Saturday, October 16, 2010

Do you have room in your home and heart?

Pet rescue organizations are really struggling right now.  With the downturn in the economy, many families have been forced to make difficult financial decisions, which, in the kinder scenarios, may include "rehoming" the family pet(s).  Many of these pets are now showing up in shelters, where already overburdened systems are being pushed past their limits.

This post isn't meant to take a stand one way or another on kill vs. no-kill shelters or how and why animals end up abandoned; those will be topics for another day, as there is already much written in the blogosphere on these subjects.  This post is about the simple fact that, no matter where you stand on those issues, unwanted dogs, cats and other creatures are being euthanized today, right now-- in record numbers-- because they are homeless.

Rescue groups, both breed specific and non-specific, do their best to take in as many animals as they can, but it has never been enough.  Today, many rescue groups are bulging at the seams and turning away scores of adoptable pets simply because there is no more room at the Inn.  Foster homes are full, and animals who might have had a good chance one or two years ago are now being euthanized (a polite term for killed), because rescue resources have been exhausted, stretched to the breaking point.

So what does this have to do with you?

For starters, you can take a look into your heart and see if you have room there for a foster animal.  Though rescues need help in all areas (I volunteer but cannot foster, myself), the need for foster homes for these animals is at a critical point.

The rewards of working in rescue are enormous.

Second, if you managed to find room in your heart (and home) for a foster, contact a local rescue organization and ask to apply to become a representative.  If you qualify, they will be thrilled to have your help.

All rescues are different, but typical requirements are not that hard to meet.  Usually, for breed specific rescues, they will want you to have some familiarity with the breed, and experience in caring for animals.  They will want your home to be a safe and caring environment for an animal who may be frightened or may have been abused.  They will want to know that you provide proper healthcare to your own pets, and are aware of and prepared to handle any potential behavior problems that may arise between "guest" animals and your existing pets.

If you think you can handle the above, I urge you to consider contacting a rescue group today.  Now, more than ever, you are needed.

Did I mention that the rewards are enormous?  Can you think of many things more satisfying than saving the life of an innocent animal and seeing it through to its new, loving family?

I didn't think so.

2 comments:

  1. Hello!

    I appreciate your hardwork for this website! A story of success really gives me a glimpse of hope for my sick dog.

    I sent an email to your address thebest1859@yahoo.com
    can you reply me asap?

    Thankyou so much!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. HI Jan! I just sent you an e-mail. I'm glad this site gives you some hope.

    Your questions about food are important; I always advise people to try the commercial prescription diet from Royal Canin (Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Low Fat) before home cooking, because it works in the majority of cases. We don't feed it because Louie can't eat chicken, which is now in the product. But I would feed it if I could.

    Ask your vet if you can do a trial of that food for a couple of weeks. If you don't have any luck, let me know and I'll give you some additional information.

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete