In a Perfect World all of our furry domesticated friends, such as dogs and cats, would all have a loving family, a full belly, veterinary care, and a home. But we do not live in a perfect world – far from it actually.
Animal Rescue is almost a thankless job. It is overwhelmingly positive each time an animal finds their “furever” home. Yet at the same time it is just plain overwhelming to get through each day in this “business”.
Although we are a charity – and animals are our “business” – we experience many expenses that any business might have. There is insurance that has to be paid for, maybe even rent. The phone bill, water bill, electricity, and internet all have to be paid for – as does heat and air-conditioning. How about paying for shelter upkeep – new roof, hot water heater, fencing… We also need supplies in order to carry-out our work – bleach, paper towels, mops, sponges, pens, paper, binders – not to mention computers, copiers, and printers…
Then we have the very specific needs when it comes to “supplies” for animal rescue – cages, dog beds, traps, cat toys, transportation, kitty litter, dog food, leashes, shampoo, carriers, scratching posts, collars, towels, blankets, litter pans, nail trimmers, brushes, dog coats, water bowls, veterinary bills – surgeries, vaccinations, lab tests, exams, x-rays, medication…
We rely heavily on our supporters – volunteers and donors. After all – in the absence of either of these groups – we would not be able to even exist much less carry out the work that we do. Again we are a charity – a not-for-profit. We don’t sell coffee, or trade your stocks, clean your pool, manufacture clothing, or park your car. All we can really offer is a second chance for a dog or a cat. That is “our business”.
With this “business” comes great joy, of course. It also brings daily heartbreak since there is an endless number of animals that are in need – many of which we are not able to help. EVERY DAY both of our locations get at least 100 requests for help – someone just found a cat, a neighbor is abusing their dog, they can no longer afford medical care for their cat, their mother just died and she had three dogs, a cat was just hit by a car, a wonderful dog is set to be euthanized at a kill shelter, they just found a bunch of kittens… very sadly, the requests are infinite. The help we are able to provide is, very sadly, relatively limited.
In a Semi-Perfect World dogs and cats would have the law on their side, veterinary care would be free to all, and our shelter would be so huge that we would have a space for every single animal that needed our help – oh, and kibble would rain from the sky. But again – that is not reality.
We are a no-kill shelter. Even Kill-Shelters have their own issues with over-crowding where even they cannot take in every animal that they may come across. But with that type of shelter – new space is created to take in more animals on a daily basis. They do this by euthanizing those dogs and cats that may have any type of medical condition, be a bit older, may be a bit less trusting due to years of abuse – and any dog or cat who has not been adopted in the three days they have been at the shelter – maybe in a week – maybe they give them up to a month sometimes.
Again – Bobbi and the Strays IS A NO-KILL SHELTER. That means that once an animal comes into our care – they are in our care until they get adopted – sometimes for years – sometimes for life. We have a set amount of space and resources for dogs and cats – and space cannot be freed or created to take in a new dog or cat until one actually gets adopted.
We also may literally be a last chance for a dog who is otherwise very healthy but needs a simple surgery or a cat who simply needs daily medication. We also get more than our fair share of animals that have been through years of abuse – ranging from simply being ignored their whole life, surviving on the rough streets of New York, used in dog-fighting, or are very sick because their medical condition was never properly treated – or much worse abuse. These dogs and cats require extra care, funds, and attention and because of that may take even longer to be adopted.
We do what we can. To some – well, they know it is a lot. To others – it may not seem like enough. We understand someone’s frustration when they are only trying to help a stray they found or an animal they can no longer afford to keep. We have all been there ourselves. While one person may be trying to help one animal one day we, as an organization, are experiencing that frustration multiplied many times over on an every-day basis as we try to help as many animals as we can.
While many people join us in celebrating our joy and happy tears when one of our wards is adopted into a loving home, it is disheartening when a few do not understand our frustrations, sadness, expenses, legal limits, and space restrictions… They may scream at us and call us names, bad mouth us, and try to get others to stop volunteering for us or donating to our cause. This is especially heartbreaking since it only further hurts the very dogs and cats they would like us to help as well as the animals that are already in our care.
We help as many animals that we are able to with the limited resources we have. All we can do is try to remain positive and push through another day and then another and another. The intelligent and beautiful dogs and cats that we open our hearts to keep us concentrated on our purpose – to find them loving homes for life. So we keep pushing forward in a world that always seems to push back. Ah – “business” in a world far from perfect…
