If Only It Were So Easy…

When Scott picked up the puppy from the Vet Wednesday night, he thanked the doctor for everything.  The Vet responded by saying that he did the easy part… we had the hard part.

Unfortunately, he is right.  While performing surgery to save a leg and relieving extreme pain is an amazing feat, years of rescue have taught me that finding an awesome home for this puppy that I already love and hardly know is far harder.  Someone that will make sure she always has what she needs, medically, emotionally and financially is no small thing.  People are often shocked that our dog team denies so many applications.  “Isn’t any home better than no home?” and  “Isn’t anything better than being put down?”  are nagging and ever-present questions.  Sadly, I now have enough experience to say, with confidence, NO.  A peaceful passing is something many dogs would be fortunate to receive.

I was shocked, overwhelmed, blessed, and honored by the people that stepped up to help this desperate puppy.  But, there is a nagging feeling in the back of my mind.  Something that I cannot seem to get beyond… the knowledge that by saving this one, I am sacrificing so many others.  I wish I could say that I know I am doing the right thing in saving this one.  But, my reality is that the answer to that is never clear.

My hope is that this puppy will encourage people to pay attention to the needs of the animals around them… and to be aware that she is not the only one.  It has been just eight days since this puppy came to my attention.  In that time, AARF has been asked to save dozens of dogs.  It is the harshness of reality that we turned down nearly all of them.

AARF is an EXTREMELY small organization.  100% of our fosters are volunteers and all of our funding comes from donations.  The dog team has less than 30 people on it.   Yet, our foster homes have managed to find one more place and a few more snuggles for all of these dogs (remember… this was JUST this week):

Chico – 5 lb Maltese that came from the kill shelter.  He is cute and tiny.

Juliet – Chocolate/tri-color beagle, also from the kill shelter.  Multiple people have given up on her, not a decent reason listed.

Bichon/Poo (name TBD) – A  tiny, white, fluffy, cute-as-can be little thing from the high kill shelter.  With a fractured leg, he could not be adopted and would have have been put down.  He has undergone surgery to repair his leg and is doing very well.  We have no idea how the fracture happened, but he suffered with the pain for 10 days  before being treated when we were contacted.

Checkers – Landlord issues resulted in a pair of Shih Tzus being surrendered by a poor breeder.  Signs of fear he first displayed where likely the result of pain as he has a leg injury that has never been treated.  He was dirty and matted.

Shih Tzu female (name TBD) – Checkers’ mate was also rescued.  Dirty and a little matted… this girl was VERY pregnant.  Without anywhere for the puppies to go, this entire litter and mama would have been put down without AARF’s help.

Not to mention… AARF rescued a stray Boxer mix last week.  She delivered 11 puppies yesterday.  Starving and filthy when she was found, she would  have delivered in the cold, with no food, water or hope for the future.

Most people (and even some rescues) would say that this overwhelming demand means that we should reduce the standards for the homes that we accept for our dogs.  NONE of these dogs would need AARF’s help if they had found amazing homes from the beginning – someone who loves dogs enough to have them spayed/neutered and act responsibly.

By the time someone in the AARF program is adopted, that dog has more love invested in him/her than a lot of children in the world.  We expect nothing but the very best for our rescues… if only the rest of the world saw it that way.