Tag Archives: dogs

Tails: People Can Be Prisoners in Animal Shelters, Too

It has been a decade since I worked in our county animal control. Ten full years and there are moments I remember like they were yesterday. The beautiful moments where the most unadoptable dog finally finds the perfect home. And, the very ugly moments where I was forced to assist with the decapitation of a Mastiff who bit a small child. Those ugly moments don’t just haunt me when I least expect it, they force me to look in the mirror today and ask, “Why didn’t you say something?”

There’s no doubt that I have made an enormous amount of rescue friends in the last decade. Between the puppy mill auctions and my book, I have had the amazing opportunity to surround myself with true warriors. Not only do they each continue to teach me on a daily basis, but if I am ever struggling with any animal issue, I know I can count on them to get me through. I didn’t have that support system 10 years ago. I was new. I was naive.

Yet, I was still me and I tend NOT to take things lying down, especially when they concern the well-being of animals. Hell, the whole reason I was at animal control was to HELP animals. It certainly wasn’t the pay or great benefits.

What is it about working or volunteering in a shelter that brainwashes so many to look past all of the problems and all of the wrong-doings. So many, like me, choose silence over action as we watch horrible things take place. I look back on my days at AC and feel like I lost my voice for a few years. I mean literally feel mute when I re-imagine those years.

Why didn’t I contact the local paper or go above my superior? Why didn’t I quit sooner? Why didn’t I try harder? Yes, I loved so many of my days at the shelter, but the ones I didn’t like, truly those were grounds for media coverage and terminations. There were things done illegally, inhumanely. Yet, I looked away.

I think many people rationalize their inability to speak out for different reasons. Some people believe that if they left or got fired for speaking out, “Who would look after the animals then?” Yet, in hindsight, “Who is looking after the animals now, when the people who do care aren’t speaking out?”

I think while my heart knew better, I didn’t feel like I knew enough to take a stand. Many of the employees had been there a long time and had been doing the bad shit for years, who was I to question them? (Looking back… my stomach turns because I KNOW, without hesitation, I should I have reported it all.) There is something to be said about trusting your intuition. I should have trusted mine.

I think there are some people who don’t leave or question things simply because they enjoy the “god” persona. There is something powerful for them about deciding who lives and who dies each day. God help them.

As I look back on that time in my life, I can’t help but feel like a prisoner. A part of an institution that kept me from speaking out for reasons I wasn’t even conscious of. Unknowingly brainwashed to keep the status quo and just keep working. Truthfully, I am ashamed of myself when I look back on those days. Knowing what I know today, I could have done so much more.

I wrote this blog to encourage others who work in shelters to REALLY look around at their practices. If your gut is telling you that something is off, it probably is. If you are new, but question if the practices are ethical, reach out to someone outside of the shelter and ask them for their opinion – even if they aren’t in rescue.

There are laws to protect people from being fired or banned from volunteering simply because they speak out against the shelter’s practices.

I look back on my time at the shelter and remember it feeling like the shelter was its own microcosm. As if our actions were judged amongst only ourselves and never upheld to the ethical standards outside our 4 concrete walls. As if, in our world, it was okay to have different rules. It shouldn’t be like that. Animals deserve to be treated humanely in ALL shelters, regardless of demographics or financial standing.

It is easy to portray the dogs and cats in cages as prisoners in the shelters, but the real prisoners are the employees and volunteers who believe their only choice is to continue their day-to-day work in silence, praying that the illegal practices and inhumane treatment of the animals comes to an end.

Don’t be a prisoner, be a hero. Speak out today and truly change things for the animals. I promise there is an army of people ready to help you.

Tails: 55+ – An Untapped Community for Foster Homes…

Yesterday I went on a home visit for a woman who is interested in becoming a foster for our rescue. I met her at my book signing. She is an older woman – in her 60’s or so.

I had briefly talked to her about fostering at the signing where I also met her 17-year-old dog who is now blind and deaf. I knew that she had THE heart for rescue.

I followed my GPS to her gated neighborhood, a 55+ community. I drove through the tree-lined streets and noticed the manicured yards. It was quiet and welcoming and safe.

She met me at the door, holding her little dog in her arms. Warmly invited me in, asked if I wanted coffee or lemonade or anything at all. We found comfy seats in the living room of the lovely ranch home. (no stairs).

She talked for some time about all the dogs she has had. She teared up a few times as she shared the ups and downs – the joy they gave and the illnesses they suffered. She took me through the house to see the pictures of all the dogs who once shared her life.

We started to talk more about the actual idea of fostering. She had questions that I was happy to answer. I, too, had my standard set of questions. Where will the dog go out, where will you keep it when you are gone, how long are you away from the home, is there a fence, will you walk the dog, where will you take it for vet care, what if the dog has behavior issues, etc…

As I sat there taking in her answers, I became overwhelmed. Since she is retired, she would be spending most of every day with the dog, but if she needed to be gone more than a few hours, there was a myriad of friends with dogs living in the community who would come to let the dog out. “It is something we all do for each other.”

“We all take our dogs for walks at least 3 times a day. Did you see the little park when you came in? That is our dog park. We all like to go there together.”

“Behavior issues? Oh, well the lady next door had a little poodle who was nippy and took her to a great trainer a town away. Another friend had one and we have all helped to socialize her. She is so much better now.”

The more she talked, not just of herself, but of the community, I couldn’t help but say out loud,”This is the ideal setting for foster homes!”

And it is. Here is a group of people who have the time and the communal resources to foster dogs. They enjoy the socialization having a dog brings, they have each other to rely on for care, they have band together a group of resources whether it be training, vet care, or the internet. They have an entire support system in place. It was amazing!

She talked of her 90-year-old neighbor fostering a Yorkie. She couldn’t believe the woman was able to say goodbye, but she pointed out that it was the woman who knew in her heart the young dog had the energy for a young family. This group wasn’t just physically able to manage foster care, they were emotionally mature enough to know when to let them go.

The home visit was a complete success. As I drove away, my heart felt so full of joy. At 45, I contemplate mortality a lot more often now. I worry about living life fully. Well, here was an entire aging community willing to contribute to something I am passionate about. I had to feel good about that.

I also had to stop and think if, as rescue people, we have given this population enough credit? Have we ever really stopped to think of the untapped potential they offer?

Often rescues are hesitant to even adopt to seniors. Sure the mortality odds aren’t in their favor, but anyone could die at any given time. And frankly, the odds are not that good for the 2 million dogs who WILL be killed in shelters across America this year. I am more than willing to place my bet on the senior population, willing to take the homeless dogs in and to offer them so much companionship and love.

The rescue community struggles amongst itself at times, arguing about what makes the best home and who should or shouldn’t be able to adopt. We get so caught up in perfection, I think we fail to look at all the wonderful scenarios right in front of us. There are 55+ communities in nearly every major city across America. Imagine if we could take just a handful of fosters and place them every month, we would be opening up more kennel space, saving so many more dogs AND providing lifelong health benefits to the members of the communities. We all know animal companionship leads to a longer and more fulfilling human life.

If, as a rescuer, you are still hesitant to involve a senior community, think about your own mortality for a few minutes. When you are 60, 70, 80 even 90 do you see your life without a pet? I didn’t think so…

Here are a few links to 55+ communities in the states. Build your foster program today! #fosteringsaveslives

Del Webb

55+ USA Communities

55+ Community Guide

Tails: Fostering- a Dichotomy of Heartbreak and Hope

This Friday I will say goodbye to my foster dog, Maisy. I am teary eyed just typing the sentence. Maisy was a 12 year old owner surrender to Chicago Animal Control. I happened about her picture on Facebook one day and noticed that no rescues had come to her rescue. Her picture was gut wrenching. A tiny little furball who looked beyond scared and neglected. Her eyes pierced my soul and immediately, I found myself on a mission to free her.

At the time, our rescue wasn’t able, but by the time we got her pulled, circumstances changed (as rescue is always changing) and she became ours. I took her to an ISO at a vet clinic outside the city. Maisy had half the coat she should, mostly elephant skin… Her ears were infected, she smelled like she hadn’t been bathed in years, her nails were curled into her legs… The dog was a hot mess. (If I had a favorite breed, it would be “hot mess.”)

She spent a week at the vet clinic. I went to visit her in the basement where they kept her. I wasn’t at all impressed with the situation and as soon as she was cleared from the canine flu, I drove there and got her out. Maisy is tiny. Weighing in at only 9 pounds, she seems just skin and bones. Frail in some ways and feisty in others. She is resilient. She is a survivor.

I have spent the last 10 years immersed in rescue and animal welfare and though I am often surrounded by dogs in need, there are just certain ones that find their way directly into my heart. Maisy is one of those dogs.

Her eyes, well, they saved her life because they are so profound. She is not blind like we initially thought from the picture. But, she does have dry eye and will probably always need eye meds. Whether her lack of coat is from mange or diet or allergies or stress, we have every possible issue covered. In the last two weeks, her hair has started to grow back. Her eyes sparkle and her smell… I took care of that, too. She still has far to go to appear, “normal,” but truthfully, I don’t see any of her scars or illnesses anymore. I only see her as the lovable, sassy dog she always was.

My three dogs aren’t the best hosts. You would think since they were each once foster dogs, they would understand the situation better and be kinder. Instead, they cling to the pack they know and sadly, shun most others who come for a stay. They would never hurt her or any dog. They just don’t go out of their way to make anyone else feel welcome. Maybe they think you have to earn your right to stay? I don’t know.

What I do know is that Maisy longs for someone to play with. It appears she has never seen a cat before and has resorted to practically begging our cats to play. She tosses her own toys and plays fetch with herself. My dogs just look on with irritation and eyes that seem to ask,”When will she be leaving?”

A few years ago, I would have kept Maisy. It wouldn’t have mattered if she fit in with my group. It wouldn’t have mattered what the rest of my family thought. The reality was I couldn’t bear to let a dog go.

That is until two years ago when Lin, our President, sent me the picture of my foster dog with her new family. There she was, sitting on the lap of her new owner, as the couple drove away waving goodbye in their convertible. I wasn’t there, but the picture was proof enough that the dog found her perfect home and that it would be a happy ending. I suddenly realized that I didn’t have to “keep” them all in order for them to be fully loved and cared for.

Fostering is hard. You are letting someone into your heart knowing full well that they will leave and you will be crushed. Many foster dogs require a lot of attention and care. They might need meds and baths and training. Often you give more to them when they are with you than your own dogs. You give them everything without a second thought because you see in their eyes how thankful they are to be safe, to be cared for and to be loved.

Friday is only a few days away. I have already teared up a dozen times in anticipation of saying goodbye. I always worry that Maisy, or any foster, will think I didn’t love them, that they weren’t good enough to keep. After all they have been through, it kills me to believe they could think that. I only want them to know how deserving of a family they truly are.

I am fortunate this time because Lin is going to foster her. I have known Lin for a long time. I have stayed at her home, I have snuggled with her dogs. I KNOW Maisy will be loved. None the less, my heart will break a little on Friday because when I take in a dog, any dog, I love it with everything I have. Maisy is no exception.

Here’s the hard truth about fostering. If I hadn’t fostered Maisy, she would have been dead by now. No other rescues came forward to save her. She was a senior in need of a lot of care. She is the kind of dog who enters a shelter everyday and rarely gets the chance to leave alive. Sometimes, I think, people think I, and others like me, exaggerate when we say things like that, but it is the honest truth. Millions of dogs, just like Maisy, will be killed this year simply because there wasn’t an available foster home to save them.

Fostering is emotionally challenging, but to actually KNOW you are saving a life – there are very few things that can be so rewarding. I will cry, maybe for days, but Maisy will live on for years to come. She will dazzle others with her personality. She will melt hearts with her eyes. She will become part of a family. She gets her second chance.

My tears are selfish and short-lived, but fostering is selfless and life-changing. Please, if you love dogs (or cats) and have temporary space in your home, consider becoming a foster. There are so many great rescues across the country looking for you. And, there are so many dogs like Maisy, who long for a second chance to be loved.

Tails: Why I Cry Over Puppy Mills

I am rattled right now. Somehow, I found myself on the People for PetOWNership Facebook page. On that page, they talk about how the protestors of pet stores are liars and lunatics. They actually say the protestors are simply overwhelmed by crazy animal rights propaganda and are acting out without knowing the facts.

What? No, really, what?

I expressed my view 3 different times. Explaining that pet store protestors are not acting out nor are they liars or lunatics. The people protesting the pet stores are there to EDUCATE the unknowing public on where those puppies come from. They are there to explain that USDA licenses don’t mean didley squat. They are there to share their stories, often their own personal horrors dealing with pet stores and puppy mills.

Here is why I am rattled… Lots of people fight for lots of things. The first amendment, the second amendment, non GMO food, pro-choice, pro-life, you name it. I fight to end the business of puppy mills. I didn’t pick that fight because it looked interesting. I didn’t pick that fight because I LOVE dogs. The fight picked me. One day, I found myself among hundreds of mill dogs and my heart broke and my soul shattered. In front of me were dogs so neglected they didn’t even know what a human hand was. They didn’t know grass or toys or solid ground. They most certainly did not know love.

I never thought I would write an animal welfare book, but when you are looking into the empty eyes of a dog, whose tail isn’t wagging and whose body is so stiff and unflinching when you gently touch it – you write a book to share that experience with the hope that people will read it and learn and want to change things.

I spent years after the auctions crying myself to sleep. I would picture the dogs who weren’t rescued, still matted and scared. I would picture them in another barn left alone to rot. In the middle of the night, I would reach out for Thorp or Penelope and feel tears run down my cheeks because I recalled the thousands of dogs who go without decent food, clean water and even minimal vet care across the country, sitting in USDA licensed kennels who will never see the light of day, let alone a toy or fuzzy bed.

I am rattled tonight because I feel like I can never scream the truth loud enough. I don’t make this shit up. Thousands of dogs are rotting away in over 10,000 mills across our country. Most of them ARE USDA licensed.

My skin has thickened over the last 8 years. I don’t cry as much and I try not to picture the dogs I know who are suffering right now. The dogs who have eye infections, mammary tumors, and broken legs who will never get the treatment they need and will sit alone in some rusty cage enduring pain for the rest of their silent life.

But, when someone calls me a liar or my fellow rescuers, lunatics, I become enraged. My heart races and my blood boils not because I “believe” these cruel things about mills to be true, but because I have SEEN these things and KNOW they are true.

One look across my room and there they are laying in front of me. Two of the thousands of mill dogs, Thorp and Penelope. Each dealt a horrifying hand at life. Over 4 years in a mill. 4 years that took 8 years to erase and yet, scars for both of them remain today.

Do NOT call me a liar or a lunatic. Walk in my shoes and see with my eyes what I have seen and then have the courage or the ignorance to tell me I am a liar. Anyone who can live through what I witnessed and still believe that USDA licensed kennels are okay, is inhuman. At the very least, has ZERO compassion for animals.

Do NOT ever call me a liar or a lunatic. I have witnessed a truth so hideous that I will spend the rest of my life fighting against it. My heart felt pain and my soul felt anger in such ways that I can never fully express, but each day I use those feelings to make a difference. I believe, with all of my heart and soul, that I was in that barn for a reason and what I saw fuels my passion to keep going.

I cry over puppy mills because I physically walked through them. With my very own hands, I pulled mill dogs from crappy cages and hugged them for the very first time. I saw the fear in their eyes, the desperation in their souls.

And, I still see the ones we couldn’t save – Every. Single. Day.

To learn more about my experience and the truth about pet stores and puppy mill dogs, check out my book, Bark Until Heard.

Tails: RTO – The Low Hanging Fruit No One is Trying to Pick

There’s celebration in Wisconsin this week. A bill passed to shorten the stray hold in shelters. Oh, you probably can’t hear the party, because not everyone is celebrating. Lost Dogs Wisconsin along with their umbrella organization, Lost Dogs America, tried very hard to stop the bill. “Why?” you may ask… Well, Lost Dogs America, an ALL volunteer organization, helped reunite over 30,000 families and dogs in 2015. It seems they know a thing or two about the bonds between pets and their owners. They are also painfully well aware that most of the shelter systems in WI are broken. Return to Owner (RTO) rates are tragic with many of the big shelters not making RTO a priority and rarely attempting to find owners or list found dogs on their websites.

LDA pleaded with WI legislation to fix the shelter systems BEFORE shortening the stray hold, but, sadly, they went ahead and passed the bill with no necessary improvements for shelters. Basically, in the vast state of WI, you now have only 4 days, that is 96 hours, to find your lost dog at a shelter before they can adopt it out, transfer it to a rescue in or out of state, or kill it. There was some stipulation for a longer hold UNLESS the dog was ill, or its behavior was a danger to the public. The reality is those two exceptions are subject to so much interpretation that a shelter can act however it sees fit. One bad cough or loud growl and your dog could be heading over Rainbow Bridge long before you could ever locate him.

Yes, there are statistics that back-up some of the advantages of shorten stray holds. Stats that show more dogs move through the shelter system quicker – HOPEFULLY resulting in more live release rates, but not always. I don’t think anyone really challenged those stats, but, instead, argued that in the world of rescue and animal welfare, we should be trying to preserve the human-animal bond, not destroy it.

Return to Owner is an area of animal welfare few people talk about. You certainly don’t hear the big guys talk about it much (Best Friends, HSUS – both groups who lobbied in favor of the bill). Yet, RTO seems like an area shelters and rescues should dedicate resources to. Why are they so willing to spend time and money on adoptions and transfers (even euthanasia) when there is a really good chance the dog sitting in the kennel already has a home?

I remember working at my county animal control… we had a binder for lost dog reports and when dogs would come in, we would check the binder. We would also check it before placing the dog on the adoption side or euthanizing him. However, we didn’t really do much else. There the dog sits for a week and we just “hope” someone calls or comes in for him.

Not everyone who loses a dog knows where to look or even what to do. LDA is trying hard to change that by educating those who contact them on the many avenues there are to find your dog, from fliers to website postings, to calling every vet, shelter and animal control in a 100 mile radius. The truth is unless you are active in the rescue world, not many people know all the shelters and vet clinics in the area. Rescue people take that kind of knowledge for granted.

LDA partners with Helping Lost Pets. Helping Lost Pets has an INTERNATIONAL, FREE database that allows individuals, shelters, vet clinics, etc. to post lost and found dogs (as well as pinpoint sightings) on a map based system. It is truly brilliant. I did mention is was FREE, right? Yet, there are shelters across the country NOT using it? Shelters right in WI who choose to do nothing instead. How does that make sense? An animal shelter should be using all possible resources to get that dog home.

RTO is really the low-hanging fruit when it comes the array of possibilities of getting a dog out of the shelter. To adopt a dog out, he has to stay for the stray hold period, might need medical care, he has to pass some type of temperament test or behavior assessment, he needs to have all his vaccines and be neutered, he has to sit on the adoption side waiting for the right person to want him, maybe he goes to adoption events. Once someone adopts him, there is a fairly decent chance, he will be returned and the entire cycle starts again.

To transfer a dog, the shelter has to have partnerships with rescues in the area that they manage, the dog has to stay for the stray hold period, be medically treated, the shelter has to reach out to rescues hoping someone will take him, they have to arrange transfer dates and at times vaccinate and neuter the dog before the rescue will take him.

To euthanize a dog, he has to stay for the stray hold, he has to be behaviorally assessed, he might have to be medically treated and, then, the decision is made to be euthanized. For most shelter workers, that is the hardest and saddest part of the job – placing unbelievable amounts of stress and depression on shelter workers, causing them to quit the job sooner.

To return a dog to owner, the shelter simply has to post the lost dog in a database. When the owner comes to get the dog there might be microchipping or a neuter involved, but there is no behavior assessment, no extended shelter time and rarely a chance that the owner is going to return the dog a few days later. RTO is ALWAYS a quicker, happy ending.

RTO is not a number many shelters use to measure success, but if your dog gets lost wouldn’t you want to believe that getting him back home is part of the shelter’s responsibility as an animal welfare organization? Wouldn’t you want to assume that a shelter’s first priority is to find the owner, not just get the dog out the shelter?

My favorite phrase is, “Dogs don’t fall from the sky.” Not really just a phrase, a fact, right? Yes, in some areas strays are a prevalent reality. Yes, some people (very few) lose their dogs and don’t even try to find them. I have found quite a few dogs in my 45 years and not one has been a stray. Each one had a family desperately looking for them. Interesting that when good Samaritans find dogs they almost always make incredible attempts to find the dog’s owner, yet, shelters and rescues don’t? The irony… and the very sad reality that needs to change NOW.

Truths: Have Faith and Believe in your Dreams

I had a moment yesterday. The Puppy Mill Project was at an event, Hiking for Hounds, and I was selling my book, Bark Until Heard. Angie had this great idea that Thorp should pawtagraph books, so I finally got an ink pad, and, for the first time, Thorp was signing books, too.

Later in the day, Christine photographed Thorp signing the book and texted it to me. When I opened it and looked at the photo, my heart melted. It was perfect.

I thought about the picture the whole ride home. I can re-call 7 years ago, March 12, like it was yesterday. The smells, the noise, and the pure heartache remain amazingly vivid for me. I also remember the exact feeling I had in my soul when I decided in an instant that I would rescue Thorp and write a book about him.

I am by no means a religious person. I don’t go to church or read the Bible, but I can attest that the feeling I had that day had to be driven by something much larger than me. I remember sitting in the crappy bleachers, looking around at what seemed like Hell to me, and being overcome with this idea that I could do something to make a difference.

I knew writing the book about Thorp was something I had to do.

It was a difficult road, no doubt. The writing wasn’t always easy, but the entire journey was challenging. Going to two more auctions nearly did me in – emotionally. Being surrounded by broken spirited dogs is beyond gut wrenching. The pain and the anger and helplessness were hard to wrap my head around at times. The fighting and the pleading with legislators took a toll. Every beat of my heart was wrapped up in the emotional roller coaster ride I spent 7 years on. Yet, I never once chose to give-up.

The book is out and the reviews have been great. The last few months have been surreal to say the least. I am still attempting to take it all in.

Seeing Thorp making his paw print under the words “Bark Until Heard” not only made it all very real, but made me realize how important it is to listen to your soul and to have faith in things bigger than yourself.

I certainly didn’t know the extent of the journey when I felt the desire to save Thorp and pursue writing his story. I only knew it had to be done. Now, I find myself at these wonderful dog events being able to share my story and raise the awareness of puppy mills. I am fortunate to be surrounded by people who are volunteering their time to rescue dogs and improve their lives. I get to meet adopters whose lives have been changed by their rescue dogs. I spend time petting dogs of every single kind of breed or combination. My heart is full.

I can’t stop smiling.

It isn’t and it never was about “writing a book.” It has always been about so much more. I am not a life coach, but I just want to encourage others to follow what they feel in their heart, to listen to their soul when it speaks. Have faith and believe in your dreams because not only are they possible, the journey they take you on is far better than you ever imagined.

Bark Until Heard is my first book. It can be purchased on amazon or signed copies can be bought on my web-site beckymonroe.com.

Tails: It is Time to See the BIG Picture

Every day people, just like me, post things declaring “millions of dogs and cats euthanized each year.” Yet, I don’t think many of the people who post those phrases truly grasp the gravity of the words.

I write this blog under duress. I am pissed off and frustrated. I feel completely helpless and overwhelmed. Once again the municipal shelter system is to blame. For me it is CACC, but I know Chicago, sadly, isn’t alone. There are hundreds of these crappy shelters across the United States. Hundreds of shelters killing thousands of animals for NO good reason.

Let me describe my current situation. A woman contacted me through Facebook. Her rescue would like to pull two dogs who are “transfer only” from CACC, but her rescue has not been approved yet as a Homeward Bound Partner, so she can’t. Unfortunately, like her, our rescue, who applied months ago, has not been approved either, so I can’t help her.

Before I continue down what I deem a horrific path, let me address the issue of “transfer only” because, it, too, is one of the ridiculous practices of CACC. There are hundreds of “transfer only” dogs listed everyday for CACC. Transfer only means that the dog must go to an approved rescue. If no rescue pulls it, it will be killed. The crazy thing about this policy is that we have pulled “transfer only” dogs only to turn around and adopt them almost immediately to people living in Chicago. The very same people who would have adopted the dog at CACC. The process would have been quicker and cheaper. Our adoption fee is $300, CACC’s is like $70. Why does a perfectly good dog have to be “transfer only?”

I have attended meetings at CACC only to hear their volunteers voice the same concerns. They say repeatedly, “We never have any dogs for adoption. People come here from all over the city on a Saturday and the adoption room is empty.” So, the citizens leave pissed off and never return because who wants to waste their time?

CACC could have lots of dogs for adoption – all different kinds of dogs. The dogs we pull are small, fluffy dogs – the cute ones – the ones who are almost always easily adopted. There is no reason why CACC can’t be adopting these dogs out themselves. Well, there are a few reasons but they only scream words like, “lazy, irresponsible, uncaring, pathetic, etc…”

Back to the scenario… So, knowing that I can’t help this woman and her rescue, I turn to FB contacts begging for help. No answer. Two dogs are sitting in a city shelter days from euthanasia… there is a rescue who is willing to take them…and yet, absolutely nothing can be done. Can anyone feel my rage?

I got comments, of course I did. “Quit whining and network.” (I believe that is what I am trying to do) “I won’t help anyone right now, there are too many hoarders.” (So fear of a possible hoarder trumps saving the life of these two dogs?)

In July, I attended the Best Friends Animal Society conference. I was fortunate to choose to attend The Kansas City Pet Project session and meet Brent Toellner. During his presentation he described this scenario:

“Imagine you are walking by a pond and see hundreds of dogs drowning. You immediately jump in the pond and start saving the dogs by throwing them to anyone who will help on the shoreline. You don’t ask if they own a fence or if they work all day. You don’t even care if they have another dog. You are just grateful that they are willing to help you.”

He went on to say, “That is where we are right now. Millions of dogs are drowning (dying) in shelters. We cannot afford to be choosey.”

We have convinced ourselves that saving one is better than saving none. We say things like, “Saving the life of one dog might not make a big difference, but it is everything to that dog.” The truth is WE can save them all, if we are willing to fathom the whole problem and not just the two eyes staring us in the face.

No, you or me can’t take a million dogs into our homes, but we can create policies and procedures that take into account the BIG picture and not just a few dogs at a time.

The truth is if we really want to save them all, we can no longer compartmentalize a problem that is in actuality a monumental disaster. We MUST see the entire picture.

In a nation euthanizing a million good dogs a year, it makes ZERO sense that it takes months to process a rescue application, especially in a giant city euthanizing thousands of dogs a year. If the applications were processed faster, MORE dogs would be leaving that shelter sooner.

Oh, I know, some of you are worried about hoarders or dog fighters or all of the other terrible possibilities, but as you sit there, why not start counting the number of dogs killed while you were wasting time thinking about all the “what ifs.” Euthanasia is a given, for each dog you ponder cautiously, at least 5 other wonderful dogs are killed.

If we truly want to save them all, we have to stop being so cautious. We have to believe what is actually true: there are more good people than bad.

We have to bank on these odds because the numbers don’t lie. Millions of dogs are killed each year. We can either choose to change that statistic or we can continue to drag our feet and let dogs die.

Tails: March Until Heard

This Sunday, I will march down Michigan Ave. in support of National Puppy Mill Awareness Day, September 27^th. It will be my first march, but my fight started 7 years ago when I walked into my first Amish barn and saw lifeless dogs bought and sold like junk.

Seven years ago, I estimate that 1 in 100 people knew what I meant when I said the words “puppy mill.” Today, I estimate that to be 1 in 25. The message, long in the making, is quickly becoming louder. We are being heard.

84 cities across the nation have bans on the retail sale of puppies unless they come from rescues and shelters. More cities and counties are in the process of adopting similar ordinances. The message is strong and it is simple, but it is not without contention.

I believe that we are on a precipice of enormous change for mill dogs everywhere. I believe that we have reached the 2^nd stage of truth as quoted by Arthur Schopenhauer, “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second, it is violently opposed and third, it is accepted as self-evident.”

For years, those of us fighting for mill dogs were ridiculed, often ostracized for caring more about dogs than kids. We overcame such initial scrutiny and as our fight has grown momentum and tripled in strength, we are being met with anger, often pure rage.

Recently, we have been called controversial, as if exposing the horrific reality of mill dogs is questionable. The people we are fighting are running out of options. They have gotten mean and nasty.

It can be frightening to go up against such violent and irrational individuals, but we cannot show fear. We cannot succumb to their tactics. We must march on…

That is what we ALL need to do on September 27^th National Puppy Mill Awareness Day. We will walk together – unified in our mission and strong in numbers. We will march and show we are here to educate, to bring awareness, and to fight for the dogs who have no voice.

Fierce opposition based on greed and cruelty is opposition we are more than willing to take on… For the love of dogs of everywhere, for the freedom of mill dogs locked away in dark barns and for the future of canine companionship, we will walk and we will be heard.

What we speak will soon be the self-evident accepted truth.

*** For information about the Chicago March visit the Puppy Mill Project. For information about other events on National Puppy Mill Awareness Day or how to get involved visit The National Puppy Mill Project. Here are some events around the nation:

San Diego Humane Society Adoption Event
www.sdhumane.org California

Protest, 1 PM National City Puppy & Min Toy Puppies
https://www.facebook.com/events/136106673403868/, San Diego, Ca

Awareness Day Proclamations
Brower County and Maimi Dade County Florida

Paws For A Cause Meet and Greet
www.facebook.com/PFACG Georgia

Indiana Puppy Mill Project, Tails on Trails, Fort Wayne
www.facebook.com/inpuppymillproject Indiana

Legislative Meeting on Puppy Mills
www.wp.iowavca.org Iowa

Bailing out Benji 30 protests days 30
www.bailingoutbenji.com Iowa

The Puppy Mill Project, Chicago March
www.thepuppymillproject.org Illinois

Petland Protest, 12-4 PM Roundlake, Il
https://www.facebook.com/events/1466305717012702

Harper College Animal Rights Club, leafleting Palatine, Il
www.goforward.harpercollege.edu

Maine Citizens Against Puppy Mills, Protest Tropic Pets, Waterboro
www.facebook.com/mainecitizensagainstpuppymills.com Maine

Boots Place Against Puppy Mills, Protest, Rockville
www.bootsplaceagainstpuppymills.com Maryland

Puppy Mill Awareness of SE Micigan, Human Chain through Novi
www.michiganpuppymills.com/ Michigan

Protest Amaze’n Farmyard/Clearview Kennels, Minn, Mn
https://www.facebook.com/events/162206974115850/

Petland Protest 11-2 PM 6131 Ronald Regan Dr, St Louis, Mo
more info: “leannefritsch@yahoo.com”

Residents Against Pet Stores in Cherry Hill, Protest
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1597746227155105/?fref=nf NJ

Ohio Voters for Companion Animals Ohio
www.ohiovotersforcompanionanimals.com

Boycott The Family Puppy Store – Human Chain Toledo
https://www.facebook.com/tfpboycott Ohio

Leo’s Helping Paws, Puppy Ribbon Project, Lancaster, PA
http://www.leoshelpingpaws.org/

Puppy Mill & Backyard Breeders Awareness Day 9/26
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Puppy-Mill-Backyard-Breeders-Awareness-Day-2015/481388368730540 Peach Bottom, PA

Puppy Mill Awareness Austin, Festival
www.pmadtx.com, Tx

Wisconsin Citizens Against Puppy Mills Protest 9/26 Wi
Wisconsin Citizens Against Puppy Mills

Petland Protest off Milton Ave, Janesville, Wi
1-5 PM

International *****

Puppymill Awareness Working Solutions, Ottawa Ontario
9/19 Awareness Event Pet Value Kanata

Puppy Farm Awareness Walk, Penang, Malaysia

Truths: I will continue to fight for the dogs despite world tragedy

Last night I found myself in tears watching the video footage of the body of a small child wash up on a Turkish beach. He is another victim of the Syrian migrant crisis. Thousands of innocent people fleeing their country just to save their own lives. He, his brother and their mother all died when they fell off the small rubber boat attempting to cross the sea to start a new life away from war and terror.

The news coverage showed the dead boy face down on the beach as well as the gut wrenching footage of the father in tears.

Earlier this week, a police officer was shot in cold blood in a town adjacent to where I grew up. A town where violence didn’t exist. A town I spent countless hours in as a child walking the streets, playing freely, picking daisies with my great grandma. The tragedy took place only blocks from my grandma’s home.

The officer went to my high school. His younger brother once a good friend of mine.

Each day I write in defense of animals. I fight against puppy-mills. I advocate for shelter animals. I encourage people to adopt. The blood of animals runs through me. My soul bares their scars. My heart feels their pain.

Last night, after the news and the horrific image of the Syrian boy and the death of the police officer – so close to my home, I felt forced to take pause. I questioned my fight for the animals. It is impossible to see an innocent boy dead on a beach and not wonder if fighting for the animals is what is important in this lifetime.

My head was spinning, my heart was hurting. Tears were streaming down my face. Completely overwhelmed by the enormity of tragedies across the globe, it was hard to find peace.

Finally, I took a deep breath and asked myself, “Why do I have to choose? Why is it animals OR people?”

The truth is that it is about kindness and peace for all creatures.

For me, it starts with animals. People come with baggage and opinions and beliefs. It is easy to understand why we can’t get along and why it is, often, so hard to find common ground and live peacefully among one another.

But, dogs come with no predisposed beliefs. They don’t come with a religion or a race or an income bracket. They always accept each of us as we are. They are the most loyal and loving companions on Earth. To treat them as poorly as we do, makes no sense, and, leaves me little hope for our ability to genuinely love one another.

I believe as a human race we have lost all sense of human kind.

For many, human life takes precedent over animal life. It is not my belief, but I can find reason to respect it. However, I challenge those who feel that way, to think beyond themselves and to look around and seek true peace. The kind of peace that only comes when you see yourself as one small part of the universe. Where you see humans and animals and the ocean and the sky as equals.

The wholeness of the world cannot be divided into pieces and placed in a hierarchy. All parts must work in unison.

We have done a phenomenal job destroying ourselves. Each day more violence, more hate. The world gasps at the little boy on the beach, only to shake their heads with a degree of acceptance at the terrorism behind the Syrian crisis. The nation cries at the news of a dead officer, yet continues to believe they are helpless to end the war on police.

Sadly, we have come to accept a degree of violence. We are learning to live in a world full of opposition and hostility.

The refugees of Syria haunt my dreams. The police officer’s death in my hometown pulls at my heartstrings, but I will continue to fight for the dogs, because I believe once everyone can see the innocence in the dogs, once everyone can see the pureness of their souls, once we can treat dogs with compassion, I believe we will have awakened a kinder spirit in our own souls. We will see, with complete clarity, the meaning of life. We will understand that we, as humans, are but one part of the universe. We will understand that our purpose is to be kind and to display compassion indiscriminately.

We will finally understand our life’s journey is to the leave the world a better place.

Tails: There is Joy

I spent the weekend at two festivals all about dogs. Both were fundraisers for animal welfare organizations, but the general public was invited and encouraged to bring their furry friends.

I watched dogs and their families smile all weekend. Tails wagged as people introduced themselves and their furry companions. I saw dogs of all shapes, sizes and colors. I even saw a brown and white Newfie, a silver lab and an Ibizan hound – dogs I had never seen in person before. Big dogs, small dogs, barking dogs, shy dogs – I was surrounded by so many 4 legged creatures, I couldn’t help but feel joy.

I don’t really know the last time I felt pure joy around a dog. I know that sounds crazy, coming from someone so passionate about dogs, but when you surround yourself with likeminded, overly passionate animal rescuers, you can forget the joy a dog can bring to your life.

When you rescue dogs and fight for their welfare every day, you simply forget that dogs are amazing and fun and can make even the grouchiest person smile, because you are too overwhelmed by the horror they managed to survive. I don’t know the last time I looked into a dog’s eyes and felt happiness. Instead, I look and see their history, their scars. I see their past and I feel their pain.

If I dig deep enough, I can recall the dogs I had growing up: Spunky, Lassie, Taffy, and Apples. The days before I found myself entrenched in animal welfare, I was simply enamored by the unconditional love of a dog. There was nothing better than a dog – nothing.

In Del Mar, CA there is this amazing dog beach. The very first time I went I was absolutely overcome with emotion. I sat on a giant rock and spent hours watching as dogs played in the surf and with each other. It is my heaven. To see dogs enjoying life, living free and easy. To see them loved by people. To see so many dogs happy and healthy.

Today, as I look into my dogs’ eyes, I see Amish puppy mills, rusty cages, years of neglect. I see the dirty streets of Chicago. I feel a sense of panic and loss. I don’t ever see joy.

It is not that I don’t love my dogs. Nothing could be further from the truth. I would die for them without question. What is true is that I have to come to love them because of their scars and not for the joy they bring me.

I think I have failed them.

It is one thing to show unconditional love, to remain patient and supportive as an abused dog heals and learns to trust, but it is another to allow that dog’s past to become his only identity. I admit, in many ways, I have done that. I do that.

I have become so accustom to horrific stories, that I have overlooked the true beauty in dogs. I have allowed myself to forget the happiness they stir inside of us and the joy they bring to our lives.

I needed last weekend. I needed to be surrounded by dogs and their people who simply love one another no strings or baggage attached.

It is too easy to become cynical and jaded and hardened in animal rescue. I look at dogs and see a world of cruelty instead of a world of love.

Last night, as I snuggled up to my dogs on the sofa, I let them be dogs and not sad stories. When I held them close and their tails softly wagged, I felt pure joy.

Tails and Truths

A lot about rescue and a little about life