Forty Paw Salute to Animal Rescue Workers

There's more to life than Monkees...like owning pets!

Life is certainly not all about Monkees, Bradys and Waltons. (Well, especially if you are living in 2012). I have already shared some of my teaching experiences and will add more musings later. But I’d like to transition from Monkees to cats and pets. 

This week, I won Anjellicle Cats’ raffle and received a generous movie gift card. I wanted to take this time to offer a forty paw salute to the incredible local New York City rescue groups (including Anjellicle Cats, Amsterdog Rescue, Hudson Valley Animal Sanctuary and my dear friends at Loving Touch) that go into shelters everyday rescuing the pets on death row and taking in other abandoned, sick and homeless animals. 

 I can’t ever bear to read great books like Old Yeller, My Dog Skip and Marley and Me (or watch their movie counterparts) because I know a beloved family pet will die in the end. I just can’t imagine going into the city pounds and choosing which animals you will save and knowing all the poor little pets with their paws and snouts pressed against the cages that you leave behind may never make it out and never have that safe lap to sit in or warm bed to sleep in. 

Sorry, ending is too sad...just can't go there!

 For anyone in need of a reality check, please visit pages like Pets on Death Row and Pet Pardons on Facebook. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see all of the beautiful, poor creatures fighting for their lives (due mostly to the irresponsibility of their owners and other human beings). To me (a life-time pet owner), when you adopt something, it becomes a family member and a lifetime commitment. If for some reason, one is totally unable to care for a pet, I feel it is the pet owner's responsibility to find it a good home or contact a rescue group and not leave it at the city shelter where it does not stand much of a chance. Putting money away for when pets get ill or having pet health insurance to me, is also a no-brainer. 

I also think it is totally absurd when people drop a s--tload of money on a "designer pet" from a breeder when there are so many beautiful muti-grees (and pedigrees) who end up in shelters. And anyone who does not spay or neuter, is just plain stupid. 

Visiting Pets on Death Row-like pages also renews faith in humanity and mankind because along with the photos of the pets in the “gone but never forgotten” albums, there are so many animals who end up in the “safe” folders due to the relentless, passionate and selfless work of the rescue workers. These folks get shelter pets needed vet care, nurse them back to health and place them into foster and permanent homes. (Some of the recovery tales and “after” pictures of shelter pets are amazing). Their dedication, sweat and tears are inspiring. These are not crazy people. They are mostly passionate people who have full-time jobs but give up their free time to do their parts to make the world a better place for animals. Wish I could help more than just by donating some money and signing a few petitions to reform the shelter system. (We already have more than enough pets in our apartment). And of course, even for those one or two more that we or some other good-hearted person takes in, there's always the tragic thousands (or more) that are left behind. 

Celebrating these beautiful creatures and the dedicated folks who save their lives!

There’s a wonderful story I share with my students called "All the Cats in the World." In it, an old woman feeds a bunch of homeless cats down by a sea shore. At first, she is thought of as foolish and crazy, since there are so many kitties wandering about. But then the critics realize how important it is to help just one, two or few creatures at a time. Kindness and compassion are the two most important qualities that should drive us as human beings. After all, wasn’t it Gandhi who said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated?” And once again, a tip of the hat and wag of a tail to animal rescuers. May they all be rewarded for the wonderful work they do! 

Share this with kiddies and show them how you can change the world by helping one cat (or one of anything) at a time.