As so many have heard on the news, parts of Texas are underwater.  There is flooding everywhere and not a lot of dry weather in the picture.  Just like homes and businesses, animal shelters are finding themselves in trouble.  The Daily Dot published a story, “Texans are Adopting Dogs in Droves to Rescue Them from Flooded Shelters” which describes how so many of the people in the community have come to the rescue and are helping shelters find homes for all of the animals.

It is amazing to see so many people come out to help the shelter and to save the dogs.  The shelters are even waiving re-claim fees and adopting dogs out for free for a limited time – all to get the dogs out of the shelter and into safety.

No one wants to see the dogs suffer or die is what it comes down to.  Yet, every day in shelters across America thousands of dogs are suffering and dying – no flooding needed.

I don’t want to take away from the compassionate people willing to adopt dogs in Texas during a natural disaster.  I don’t want to lessen the generosity of people willing to temporarily house stray dogs until their owners can be found.  I don’t.  But, the truth is all animal shelters are flooding – with dogs.

Killing good dogs for space isn’t much different than letting them drown in flood waters, yet, most people are okay with it.  Well, they must be.  You rarely see droves of people coming out to animals shelters during a normal week.

Does there have to be a natural disaster for people to get involved and to care?

I know I sound cynical.  I saw the article on Facebook and as I read it tears streamed down my cheeks.  I was overwhelmed by the goodness in people.  Seeing the lines of people willing to help was miraculous.

However, within seconds I was angry because I know dogs die every minute in shelters because no one comes to adopt them.  If there can be lines of people during a flood, surely there can be lines of people on a sunny day.

Am I supposed to start praying for natural disasters, so that dogs can finally make it out of shelters alive?

I know there are shelters who often waive re-claim fees and make adoptions less or free on certain weekends.  Those shelters find themselves empty by Sunday.  Why don’t more shelters do this periodically?  It obviously works.

Yes, they are sacrificing dollars, but it costs money to care for dogs – hell, it costs money to kill dogs, so why not make it easier for people to adopt or to reclaim their lost dogs and empty the shelters?  If the goal is to get the dogs home and to safety, what are we waiting for?

I keep this blog short because the message is simple.  Every day is a flood of homeless dogs in shelters – Every. Single. Day.  Don’t wait for the storm – get in line today and save a life.

I went to the Chicago Animal Care and Control Commissions meeting yesterday and I left there a lot of things: angry, frustrated, confused. But, the truth is: I left there heartbroken.

Thousands of dogs will be killed today for no good reason, thousands will sit in their own feces locked in puppy-mills to never see the light of day, thousands will be relinquished by their owners to city shelters where they will never come out of alive, and thousands more will be beaten or neglected in their own homes. Thousands of dogs will suffer today.

And this is heartbreaking to anyone – especially to someone like me – who believes dogs are the most compassionate, forgiving animals on the planet.

However, beyond my sadness for the animals is my sadness for the entire animal welfare movement. I sat through the meeting. I furrowed my brow. I said nasty words under my breath when they said, “We can’t put dogs on the adoption side because we don’t have enough of them.”

Why do you need more then one? Why don’t you just start with one and see how it goes? When that one gets adopted, and it will, put another one in. You don’t need 10 before someone will adopt one.

I rolled my eyes when they said they can’t do field redemptions because of a whole bunch of bullshit laws. Isn’t it in EVERYONE’s best interests to return the dog to its owners BEFORE it ever steps foot in a shelter? Doesn’t that SAVE EVERYONE money?

I smirked when one brave person in the public forum wanted to know what happened to Missy, the dog left in an animal control van for 6 days without food or water… And then I gasped, when they told her they couldn’t say a word because it was under investigation. Not a word, huh? At least we know Missy is in rescue and no longer at the hands of city neglect.

I felt a lot of emotions as I sat in my chair and looked around. I felt hope seeing over 25 people from the public attend the meeting. Twenty-five people show interest. Twenty-five people stare at the board and question them on their actions. EVERYONE should be questioning them. They are killing dogs and cats every single day. Good dogs, adoptable dogs. Friendly cats.

I don’t just say this like some random blogger. My rescue took a dog out of there two weeks ago. A dog that was successfully treated for 3 weeks for CIV. We were told that if we (or some rescue) didn’t take him, he would be euthanized in 4 days. Pops is the best dog you could ask for. He doesn’t chew. He is potty trained. He doesn’t run away. He loves kids and other dogs. The list of his outstanding characteristics goes on and on. Yet, if no one could have stepped in, he would be dead right now. Instead, he is being adopted. Adopted by someone from the city, who could have just as easily adopted him from CACC.

But, what really breaks my heart is the conversations that take place AFTER the meeting. So many wonderful people with huge hearts trying to fight  to save the animals. All of them – not just the cute ones or the lovable ones – ALL of them. Yet, as I hear them talk all I really see is each of them fighting against one another.

The animal welfare movement suffers because they can’t agree on common ground.  Instead they focus on commentary like this:

 That rescue sucks because they board their dogs.

That person sucks because they steal dogs out of the backyards of abusive homes.

That person is crazy because she will only adopt to people who stay home all day.

 The list of unacceptable behaviors goes on and on. So much so, that when I left CACC, I wondered if there were any rescues getting it right, if there was one single person who was met with complete approval.

Hey, I would do anything to save a dog from euthanasia, but I eat meat. Another reason to disapprove of me as a rescuer.

I know, deep down, everyone’s heart is in the right place. I know from my very own perspective, that I judge people and scrutinize who is “good enough” to adopt. I have said things about some people and some rescues. Yes, I mean not nice things…

But, here is the kicker… if we cannot find common ground, if we cannot come together and agree on the basic fundamentals of rescue, we will never win this battle. One hundred individuals are not nearly as powerful as a united army of the same number.

This war we wage on city shelters is big. We are fighting politics and policies and unions. We are fighting things much bigger than any one of us. However, I don’t think it is bigger than all of us TOGETHER.

The question is, “Can we put our opinions aside and focus on the animals? Can we stop harshly criticizing each other just long enough to form a strong alliance?”

We need an alliance. Not just in Chicago, but anywhere we are fighting for change.

In Chicago we need an alliance NOT made up of only the players who actually sit at the CACC board table. We need people willing to stand-up and speak out AGAINST the horrors of CACC.

Thousands of dogs will die today. That is our common ground. Let’s forget the crap we use to hurt one another and reunite to actually make a monumental difference in the lives of not just one dog at a time, but all dogs once and for all.

As I was walking Jack yesterday, I ran into a neighbor.  She stopped and introduced me to her sister-in-law.  She said, “This is Becky.  She is really involved with rescuing dogs.  She gets them when they are such a mess and, then, turns them into amazing dogs.”

Every profession has certain compliments that mean a lot.  As a rescuer, this one really touched my heart.

After we said our goodbyes and I continued to walk Jack, I started to contemplate what she had said about me.  Jack was the dog hit by a car and left for dead in Chicago.  I pulled him from CACC for NorthStar Shih Tzu Rescue.  And then, like many foster homes, I kept him.

Six months ago, Jack could barely walk on his own.  We were seriously considering major, expensive surgery, until one vet told us to wait and see how he would heal.  The vet believed that the damage was done and that surgery would only make the injury look pretty on the inside.  So, I waited.  Yesterday, Jack ran at least 1 mile.  RAN!  He can jump on the bed and go up the stairs.  Jack is a very well-adjusted dog.  Very few people even notice his funny gait.

When my neighbor inquired about who I was walking and I explained Jack’s story, she said, “That is what I mean – look at how good he is now.”

He is great now.  Her original compliment was intended for the mill dogs I have rescued.  They are complete messes.  Physically they are disgusting, but emotionally they are often beyond comprehension.

But, as I continued to walk Jack and think about what she said, I couldn’t help but wonder if others thought it took some type of magic to transform a dog.

There are always too few fosters in the world and I kept asking myself, “Are people afraid to try? Do they think it takes something really special to change a dog?”

Believe me, I am NO magician.  In fact, I am NO trainer, by any means.  My friend, Ellen, would laugh if you told her you thought I was an amazing trainer.  None of my dogs can even give paw.  Thorp only knows basic commands because he had to, to pass the therapy dog exam.

My only secret is love, unconditional love.  Sadly, the truth is the dogs I take in have never known love and when they receive it for the first time, they are hesitant.  They look at you with disbelief and mistrust.  They tremble when you speak softly to them.  They cringe when you gently touch their back.  It is heartbreaking at times to take in dogs who have never known a caring hand.

However, there is nothing more satisfying, nothing more fulfilling then seeing the transformation of a broken dog.  I want more people to understand that anyone who is compassionate, who loves animals unconditionally, can do it.

There is no science to it.  No fancy training. It is as simple as loving another soul without hesitation.  It is understanding their background and being patient with their progress.

I know many dog people would suggest obedience training, but that has never been my goal.  My dogs would follow me to the end of the earth.  I feel compelled to not necessarily transform a dog, but to make it whole again.  Simply by giving it love.

If you or anyone you know is afraid to foster, don’t be.  And, if you have the patience and a big heart, I challenge you to take the next big mess.  Take the dog who is afraid, the one who trembles.  Take that dog and love him with everything you have.

It won’t happen overnight, it never does, but in time, you will see him change.  You will see him flourish.  Family and friends will be amazed at how you transformed him.

Deep down, you will know it was simply love that changed him…and you.  I think we are the very best version of ourselves when we allow our unconditional love to work its magic on others.

You finally decided to get a job at your local shelter.  It is an open access shelter and is NOT no kill.  You felt like it was the right thing to do.

The week went pretty fast.  You couldn’t believe it was already Friday.  Things weren’t so bad.  Only a few dogs and cats were euthanized on Tuesday and Wednesday.  You didn’t like it, but they were old and pretty sick, so you could make peace with it.

You really enjoyed so much of the job, surrounded by dogs who found all kinds of ways into your heart.  There were 3, in just the first week, who already touched your soul.  There was Bullet, a 5 year old pit mix who was surrendered by his owners because they didn’t have time for him.  He knew all kinds of tricks and commands.  A beautiful blue color, he could sit, stay, down, roll-over, give paw.  One day, he showed you how he could play dead.  He was good in his kennel and only used the outside part to potty.  He had manners when he ate and the few times you got to take him on a walk, he was polite.  You knew there would be a perfect home for him.

You also fell in love with Snoopy, a Shih Tzu -poodle mix.  He was over 10 years old.  His owner was moved to a retirement home and he no longer had anyone to care for him.  He was scared in the large kennel with all of the barking dogs.  He would show his teeth when officers approached, but when you fed him his tail wagged and he licked your hand.  During your break, you would sit in the kennel with him and he would come snuggle in your lap.  You knew you could find him a nice person who wanted a lap dog.

Lastly, there was Taffy, a young Golden Retriever who was found a stray, but after being scanned, her owners were contacted.  She was rambunctious, but so happy.  She made you smile every time you passed her kennel.  You couldn’t believe her family hadn’t scooped her up yet, but you knew they were coming.

It was getting late on Friday afternoon when the veterinarian and senior tech asked you to go get Bullet.  “It was time,” they said.

You thought he must be getting his vaccines for adoption.  You happily went to Bullet’s kennel and put the noose leash on.  Smiling and talking to him, as he pranced down the concrete aisle with his tail wagging.  When you reached the back room, it all came into focus.  This was Bullet’s last day on earth.

You tried to wipe the tears before they fell, before anyone saw them.  It didn’t make any sense.  Bullet was the perfect dog.  He would make the best pet.

Soon, it was Snoopy’s time.  You approached his kennel, expecting a bit of a snarl, but he just sat and waited for you to come into his kennel to snuggle.  So, you did, because you knew it was the last snuggle he would get.  You held him closer this time.  You told him what a good dog he had been and that you wish someone would have been able to take him.  You told him that you loved him.

Lastly, they called for Taffy.  You went slowly to her kennel, trying to postpone the inevitable…secretly hoping that her owners would arrive just in time.  She was jumping on the kennel door, wagging her tail, eager for a walk.  You could barely keep it together.

It was 5pm and the shelter was closing up.  You were in the bathroom crying.  All you saw when you closed your eyes was Taffy, Bullet and Snoopy.  Their eyes staring at you, questioning why it had to be today.  You didn’t understand either.

You splashed water on your face and felt determined to find answers for them and for you.  You walked out to the shelter director.  Your voice was rattled and your body trembled, but you found the words to say,”Please help me understand why Bullet, Taffy and Snoopy had to be killed today.”

The Director saw your question coming long before you did.  All the new techs asked it every first Friday afternoon.

“I can tell you why, but I don’t think you will understand.  We are an open access shelter and every Friday we have to make room for all the animals who will come in over the weekend.  Sadly, that means we have to euthanize to do it.  Let me share with you what we did to help Taffy, Bullet and Snoopy.  We called rescues to take Bullet, but with so many breed discrimination ordinances in question, it has become hard to place dogs like Bullet.  I know he was a fantastic dog, but with nowhere to go, we had to… Snoopy was terrified, but I saw him snuggled with you on Wednesday.  We called a few of the small breed rescues, but they didn’t have any foster homes for him.  He was older and he will be harder to place, it seemed the right thing to do.  Lastly, Taffy… we found her owners and contacted them, but when they found out how much the fines and boarding costs would be, they said they couldn’t afford it and relinquished her to us.  Golden Retriever rescue had no room and… neither did we.”

“So, that’s it.  That’s all you do?  You accept those situations and find it settling to euthanize dogs like those every Friday.”

“I don’t know what else I can say.”

You got in your car and the Director’s last words swirled in your head.  It wasn’t acceptable.  All you could think about was how good the 3 dogs were.  Perfect companions.  You decided to take the long way home because you needed time to process everything.

Tears would stream down every once in a while.  They were unstoppable.

As you found your breath again, you started to really think about all of the reasons the dogs were killed today.  Breed discrimination killed Bullet.  Random cities deciding fates for dogs they never even met based solely on what?  Any normal person would have wanted Bullet.  He was the ideal dog.  He was sweet and smart.

Lack of space in rescue killed Snoopy.  All you could think about was some of the crazy rules some rescues had… worrying about where the dogs get groomed or how many hours a day the owner is home.  Snoopy wouldn’t have cared where he got groomed.  He certainly would have sacrificed 8 hours away from his family each day for a few more years of life.

Thinking about Taffy really pissed you off.  It was your own shelter who missed the mark.  Wasn’t Taffy’s life worth foregoing the fines for?  It was their first violation.  Who thought $200 was worth killing a dog for?  If they would have just given her back right away, her space could have gone to a truly homeless dog.  Taffy died because of greed.

You began to re-think working at a kill shelter.  How in the hell were you going to survive another Friday?  But, as you wiped away the last tears, you also realized that there was so much hope.  No kill wasn’t THE answer, there were many answers.  Putting an end to breed discrimination, developing better rescue protocols that get more animals into homes faster, and re-thinking fines for lost dogs, these were all issues you had heard of, but, until today, you never truly saw how each of them directly affected how many animals die in shelters.

As you pulled in your driveway, you decided you would continue to work at the shelter, but you would also get involved in the issues surrounding no kill.  You would educate people on the direct effect they have on innocent dogs like Taffy, Bullet and Snoopy.

You declared to yourself, “One day Fridays WILL be so much different in shelters.”

Last night I attended a Pet Lovers Speaker Series at PAWS Chicago.  I always enjoy being surrounded by people who love animals just as much as I do.  There is a magic to it, a power you feel when a group of people dedicated to animal welfare come together.

I knew Cari Meyers would be one of my favorite speakers because she founded The Puppy Mill Project and, well, puppy mills are what I am MOST passionate about.  Tears streamed down my face as she talked about holding a mill dog who has never felt compassion, or had someone pet her with a gentle hand.  A mill dog whose eyes squint at the slightest bit of sunshine and whose paws dance on green grass.  “A mill dog is not like a rescue dog.  It is so much different,” she said at one point.  I could not agree more.

However, it was Laurie Maxwell, PAWS Chicago Community Outreach Manager, who truly inspired me when she said, “I walk in assuming the person loves their dog just as much as I love mine.”  Laurie does outreach for PAWS in a Chicago neighborhood called Englewood.  It is one of the most underserved areas of the city with little opportunity for jobs.  Most of the people live in complete poverty.  Most families make on average $19,000 while the IL average income is $53,000.

They believe there are about 25,000 animals living in the Englewood neighborhood and PAWS has chosen to do direct outreach, going door to door, informing people about spay and neuter and vaccinations.  If the dog or cat owner agree to it, PAWS will pick up their pet bring it to their clinic to be spayed or neutered, give it the necessary vaccinations and bring it back to their home.  PAWS is also bringing leashes and collars and bowls and food.  They bring whatever people need to keep their pets healthy and IN THEIR HOMES.

Laurie explained that it is NOT about judging people, but educating them and giving them the opportunity to get the resources.  She showed us a map of vet clinics and pet supply stores and there was neither anywhere near the area of Englewood.  In fact, the only hope of getting dog or cat food is at the corner store, and they charge 3 times more than anywhere else.

Her words inspired me because I have spent a lot of time in the midst of private rescue.  I have listened to them bitch about the lack of quality applicants and nitpick faults of potential adopters.  Many times “rescuers” do NOT assume anyone loves their pets as much as they do.

Laurie said that the way Englewood residents cared for their pets might not be like she would, but she said after meeting so many of the people, she knew they loved their pets just like she does.

Another interesting moment during the night was when one person asked the police officer, who was a speaker, about how to take away a dog from a homeless person.  I could feel the angst in the air as so many other people cringed.  Laurie was quick to point out that, that pet in the homeless person’s care is probably all they have left in the world.  How cruel would it be to take that way?  Yes, the dog might have to endure a harsh environment, but unlike many companion animals whose owners are gone for 8-12 hours a day, a homeless person’s pet is with them all of the time.  They are never left alone.  That must mean something.

I had the chance to talk to Laurie at the end of the night and tell her how much what she said meant to me.  I told her about some of the rescue horror stories I had.  She said she had seen some of the same things.  She has met many people in Englewood who were denied adoptions and then went out and BOUGHT a dog elsewhere.  Clients, who, she said, love their dogs, like they are their world, yet weren’t worthy enough of the adoption process.

There is such beauty in assuming the best in people.  Such peacefulness in not judging.  As a group of animal welfare people, I think we need to embrace what Laurie said.  We need to go in to each animal-owner situation and assume they love  them just as much as we do.

I believe the rage and anger we feel towards people is our own fault.  We set standards so high for animal care that few people can achieve them.  As a result, millions of dogs and cats are unjustly killed everyday.  I think for the sake of the animals and for the sanity of ourselves, it is time to be inspired simply by the love between animals and their owners.

Discrimination…most often a bad word.  Until lately.

In the last few weeks, with the state of Indiana on the forefront, discrimination has become ok again.  All of a sudden, one person’s personal/religious beliefs become the basis for acceptance or denial.

On the four legged front, breed discrimination is being fought all over the United States.  It usually targets Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans.  Breed discrimination is most often led by an individual who has personal reasons for hating a breed and then seeks others to join the cause.

All discrimination is hugely disappointing to me and I believe it should be to everyone who lives in this country.  We have fought for years, literally waged wars on our soil, to combat discrimination.  Yet, in 2015, we are still fighting.

Yes, we live in a free country where we are able to speak our minds and practice our faiths, but at what point do we believe our individual beliefs are greater than a common good?

Human beings are being denied service based on life style and dogs are being euthanized because of their breed.

To some it might seem an odd comparison: humans and dogs, but I think both speak to a bigger problem in our society.  We want to all belong, yet we keep singling people (and dogs) out simply because we don’t like them.

Diversity makes the world go round… It enlightens us, makes us better people.  Why can’t we embrace it?

Breed discrimination is beyond my understanding.  During my time at animal control, I witnessed many dogs who came in for aggressive behavior.  There was not one breed who stood out.  We had Golden Retrievers, Labs, Poodles, Cocker Spaniels… we even had a long haired Chihuahua who would bite your head off, if he could get his mouth around it.  To classify any one breed or any 3 breeds is unjust and unfounded.  And, to ban a breed such as a Pit Bull from a city, but then not be able to actually identify one is ignorance.  And, most cities cannot accurately identify a true Pit Bull.

ANY kind of discrimination should be illegal – not just the human kind, but all kinds.  Let’s not go back to the days when discrimination was common place.  Let’s prove once and for all that we are an evolutionary society who is able to embrace diversity and able to coexist in peace.

I know that many people who see my FB posts and read my blogs must wonder things like,”What is her deal?  Why can’t she let some of this animal stuff go?”

My love for animals has been strong since I was a little girl.  I didn’t play with dolls.  I played with stuffed animals.  We played pretend school with a diverse classroom of dogs, cats, bears, and rabbits – NO dolls.

I was lucky to grow-up in a family who allowed me to have any kind of pet, from turtles to dogs to hermit crabs to gerbils.  Our house always had critters.  We raised orphaned ducks and nursed a goose back to health.  My life was filled with animals and I loved it.

I had no doubt that, regardless of my journey in life, animals would always be a part of it.

However, because of my passion for animals, I got involved in animal rescue.  Starting with a wildlife refuge, and eventually, finding myself in an Amish barn surrounded by dogs so scared and sick and helpless that I became physically ill.

At the wildlife refuge, I witnessed a popular area theme park decide to euthanize all of its animals in 24 hours unless rescues stepped in to take them.  We took a fox.  We named him Sydney and he became my fox.  I walked him and played with him.  And, I was always reminded that his life meant nothing to the theme park and yet, in just days, meant everything to me.

At my county animal control, where I worked for a few years, I witnessed the euthanasia of so many dogs and cats whose lives meant so little to their owners that they were just dumped without any concern of what would happen to them.  There were dogs 10 – 14 years old dropped off at the gate because the owners didn’t want to be the ones to euthanize them.  I saw how the loyalty of a dog could be easily erased by a selfish human being.

At the puppy-mill auctions I witnessed a type of greed I couldn’t begin to fathom.  Dogs who were once only loving pets to me bought and sold like products.

Everyday when I wake up, I spend the first 10 minutes snuggling with all of my rescued dogs and cats on the bed.  Each day I look into their eyes and I am reminded of the cruel world we live in.  In Thorp’s eyes I see such sadness.  A dog aged beyond his years from pure neglect.  In Penelope’s eyes, I see a yearning to make-up for all of the years she spent nursing puppies and not playing with toys, something she does every day now.

Every pet we have is a reminder of the harsh world we live in.  The harsh world I try to change everyday with my posts and my blogs.  I wish I could just let it go, but things aren’t changing fast enough to let a day go by without trying to teach the millions of people out there who don’t believe such cruelty exists.

When I was a little girl I loved animals simply because they brought an amazing joy to my life.  Today, I seek to give all animals the kind of joy they brought me.