We Are Not a Shelter, and I Do Not Get Paid

I don't know how many times I have to reiterate this. Animal rescue is a very tough business to be in, but even tougher when you have limited space and no income.

I wear a lot of different hats and have lots of people to communicate with on a daily basis. I also work full time as a web programmer, work part time as an animal care worker at Animal Control, and am enrolled full-time through Duquesne University. Basically, I don't sleep. So it is a little frustrating when people are pushy with me. Just today I had an email from someone that had sent us some hand-made bedding for kittens. I had already written her that we didn't have any at the time, but appreciated the gift and hoped to use them later. Instead, I went to using them for our very young puppies (I did try it with Sia, but she much preferred her litter box). So imagine how disheartened I was today to get an email demanding me to return the items to her because they were not being used as specified. Our supplies are always limited and we use evertyhing that we can. It is probably my fault because I didn't overwhelm her with gratitude. I had assumed that my simple thank you and acknowledgement was enough. But it wasn't. So I took the one away that Dixie had been using, placed it in a plastic bag, and put it in a box to be returned. We were blessed last month to have Peggy donate a bag of baby blankets, so although it is larger than I wanted for Dixie (didn't want to smother her), it did provide a comfy alternative.

Why is it so hard for people to do nice things without great expectations in return? We always send a hand-written thank you to our donors, and I like to think we are very approachable. But geez, can't we get some consideration for our time? Everyone who works with us does so for their love of animals; none of us receive any montetary compensation. We answer emails on our own free time, which is already limited by work, school, and family life. Sometimes, we have to prioritize how/when people are contacted. We have a secretary that returns all voicemail, an adoption coordinator who handles all correspondence for adoption, a foster coordinator to handle some of the intake and veterinary requests, and a TNR coordinator that handles all correspondence relating to our feral cat program. That leaves all other correspondence to me, which can be anywhere from 80 to 200 emails a day. So yes, it may take a day or so or longer to get a response from me, but I really do the best I can.

And as for us being a shelter, I really don't know how best to explain this. We are not a shelter. We do not have a physical facility that you can drop in anytime you want. We're a foster home organization. The animals live with us in our homes. Again, this means our free time is given up to provide veterinary care, socialization, training, and rehabilitation. So yes, you have to have an appointment to meet one of our pets. And when you do arrive at my house, do not expect Martha Stewart to live here. It is me and the dogs. If it is a long week like this one, there may be laundry in a basket waiting to be folded that has been sitting for four days, dog fur that hasn't been vacuumed in a week, Cutters Point frappe cups stacked on the coffee table, and maybe even a Pizza Hut box on the end table. Or even a hair dryer and wet towels in the corner from the last round of baths.

So please, cut me a little break, will you? I am only one person, and I am really doing the best I can. If you disagree, come spend one day with me and see just how much one person can accomplish in 24 hours, or take a proactive approach and become a volunteer.

Question from the Sidelines

A question was posted about a week ago by a new CPR volunteer:

Is it difficult when the pet you fostered actually gets adopted out?

As the president of this organization, I'm charged to balance emotion with logic in our operations. However, there are times that I do get emotionally invested in our pets, and have been known to shed a tear or two when they go to their new homes. Since I take in so many special needs pets (heartworms, parvo, abuse, neglect, etc), I go through a rollercoaster with some of them, trying to get them healthy, get them socialized, overcome obstacles. It's not easy to go from holding a pet on an IV, wondering if they will make it through the night, to sending it to its new home, knowing it may be a very long time before you see it again.

I try to keep the mentality that for each one that is adopted, the space is opened to bring another into rescue. Which is probably why my house is always so full. But it makes it easier when the adoptive families send us photos and updates. It's reaffirming that we are doing good and indeed changing lives, one at a time.

Doing Good is Actually "Hot"

Last year, I was named to the "REAL Hot 100" list, a list that served to show that women who work to make themselves and the world around them better are just as hot, if not more, than those selected on superficial values. I was flattered, but no where near as much as when I discovered, many months later, that a gentleman had posted about me on someone else's blog.

Apparently, one "journalist" believed that the list was skewed, as most of those select to the list were also found as physically "hot" as their actions.

... it seems like either:

a) pretty much only cute, conventionally attractive women become activists, journalists, poetry slam coordinators, etc., and the Real Hot 100 nominators are just working with what exists, or

b) there are plenty of non-cute non-conventionally attractive women out there who meet the criteria, but the leftysphere isn't nominating them.

I was even more astounded at one observation posted in a comment (#10):

As to the Hot 100 list, I must say that I barely made it through the first page so far, but my babe-o-meter only dinged 5 times, even including the blurbs attached to the photos. However, it went absolutely off the scale when I got down to Lisa Scarbrough.

The rest of them seem to be more about the progressive scene and awareness raising. Yet Lisa Scarbrough put her assets where her mouth is. And not for the standard causes, but for abused and neglected animals.

Now that’s REALLY hot! I wonder if she likes guys that can cook… I finally figured out the Insta-Chicken recipe, you know.

It wasn't that he called me hot, but that my work was validated. In the three years I've been divorced, it has been heartbreaking at how many times I would attempt to get to know someone, only to find that my passion was "intimidating" and not of interest to most. I was so happy, I printed it out and saved it for those rainy days that I needed a little lift.

But the entire blog post brought me to some serious thinking: is there anything really wrong with having a strong passion? I know that I am often asked why I do this with my life, why don't I work with children instead, why don't I just go start a family, who will ever be satisfied with being second in my life, and so on. I don't have one real good answer. All I know is that running this rescue has given meaning to my life. It makes me a whole person. I spent a couple of years lost, trying to find my place, figure what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. In that time, many strays found their way to my house, but it was really them who were showing me the way home.