A Time of Unprecedented Selfishness
I am writing this with a heavy heart, tired and angry at people for their selfishness and abject failings, simply wanting people to wake up and help, really help.
I am not perfect myself, far from it, but I am responsible and accountable and God knows how hard I try every day to help almost everyone who crosses my path.
I'm referring to people who think they are helping but who are in many ways contributing to the abuse, neglect and an already exacerbated situation.
The people who continually put on those who are already breaking, who have repeatedly said they can't take any more, but they continue to load more on knowing they can't say no, this has to stop.
We can't un-see in the same way that you can't, yet only the few are willing to do the work and those few are being negelcted, used and abused in the same way the animals are.
Becoming A Burden
If you have a heart for the animals and want to rescue, that's a wonderful thing, but you must do the work yourself, or at the very least, contribute more.
You have to understand the value of the life in your hands and be responsible for ensuring their safety.
People cannot continue to dump their feeble "rescue" attempts on those with a soft heart or worse, those with an open-door policy that leads to the death chamber, just so they can relieve their conscience.
Rescue is work, life and safety, and having the privilege of a precious soul entrusting their life into your hands, only for you to hand it over to someone else to do the work that you aren't willing to do, when you know they are already breaking, or putting their life at risk, is unacceptable.
Real rescue takes guts, courage and grit, everyone is struggling to keep their head above water and when they can't, the animals suffer, it's time for people to rise up, take responsibility and do their part.
A Crisis of Epidemic Proportions
We are facing a crisis of epidemic proportions, all rescues are under immense pressure and this is resulting in millions of animals being euthanised each year and many more confined to small spaces whilst they wait endlessly, sometimes dying whilst in care.
Those who stand for life and stand to the end are inundated and with more coming in than going out, we cannot keep up.
Anyone can pick up a dog and hand it off to the nearest person to unburden themselves, but this isn't rescue, rescue is where the real work begins and balance, ease and relaxation ends.
These people, thinking they are doing good, are adding to the endless supply and walking away, with no knowledge, understanding or real care about what happens next.
Those who profess to love animals need to understand what's involved to share the load and contribute in a more meaningful way, becoming an asset as opposed to a burden and truly helping.
Understanding What's Involved
The second an animal needs help, you can kiss the limit on your credit card and anything you planned to do that day and sometimes for many days, goodbye.
Long distances to collect, vet visits, treatment which can be anything from a general check-up to expensive medication to critical care to immediate surgery, cuddling, consoling and gaining their trust.
In cases where animals are critically ill, which sometimes comes in multiples, there's round the clock care, hand-feeding, the administration of subcutaneous fluids, nebulisers, hot water bottles and regular check ups.
Then there's medicated bathing and in very bad neglect cases, the hand-picking of flea and tick infestations which can take many hours, sometimes followed by medicated lotions, creams and oils.
Existing animals have to be reconfigured to make a space for the new one and in a home like mine where everyone lives together, integration has to be done and the dogs have to be watched.
The Daily Grind
The daily grind includes endless cleaning, special sanitation methods and segregated areas for those with special needs, rotation of the garden for those who can't be together and of course, daily walks.
We regularly need to build additional areas to account for different eventualities including enclosures, fencing, gates, hospital and housing and all of these structures have to be maintained.
Then there's the several times daily hospital round where medications are administered and logs checked to ensure that everything and everyone has been remembered and accounted for.
Keeping unsterilised on-heat new intakes separate is key and then of course, when they are healthy enough, they need to be sterilised, vaccinated and micro-chipped.
Which brings me to the financial side which can be anything from a few hundred Rands (rare) to a couple of thousand (regular) to tens of thousands (frequent) at the vet, together with building materials, 24/7 staff costs, food, supplements, healthcare, utility bills and transport costs, to name but a few of the endless expenses.
End To End Management
Real rescue involves the end to end management of all aspects of rescue from bringing an animal back from the dead to boundless health, to ensuring their happiness and safety whilst they are with you, to finding their perfect home.
The emotional side is extremely difficult and not for the faint of heart, as each little soul that comes through our hands is precious and the bond is unbreakable.
Yet, despite the fact that we want to, we cannot keep them all, so we have to find perfect homes which involves social media, networking, assessing, home checks and being extremely connected to our inner guidance system to ensure that the right decisions are made.
We never have enough time, we never catch ourselves and being all things to all people all of the time is very very hard, but despite this, we achieve the impossible and the animals come first.
Real rescuers are powered by faith, blessings, miracles and prayers, they are carried on the wings of angels and sustained by God Himself, who is always by our side.
Animal Lovers Have To Step Up
As you can see, notifying or dropping an animal off with a local rescuer is the easy part, the real work is what happens next, all of which is very expensive and money has to be available immediately, and of course, it never is.
For organisations like the SPCA, who are often the first port of call, people have to understand that they have a very high euthanasia rate, which isn't rescue at all.
Likewise, dropping an animal off at the vet and passing the problem on to them often results in the same outcome and many other rescue organisations who profess to be no kill shelters also hand their dirty work off to the SPCA.
It is critical that people understand what's involved and if they really care about the animals, they must be willing to step up, it's much easier for one person to care for one animal than for one person or organisation to care for tens or hundreds at a time.
It's very easy to offer a safe haven for one little soul in need whilst a plan is being made, or if you can't offer yourself, doing the work to find someone appropriate who can, the same with fundraising.
It Takes A Village
It's time for every single animal lover to step up as the situation is wildly out of control and everyone is breaking under the pressure.
God's glorious creation is the responsibility of all of us, not some of us, and everyone must contribute in whatever way is necessary.
No-one chooses to do this, it's a labour of love that has to be done with a whole heart because of the extreme need, and if we don't step up, animals die a horrible death, scared and alone, needlessly.
The purpose of this blog is to educate people as to what goes on behind the scenes and the deep need that is crying out from creation itself, to implore people to please do more, to the best of their ability, as much and as often as they can.
Those without a voice and without a choice need us, and we need them, because they show us how much love we are missing, how empty, meaningless and unfulfilled our lives have become and how necessary it is to open our hearts for the benefit of everyone.
Love Is The Way
We have to open our eyes, ears, minds and hearts.
We have to do more and be more.
We have to do better.
We have to be open to criticism, change and growth.
And most of all, we have to learn how to truly love and be of service, for this is the purpose of life.
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