many people have good intentions when it concerns caring for dogs, cats and other creatures.
As expected, there were different opinions on whether or not canine shelters make it too challenging to adopt. I listened to these opinions.
Most of us love dogs, so we help them in the ways we know how.
For some of us, loving dogs implies caring for them, healing them, teaching them what we can and then letting them go to new families.
For others, loving dogs implies desperately pulling them from “kill” shelters and getting them into rescue groups, foster homes – and yes, just about any homes.
Both scenarios and so numerous others are examples of our love for dogs.
For one person, loving a canine might imply sitting quietly with her, stroking her ears and telling her she is a good girl before she is euthanized in a pound. Or it might imply moving a canine to another pen before spraying out her cage when the shelter’s protocol is not to relocation the dogs during cleaning time.
It might imply providing a canine one last treat or allowing her the eye contact she seeks as she is led to the “kill room.”
We do these things for dogs because we love them, and we are all working together because we all want to help.
For me, loving a canine implies doing the best I can.
I play ball when I can. I take my canine for walks when I can. We lie on the floor and spoon. We swim together and race around the couch. I invite him on my bed for snuggles. I sing to him. I press my lips to that low spot between his eyes and tell him I love him.
I foster dogs when I can, but I know when to set limits. I know I can’t foster all the time.
I accept that my foster dogs will go into homes that will not treat a canine exactly the way I would treat a dog. I accept that my foster dogs might go into homes that are not as “good” as mine, but the people there will still love the dogs just the same. They will do the best they can.
I see a purpose for pounds, shelters, rescues, no-kill animal sanctuaries, foster homes and adopters.
I also see a purpose for breeders, the people who purchase dogs and the work these dogs do. in some cases the most essential work for a canine is to love us no matter what.
I support the idea of a no-kill nation, yet I realize everyone has her own interpretation of “no kill.”
To me, the “no-kill nation” concept is a goal to get as numerous adoptable dogs into homes as soon as possible in purchase to avoid killing these dogs. To me, an adoptable canine is not suffering beyond sensible help, and he is not aggressive to humans beyond what the average trainer can manage.
Dogs ought to not be kept alive if they are suffering. They ought to not be warehoused in shelters or foster homes. They ought to not be allowed the opportunity to bite or kill a human.
It is possible to reach this point where all adoptable dogs are given a second chance. If this wasn’t realistic, then there would not be this much passion from such a large range of people.
I hate to see the shelter/rescue world divide itself.
I don’t like the hostility I in some cases see from rescue volunteers or shelter workers towards each other or towards anybody who obtained or parted with a canine in any particular way.
Most people really are doing the best they can.
I don’t like to see “facts” that are not supported or statements with no attributions.
I hate to see closed mindedness or people hiding behind “policies.” many policies could stand to be rewritten, and many of us could benefit from a broader perspective. I know I could.
We are all doing our part, working towards the same goal – helping as numerous dogs as possible.
Anyone who loves dogs and wants to help dogs has the potential to bring value to a pound, shelter or rescue.
What are you doing to help homeless dogs or dogs in general?
