There are so many misconceptions about rescuing. So, so many...
No, we were not born this way. Our "introversion" often stems from a belief, backed up by the evidence we see every single day, that most humans are hopelessly, irredeemably cruel—whether by ignorance or intent.
And maybe thats true. But even if it is, its still only most humans. Not all. And I want to be hopeful, rather than hopeless. I want to believe that there is redemption for the cruelty we, as a species, have wrought on the world. And I want to believe that, by sharing an insiders look at the actual, real hows of rescuing, and doing it with more humor than cheesiness, two things might happen:
First:
Someone with their heart in the right place might find out that rescuing isnt as impossible as they thought, and might feel motivated to get involved.
Second:
Someone with their heart in the right place and on their way to grab that homeless dog they saw just three minutes ago and take it home might realize just how irresponsible theyre about to be.
An irresponsible "rescue"—a rescue carried out by an inexperienced loner, without any support or guidance—does more harm than good. You might be taking a mom away from her newborn puppies (and sentencing those puppies to death). You might be interfering with a rescue effort already in motion (which will result in losing the dog forever). You might hurt, or even kill, the dog youre trying to help. You might hurt yourself. You might get someone else hurt. You might bring any number of dangers, including disease, into your home.
My theme for this years April Challenge, The A to Z of Dog Rescuing, isnt a tear-jerky plea for the welfare of animals. Rather, its a guide—for that slice of the population that make the difference between most and all—on How To Rescue A Dog. The idea is to provide not just motivation but education. A successful rescue requires a whole lot of people, a whole lot of know-how, and a whole lot of luck. I cant help with the luck part, but—if you do decide rescuing is for you—I can be one of the people in your corner, and I can share what Ive learned myself... which might help you have a better chance of making it a success.
Rescue isnt pretty. More often than not, it gets worse before it gets better.
But it does get better.
What you can expect this April
Brief, practical guidelines. A blow-by-blow on the how-to. A glance at considerations (safety, medical, fostering). Videos from rescue organizations. Bloopers. Humor. Some seriousness, too. (But not too much.) The Dog Rescuers Kit (for K) will give a list of items every dog rescuer needs to carry, for instance. E day will be all about the Easy Catches; on C day itll be the nigh-impossible ones (Catch Me (If You Can)).Next weekend Ill be posting a Rescue FAQ as a sort of prep-intro and prequel to the A-to-Z posts. If you have any rescue- or dog-related questions, Id love it if you shared them in the comments (or via email to guilie (dot) quietlaughter (at) gmail (dot) com) so I can include them in the FAQ and/or answer them during April.
I realize animal rescue is not a popular subject. Many pet bloggers are more into breeding and dog shows than into tick-ridden, emaciated 10-year-old mutts abandoned tied to a tree somewhere. Most people, in fact, would simply rather not know (let alone do).
But most is not all.
And Im hoping that some of those people, the ones who stand in the gap between most and all, might find their way to this blog. You might not be many, but youre the ones that make the greatest difference. This Aprils series is for you.
Get a Kleenex for this one.
Sound of Silence from To Katie Productions on Vimeo.
