Wednesday, June 1, 2011

I'm having a BAD day...

Today I am having a bad day. Woke up to a dog puking, headache, almost fell backwards into the bathtub, dog peed about a gallon on the floor, terrible traffic.

But THEN I remember that The Barkley Foundation is having a WORSE day. They are a good group that has the best of intentions.

Yes, I know all of the facts, and I know all of the arguments and I know all of the details. I can't get into them here, there's just too many. The bottom line is: they owe $22,000 to their vet. And they have dogs that still aren’t quite out of the woods, health-wise. And they have people behaving badly to them on Facebook, bullying them and smearing their names and talking behind their backs like fifth graders. This, on top of everything else going on in their private lives, which aren’t exactly cake, either.

My life is easy by comparison. My problems can be solved with Advil, Planet Urine, with slowing down, and telling people to back off. Right now, I’m telling everyone to back off TBF. They are a good group that has the best of intentions. They are innocent of wrong-doing, the only thing they are guilty of is biting off more than they can chew. And anyone who has ever bitten off more than they can chew knows that eventually, you’ll get it all straightened out, if you are contrite and you ask for help, EARLY.

It’s impossible to predict what will happen from day to day in animal rescue. It is impossible to know what dogs have been exposed to, because DOGS CAN’T TALK. It is impossible to trust everyone when we’re stressed, over-worked and fighting a constant stream of millers, abusers and idiots who “just want to have one litter”. And you are under tight deadlines, budgetary restrictions, and so are the people you are working with. Everyone is broke and full, everywhere, and with all of these natural disasters and the economy still in the toilet, it’s JUST GETTING WORSE.

Harder and even less predictable: you have to answer to public opinion. And to “lawmakers” who have never saved a life. You have to set people straight about LIES. You have to deal with media scrutiny. These are all distractions, from something MUCH more important--you are staring into the eyes filled with pain in a little furry face.

It’s so easy to attack, it’s easier than jumping in and doing WORK. It’s easier to say “no, I won’t help you” and judge. American Idol gave us Simon Cowell. Some people are trying to be the Simon Cowell of the rescue world. Cowell is an exaggeration, not someone to model your comments on when you are discussing REAL people doing REAL WORK.

Yeah, TBF got in over their head. There was a break down in communication. But at the end of the day they can hold their heads high and say “We did right by each individual animal” and at the end of the day, at the end of this life, that is HONORABLE.

This is my opinion. If you don’t like my little essay, you have two choices. You can un-friend me or, you can ignore me. Either way, if you've EVER had a bad day, why don't you go give a dollar to The Barkley Foundation?

Who am I? I’m ONE person walking the rescue walk at my own pace. I transport a LOT, and I do mid-week transports and long hauls to Minnesota. I network dogs to rescues and find fosters. I post dogs on Facebook and Twitter. I look for ways to HELP, I get a crew together, and I GO DO IT. This week I had four dogs released from a puppy mill to find homes for, and they stayed at my house. They have all been placed now and my vet bill will only be $200 for the neuters. I got LUCKY.

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