The Relevance of Rescue

The world of rescue can be overwhelming, frustrating, and at times heartbreaking, which begs the question, “Why bother?”

Throughout my whole life, I’ve been drawn to animals. I raised abandoned chicks in my room as a kid. As an adult, I’ve picked up strays more times than I can count, in hopes of returning them to their homes. I never thought of fostering or being part of a rescue until an extremely pregnant German Shepard entered my life.

Momma came to us on a cold, wet January day after being found in the middle of a busy street. My family and I had zero experience, so we knew we were in over our heads. After a panicked cry for help on social media I was put in touch with Kate’s Rescue for Animals. My family agreed to foster Momma with the help of Kate’s and thus our journey began.

It became a family affair that we were all invested in. Momma had a sweet set-up in our third car garage as we all eagerly awaited the birth of the pups. Delivery day came and as we quietly watched the birth of that first squirming puppy, I knew we were hooked.

I wish I could tell you that things were smooth sailing from there, but unfortunately, that was not in the cards for us. Momma only delivered one puppy naturally. The other nine came via an emergency c-section. More than anything, I wish I could tell you that all ten puppies found loving homes and that two years later they are living their best lives, but alas, that was not our reality. Momma was overwhelmed with her large litter and we had our hands full with the growing brood. Tragedy struck five weeks into our puppy adventure and we sadly lost three female puppies. I was devastated and wanted Momma and the pups gone right then and there. Thankfully, my husband is a little more level-headed, and after a family discussion, we decided to see it through to the end. To this day, I thank my lucky stars that we did.

Momma and the seven remaining puppies all found loving homes that we’ve managed to keep in touch with. One puppy we have really close contact with, as he wakes up with us every day to loves and cuddles. After our first experience as fosters, we were hesitant to try it again. We had to set our fears aside and trust that everything would turn out. Two years later we’ve welcomed many more dogs into our home and our lives. We’ve faced other challenges and obstacles and I’m sure we’ll face more as we continue our journey. In the words of the great Theodore Roosevelt, “Nothing in this world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty…I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”

It’s my humble opinion that the world of rescue is very relevant, and oh so worthwhile!