their family pet, they are not only taking a chance that their animal may be put down, but that another may not get a place in the shelter. Our consumerist society, our instant gratification ... our selfishness is literally killing animals.
Maybe someday when people think they want a cute puppy, they will buy a stuffed dog rather than the real thing. That way when they get tired of it and give it up, the stuffed animal can just go in a storage box in the garage, rather than the real dog having to go to the nearest shelter and wait to see if it gets to live another day.
August 22, 2011
August 15, 2011
Keeping Pets with their Families
About a week ago, I received the following email:
"We are in desperate need of some dog food for our much loved pets. We have 3 dogs, 1 miniature schnauzer, 1 border collie mix, and 1 white Pyrenees. The 2 big dogs weigh around 75 pounds and eat about 15 pounds of dry dog food a week. The little dog needs to eat 1 canned food per day. She has an esophageal disease that causes her to vomit if she eats dry food. We are in extreme financial woes right now. My daughter just got a job, but does not get paid for another 3 1/2 weeks. Any help would greatly be appreciated until that time. We love our dogs so much and would absolutely dread having to give them up. Please help us!!"
As a volunteer for the Furry Friends Food Drive, a group of us got the email, and when I followed up, I learned that the woman had sent the email to five different organizations and had not heard from anyone - she was desperate and called me immediately, telling me that she was on the last day that she had food for her dogs, and didn't know what to do.
I told her that we would take care of it and she would have food to give her dogs the next day. My awesome boyfriend (props babe) went to Sam's Club and purchased $70 worth of dog food, enough to keep the dogs well-fed for at least two months. The next day my pups Tonka and Bow joined me in delivering the food.
As I heard the family's dogs barking inside the home, the daughter helped me bring the bags of food into the garage - saying "thank you" nearly a dozen times during the three minutes I was at their house.
I told her that through volunteering at the shelter, I have seen a lot of dogs that were in wonderful homes and had to be relinquished because the family couldn't afford to keep them - I told her I really admired their family for caring enough about their pets to ask for help. She told me that she couldn't imagine her life without her "guys."
They were just an everyday family - they could have been anyone's neighbor ... it just goes to show the importance of asking for help and the importance of answering the call for help - it can make all the difference.
There are tens of thousands of families facing these kind of tough decisions, and a little assistance can go such a long way in helping them keep their animals at home. The Furry Friends Food Drive is in its third year and works with the Food Bank of the Rockies to collect pet food to help people keep their animals - you can find out more here: www.furryfriendsfooddrive.org.
Helping families feed their pets keeps animals out of shelters, not only keeping them with their loving families, but also giving other pets in shelters a second chance. It's an issue that I didn't think much about before, but something that can make a direct difference in the lives of so many.
Two days after the pups and I delivered the dog food, I received the following note:
"We all appreciate you sooo much!!! You have helped keep our happy little family together. Our dogs mean the world to us and we love them dearly, as much as we know that they love us too. Through your generosity, we are able to keep them and care for them; you have helped make that possible. During a rough time for us, you have been that ray of hope. You will always hold a special place in our hearts and words cannot express our gratitude towards you. Thank you!! You are an amazing and beautiful person."
And that's more than I needed.
"We are in desperate need of some dog food for our much loved pets. We have 3 dogs, 1 miniature schnauzer, 1 border collie mix, and 1 white Pyrenees. The 2 big dogs weigh around 75 pounds and eat about 15 pounds of dry dog food a week. The little dog needs to eat 1 canned food per day. She has an esophageal disease that causes her to vomit if she eats dry food. We are in extreme financial woes right now. My daughter just got a job, but does not get paid for another 3 1/2 weeks. Any help would greatly be appreciated until that time. We love our dogs so much and would absolutely dread having to give them up. Please help us!!"
As a volunteer for the Furry Friends Food Drive, a group of us got the email, and when I followed up, I learned that the woman had sent the email to five different organizations and had not heard from anyone - she was desperate and called me immediately, telling me that she was on the last day that she had food for her dogs, and didn't know what to do.
I told her that we would take care of it and she would have food to give her dogs the next day. My awesome boyfriend (props babe) went to Sam's Club and purchased $70 worth of dog food, enough to keep the dogs well-fed for at least two months. The next day my pups Tonka and Bow joined me in delivering the food.
As I heard the family's dogs barking inside the home, the daughter helped me bring the bags of food into the garage - saying "thank you" nearly a dozen times during the three minutes I was at their house.
I told her that through volunteering at the shelter, I have seen a lot of dogs that were in wonderful homes and had to be relinquished because the family couldn't afford to keep them - I told her I really admired their family for caring enough about their pets to ask for help. She told me that she couldn't imagine her life without her "guys."
They were just an everyday family - they could have been anyone's neighbor ... it just goes to show the importance of asking for help and the importance of answering the call for help - it can make all the difference.
There are tens of thousands of families facing these kind of tough decisions, and a little assistance can go such a long way in helping them keep their animals at home. The Furry Friends Food Drive is in its third year and works with the Food Bank of the Rockies to collect pet food to help people keep their animals - you can find out more here: www.furryfriendsfooddrive.org.
Helping families feed their pets keeps animals out of shelters, not only keeping them with their loving families, but also giving other pets in shelters a second chance. It's an issue that I didn't think much about before, but something that can make a direct difference in the lives of so many.
Two days after the pups and I delivered the dog food, I received the following note:
"We all appreciate you sooo much!!! You have helped keep our happy little family together. Our dogs mean the world to us and we love them dearly, as much as we know that they love us too. Through your generosity, we are able to keep them and care for them; you have helped make that possible. During a rough time for us, you have been that ray of hope. You will always hold a special place in our hearts and words cannot express our gratitude towards you. Thank you!! You are an amazing and beautiful person."
And that's more than I needed.
August 06, 2011
Running for Rescues
Animals are something I think a lot about when I'm running. Now that I'm training for the NYC Marathon, I'm doing a lot of running, so it's easy to see that I gave the idea of "what I could do to help animals" quite a bit of thought.
After I started doing research and began volunteering with rescued dogs, I felt empowered and enlightened. Soon, however, that feeling was replaced by being discouraged and overwhelmed by all of the bad things happening that I had no control over.
None of the animals I met deserved anything but a loving home, and I was reminded constantly of the mistreatment of animals and the terrible things that human beings are capable of. But, we are also capable of amazing, good things - and that side is what really gives me hope that society as a whole can make a change.
One day it came to me, my running didn't have to just be a place where I could process my thoughts about animals - it was something that could make a difference for animals. I drafted an email to my friends and family and "Running for Rescues" was born.
I decided that by running, I could encourage people to donate a certain amount per mile run to animal shelters or rescues of their choice. After one month, the program is already up to $1,300 pledged - thanks to the incredible support of my family, friends and coworkers.
Now, when I run, it gives me something to run for, and it gave me a way to combine my passion for running and my passion for animals and to help call people to action.
In NYC this November, I plan to create a shirt for Running for Rescues, so it might be noticed by a fellow runner or one of the millions of spectators. In all honesty, I don't really know if my efforts will change anyone's mind about the importance of adopting animals from a shelter.
But if a couple people start to think about the issue and start to see things in a different way, I will feel like I've already won ... even before I cross the finish line.
After I started doing research and began volunteering with rescued dogs, I felt empowered and enlightened. Soon, however, that feeling was replaced by being discouraged and overwhelmed by all of the bad things happening that I had no control over.
None of the animals I met deserved anything but a loving home, and I was reminded constantly of the mistreatment of animals and the terrible things that human beings are capable of. But, we are also capable of amazing, good things - and that side is what really gives me hope that society as a whole can make a change.
One day it came to me, my running didn't have to just be a place where I could process my thoughts about animals - it was something that could make a difference for animals. I drafted an email to my friends and family and "Running for Rescues" was born.
I decided that by running, I could encourage people to donate a certain amount per mile run to animal shelters or rescues of their choice. After one month, the program is already up to $1,300 pledged - thanks to the incredible support of my family, friends and coworkers.
Now, when I run, it gives me something to run for, and it gave me a way to combine my passion for running and my passion for animals and to help call people to action.
In NYC this November, I plan to create a shirt for Running for Rescues, so it might be noticed by a fellow runner or one of the millions of spectators. In all honesty, I don't really know if my efforts will change anyone's mind about the importance of adopting animals from a shelter.
But if a couple people start to think about the issue and start to see things in a different way, I will feel like I've already won ... even before I cross the finish line.
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