JUST ONE DOG

I get a call. A dog was dumped, can we take it? I explain we don’t have room and that we can only take one if one gets adopted.

Most of the time I get understanding and polite callers. It often seems to me that the caller is really thinking that it is only one dog. I can feel that the unspoken thought is that we could surely make room for just one more.

The caller is right, it is only one dog, for them. For us it is the fifth call and the seventh ‘only one dog (or cat)’ of the morning. Chances are someone will drive up and ask us to take a couple of puppies the kids picked up or a cat with kittens.

I truly wish we could take them all---we could if we had a facility that could house hundreds and a staff of forty. We could if we had a bank account that involved six or even seven digits (dollars). As it is we can’t.

I also get calls that go like this: “I rescued a dog and now I don’t know what to do with it!” OK, I have to say this-----if you don’t know what to do with it, you didn’t rescue. In my opinion ‘rescue’ means you will take responsibility for this creature’s life and well-being. It doesn’t mean that you assume someone else will and can take the responsibility.

I think picking up an animal to save it’s life and ‘hoping’ someone can help you is something different entirely. We will always try to help, even if we don’t have room in the shelter. We can try to help with food and we can try to utilize our Facebook page to help place a foundling. 

Sometimes we can help with spay or neuter expenses. We try, but I hope that folks understand our space and resources and manpower are limited. The decisions I make are not easy but I have to place the shelter and it’s continued existence and the orphans in it on the top of the list.

Just sayin’ ------------------The Poop

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