One at a time…

Grey clouds filled the sky and the air felt thick and heavy, an appropriate backdrop. At 12:00 noon, someone unlocked the heavy metal doors and we entered, a thud following as they closed behind us. Inside was a sterile but beautiful building, helping mask the realities of what happens there, the way makeup conceals the lines on a face. Unlike most others, our county is blessed to have a recently built animal control building painted in pleasant colors and set on a lush landscape. It is staffed by caring employees and volunteers that go beyond their job requirements to do what they can for the animals they meet. These are the people tasked with helping the victims of selfish human actions day after day, forced to make the ultimate life or death decisions. This is where euthanasia is a daily reality when space runs out. As county employees, their pay is extremely low and expectations high. Yet, the level of tolerance, patience and commitment they display can only be defined as angelic. One of these staff members begins our paperwork as we explore the building.

The four of us, all volunteers with Stepping Stones, walk down a long hallway. A sky-light illuminates a wall of windows with kennels on either side. On our left are countless kittens and cats, all looking for a home. Many of them paw at the window as we pass by, their purring and meows silenced by the wall between us. Along the right, kennel after kennel is filled with large dogs. Their huge puppy dog eyes meet ours, begging for help. Many of them wag their tails as our eyes meet, overjoyed with the smallest amount of attention. The windows at the end of the hallway are filled with puppies and beyond that is a room that echoes with the high-pitched barks of small dogs. Despite the enormity of the facility, every kennel is full. There isn’t enough room.

 

The Cat Side

 

 

Love that Wrinkled Face – In the Small Dog Room

 

During the hour it takes to complete our paperwork, we watch as a couple brings in their playful German Shepherd. They sign a slip of paper and hand over his leash. We all look at each other, knowing his time will be short here and his chances of adoption low. My mind whirls with thoughts of what he could have done to deserve such a fate… escape his leash, chew a baseboard, growl at a stranger, any of a dozen natural doggie behaviors, I am sure. He is no longer their problem. They are out the door and on to live their lives while he suffers the consequences of their intolerance. I fight down my anger, push back my tears and distract myself with other thoughts. Many other people file in, surrendering animals. Some were found, others surrendered by their owners, a few captured running on the loose. We witness a few adorable puppies find homes… but the concern for the quality of the home they are going to squelches the relief the adoption should bring us. Sadly, rescue has taught us that “a home” isn’t always better than “no home at all”.

With the paperwork finally complete, we can get back to the reason for our visit and it is a joyous one. After several successful adoptions, there is room in our rescue program to bring in new dogs! Tasked with the incredibly difficult duty of choosing the best fit for our program, the leader of our group visited every available dog a day earlier. Together with the shelter staff, she picked out a handful of dogs for our program that were identified as having wonderful personalities and a limited amount of time left. Restricted by funds, foster homes and resources, we cannot take as many as we would like. However, we have a list of three dogs that we are about to spring from lockdown and our hearts beat with excitement as we wait to meet our new fosters.

First out is Muziq, a young Collie/Corgi mix, with ears that flop around like a rabbit’s. A week earlier, we met Musiq when his owners brought him to an adoption fair. We offered to bring him into foster care if they could hold until him a few more days. Despite their quick agreement to that situation, we found him at Animal Control where they had surrendered him less than an hour after speaking with us. Already fully committed, there was no leaving him behind. He pranced out the door of animal control and went straight to his foster’s house where he has blossomed into a wonderful little companion.   (Photo of Muziq by Steph Skardal, pet photographer.  Check out her website by clicking on her name – amazing work!)

Next we got to meet Bella. As a stray, we don’t know her exact age, but she appears to be around 10 months old and resembles a Yellow Labrador Retriever mixed with a Dachshund. Her and Muziq made fast friends and had a quick wrestling match in the front lobby. Bella’s face lit up when she met her new foster mom and the two headed home, with smiles on both of their faces.

Finally, my foster came out in a flurry of black and white fuzz. Humphrey, who I quickly renamed, Max, pulled his handler with all his might in my direction. About 5-10 pounds under his ideal weight, he was thin and small. His wiry hair and beard resemble a Schnauzer, while the black and white of his fur and the zest in his step are all Border Collie. It took little persuasion to get him out the door and into the newly pouring rain. Once outside, he eagerly jumped up into the kennel in my car. Just a 20 minute drive and we were home where he met and quickly became best friends with Major.

All of this was several weeks ago and the three of these dogs are now attending regular adoption fairs, seeking their forever families. Bella has shown us that she is all princess, with a huge heart, delicate grace and playful personality. Muziq is a true comedian who loves to play and entertain. Max is full of energy and too intelligent for me to keep up with. He knows how to fetch – although if something else looks more fun, he is quick to drop the ball where he stands and jump at anything from a dandelion to a bug. He loves people and will never skip a chance to have his ears scratched or his belly rubbed. Rarely does he miss an opportunity to warm a lap, never minding that he barely fits. He loves the other dogs, although he is dominant and they don’t all appreciate his high energy level.

It never ceases to amaze me when someone asks where all of our dogs come from. I am quick to forget how easy it is not to recognize the enormity of the pet over-population problem when you are not surrounded by it every day. Unlike other members of our group, I am fortunate not to field daily requests for help from the public. (Although I do get asked for help about twice a week.) As long as people fail to recognize their part in this problem, we will never solve it. Every person that turns their head when passing by a stray, fails to get their pet altered, rescinds on his/her commitment to a pet or even turns a blind eye to others that do these things… perpetuates the problem. Soon enough, our fosters will find a home and we will have to decide which dogs we can help next, forced to remind ourselves that we cannot help them all but we help the ones we can.