Project Hope - In Defense of Animals

Tuesday, July 22, 2003
Past diary entries

Dear Diary, it's Tuesday, July 22, 2003, and all is not well. I'm stressed, and really struggling with the blues. It's like having fallen and gotten banged up. You do get up, but it takes effort, and even after dusting yourself, and tending to your scrapes; bruises and aching muscles still show up for days. Sometimes there's a more subtle wound, one that will creep up. It may not be from the fall. It may just be that you've lifted to heavy of a load one time to many.

Who are these people that expect that those of us who are working for animals are supposed to be responsible for every animal issue that they happen to have learned about, or every animal that they are not willing to be responsible for? I don't know if they are clueless, or they just so want to dump that they don't care what happens as a result of their selfishness. I don't know of an animal caregiver in these parts that isn't suffering from major fatigue.

Lots of good stuff is happening here, but there is just so much yuk to deal with that it is mind-boggling.

Thursday the Panola Sheriff's Dept. asked if I would go over a case they are working. They did a splendid job, but of course the guy who signed the horse over to them because he was neglecting it has decided to get an attorney, and wants the horse back.

Friday I responded to a call that a breeder was keeping dogs in a utility shed without any ventilation. Lord, what an experience. When the man opened the door to the shed the air wa so hot that it hit me like the heat I felt from stone bread ovens when I was in Iran. In sharp contrast was the stench of heated urine, feces, and spoiled food. how those poor little dogs managed to stay alive is beyond me. The Sheriff's Deputy that accompanied me just kept backing away from the door and apologizing for not being able to enter. He just repeated,"I have a weak stomach. I'm sorry I have a weak stomach and I can't go in."

There were only six dogs in a room that had clearly been filled. The information I received was that many had died, and not just recently. Apparently dogs had been kept in this shed for years.

There was a mother and her four pups in a filthy cage in the man's bedroom. He had sense enough to know that they would die in the shed.

Our friends at Oxford said that they would take the poodles. It was a boost for them to received dogs they actually knew they would be able to place. All of the dogs were fostered by shelter caregivers. We are full, and try to maintain any available space for dogs that won't be placed in a shelter.

The man that surrendered his dogs was verbally, and perhaps mentally challenged. His brother who lived next door to him gave me a bit of guff for taking his dogs, but was only to happy to ask me to take his dog too. After telling me how he was gonna help his brother move the dogs out of the shed "tomorrow", he just couldn't wait to shed his responsibility for his lab.

The next step in an almost classic case was the phone call from another family member. His sister wanted to know why I took advantage of a "retarded person". She would have helped if she had known there was a problem, actually she and her other brother were going to move the dogs "the next day" if I hadn't deprived him of them.

I don't know if some of the heat from the shed had effected my brain, I know the smell was still in my nostrils, and I nearly unleashed my rage on her. After failing to get her to comprehend that the sudden concern for her brother, and his dogs was disingenuous, and that the profit she hoped he would gain from selling pups was a pipedream, I let her know that I was prepared to dig my heals in and take whatever course needed to keep the dogs from going back.

I had a burdened weekend. I was prepared for contempt of court if this would go there. Along with the thought of how that would affect our work here, worried for the care of the animals at our sanctuary.
sister was going to have big brother call me on Monday. They were moving up the power chain.

I was eased by information that big brother too wanted the dogs gone. I hoped that he wouldn't be influenced by his siblings. Mom was in a nursing home. She was the breeder of the family. The dogs were left to her son's care as she became unable to care for them, and then was absent from the home.

Monday afternoon I received a call from sister. seems they had a family discussion and all they wanted was for the dogs to get a good home. Again disingenuous, but who cares. The revolting struggle was over.

There are so many case that I am working, and trying to find the time to work, that it is taxing. Knowing that animals need aid, and you can't get there, and no one else will be there for them is truly taxing. Going to Wally's World and finding out that Wally doesn't supply the ink cartridge you need, and you'll have to make another 59 minute trip to get one even though you don't have the time is maddening.

It's summer. People are moving and leaving animals behind. The puppies and kittens that are a sudden surprise to the folks who ought to know where babies come from are being dumped in the most horrendous places. How bizarre that these are the folks that slam animal shelters for being forced to euthanize. Hello people there is no room at the inn!

Tina and I are managing to care for our unexpected arrivals, but it would be nice if we were given the choice, or at least fair warning so that we could be prepared with some place to put them.

Tina has taken kittens home. I have a mother and three of her four kittens in my room. We made accommodations for the others in the cattery.

The groups that usually help us with cats are also burdened. There simply aren't the resources for the influx of animals.

Kennel Cough! it actually didn't come in with new arrivals, but came back from the vets with our neutered pals. It has cleared out, but it took precious time from the adoptable stage of some of our pups.

The pups we have taken in are largely the ones we knew our shelter friends would not be able to keep. Gracie, Tommy, and Tobey are recovering from mange. Tommy had demodex, and sarcoptic.

Our bottle pups have been weaned, and six of the nine have been placed. This does bring a smile to my heavy heart.

I'm going to try to get regional TV stations to do an in depth report on the plight of both animal caregivers, and the precious animals that are being abandoned as soon as they are born. That is, between putting out alerts regarding a new outbreak of dog-nabbing, trying to aid a community with a humane plan for saving their companion animals from a migrating coyote pack, and the myriad of requests that we are stunned by.

Diary, I know that the next time I write I may be as chipper as a lark, but sometimes I just have to be honest. I am holding it together because animals are depending on how we respond to our stress, and their plight. I'll eat a freshly picked tomato and be grateful, and try so very hard not to live with this pain.

3:32 PM