Ash, Jet, Ghost & Leigh
A Post That Was Carried on The Wings of Angels
My neighbour and friend Sandra, sent me a post she saw on Facebook from someone who was looking for a home for 4 huskies.
I always respond in the same way when people send me these posts that I try so hard not to see as there's an endless amount of desperate dogs needing help and I can't help them all.
I told my friend that if it's ever on her heart to message me that she can, but that she must be discerning as there are just too many and I have too much on my plate as it is.
Nonetheless, I reached out to the family with a view to finding out the situation, to see how best I could help and asked to schedule a call.
It wasn't easy as they had turned off the comments due to a tirade of abuse, which I can understand, because too many people are giving up their dogs, turning to euthanasia as a perceived solution, instead of finding a way to honour and safeguard the dogs.
Establishing The Facts
We scheduled a video call to go through everything, but a busy work schedule, a fear of the unknown and a false belief of what I was offering caused a delay of 10 days, resulting in a big loss of time and less than a week before they were due to move out of their home.
In cases like this, where there are multiple parties involved, such as a husband and wife, I always speak to both parties together, so we are all on the same page.
In the past, not doing so resulted in two dogs being euthanised by one of the parties due to a misunderstanding of the plans that were in place and the agreements that had been made, and this was a devastating blow, to everyone, especially the dogs who lost their lives.
Most people act and react in fear, resulting in irreversible bad decisions that they later come to regret, so I always go to great effort to guard against that.
It's imperative to establish the facts and what it is that the family want in an ideal situation, and the best way to do this, when you can't see the people in person due to distance, is via video call, where you can see, feel, touch and hear each other's hearts.
Long-Term Support Needed
The huskies belonged to Gareth, Mickey, his partner, placed the advert and Gareth did not want to let go of his dogs, but felt that they had no option under the circumstances.
I needed to understand the entirety of the situation and he shared with me that the last few years had hit them hard and he had lost his business and had no job security, and because of this, they were having to move in with their in-laws, and weren't able to take the dogs.
They estimated that based on the fact that they were both professionals, that it would take them 6 months to 1 year to get back on their feet and therefore a long-term solution was needed.
Gareth came to the meeting with a preconceived belief that I would put them in kennels and that was not what he wanted and wasn't willing to do that.
I had to educate him about what was possible, my level of experience and how I could help to get them a perfect solution that everyone would be happy with, including the dogs, and that would give them peace in their hearts.
Euthanasia Is Not A Solution or Viable Option
At the point where we spoke, 1 week before their move out date, both Gareth and Mickey felt that they had no option but to euthanise all 4 dogs, thinking that this would be best.
This is always very difficult territory for me to navigate as it goes against everything I believe in and comes from a position of fear, false beliefs and a total lack of faith.
Previously, I have danced around this issue, not wanting to or knowing how to tackle it head on for fear of offending someone and the relationship breaking down, resulting in the exact situation I'm wanting to avoid, but this time, I decided to approach things differently, as it's imperative that everything is on the table, due to the seriousness of the situation.
A lot of skill is required to navigate this topic, and it's something that I've developed over the years based on wide and deep experience in animal rescue and my experience as a therapist.
Although, in these cases, I am not acting as a therapist, I am acting in the capacity of an animal rescuer, who is well-versed in the various options and opportunities that are available.
An Angel At The Door
My natural instinct is always to try to protect all parties, and that's the position I took, and this gave me the confidence and courage to broach a very difficult subject.
I explained to both Gareth and Mickey that I specialise in "impossible" cases that no one else can help with, that I don't go looking for dogs or people to help as there are too many, but that when I see a post like theirs, I have no option but to extend my hand as it's on my heart and I know that in situations like this, in most cases, I am the only lifeline.
I then explained what I would be looking for for them and how I would get it as it was imperative that they understood what was being offered and that they had an angel knocking on their door.
They had an extraordinary opportunity in front them and they would be remiss not to at least see if what I was saying had any substance to it.
A lot of people in this world are out for themselves and most people can't be trusted, and it's really sad, but occasionally a really genuine person comes forward and you have to be able to spot them when you see them as these people are what miracles are made of.
Options To Be Reviewed
The first option is always a perfect foster, but with 4 huskies and 5 days remaining, the chances of getting a perfect foster for all of them within that time-frame was slim to impossible.
The second option was therefore a boarding place, ideally in someone's home, which is a paid for service, where they would be taken care of by real dog lovers, and loved as their own.
A boarding space would be a last case scenario, and would be short-term pain for long-term gain whilst a better option was being sourced, utilised as a means of buying time.
Boarding provides a safe space, where they can be together if they are used to being in a pack, in a big space with their own garden and nice sleeping area, and some even offer daily walks.
There is so much available, people are only limited by their imaginations, what they are willing to do, the work they are wiling to put in and their level of faith.
Money Is Never An Issue
Money is never an issue when it comes to animal rescue as Sponsors always come forward to assist if you know how and where to ask and have a credible story that touches people.
Most people don't understand this, but my experience is that God puts it on someone's heart to help, in the same way that He put it on Sandra's heart to send me Mickey's Facebook post and my heart to help them get a miracle to secure their future.
Once Gareth and Mickey understood the solutions I was offering and my extensive experience in this field, their eyes, ears, minds and hearts were beginning to open.
But this was just the beginning, there would be many twists and turns and they would have to walk in faith throughout.
This requires a single-minded focus, with no deviation or slipping into fear, and I therefore had to broach the subject of euthanasia as a perceived last resort, not being an option and being taken off the table entirely.
Euthanasia Is Not A Solution or Viable Option
I am very clear when it comes to this and there can be no half measures.
This "solution", which is not a solution at all, must be taken off the table in entirety if I am to help, those are my terms.
It takes a huge amount of time, energy, personal money and resources to pull off something like this and I will only invest my heart, energy and resources if the other party is fully invested too.
Every single person who invests also puts their whole heart in and it's very painful when decisions are made that sabotage and destroy the blessings that come forward.
Therefore, people must be all in, or all out, and I gave them time to think about it and let me know once they had decided.
Total Commitment
To quote the bible, "you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons." (1 Corinthians 10:21).
"I have the right to do anything," you say - but not everything is beneficial or constructive.
No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. (1 Corinthians 23-24)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; Jesus came that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).
Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).
Preventative Grief
I also addressed the consequences of giving up with a view to the consequences of ending the lives of 4 dogs.
There were two visions here that needed to be addressed, the ideal outcome being the first, where the dogs were safe and happy, being offered long-term support until the family were back on their feet and could take them back.
And the second, of their initial thoughts to euthanise them, which is an irreversible decision borne out of fear that would result in guilt, regret, shame and a potential inability to function normally for a very long time because of depression.
The long-term affects of taking the lives of beloved family members can ricochet for many many years, spilling out into all areas and affecting jobs, marriages and health.
People will always be haunted by the what if's that will play over and over in their heads and this is not a road that anyone should go down.
It's therefore worthwhile taking a moment to consider the very real consequences of taking this action.
A Miracle & Blessing Was Offered
I made a list of boarding places that were in and around the area where the family lived and I started calling.
The first person wasn't available so I sent a WhatsApp, and the second person wasn't very interested and wanted me to send an email, which I wasn't willing or able to do, I needed an instant decision due to the timescale.
You can always tell who is and isn't going to give you a blessing by their attitude so it's easy to push forward.
The third person I spoke to shone like a radiant light and I knew she would be able to help me, but I never expect anything as a blessing has to be freely given with the utmost love, and it always ticks all the boxes.
I explained the situation and the timeline and told the owner of the dog boarding place that I was looking for a miracle, and I was amazed by her offering.
God Never Ceases To Amaze Me!
I always know that God will bring me a miracle and that He can meet any timescale and any situation, but I am always amazed by the blessings that come!!!
A five star boutique dog boarding place offered to take all 4 huskies, keeping them together in their biggest space, with their own private garden!
On top of that, they agreed to do their best to integrate them with the rest of the dogs, who were all free to play on the farm during the day.
So no matter whether they integrated or not, they would be together, safe and well taken care of and close enough for the family to take them for walks and go and visit.
And if they didn't integrate, walks could be arranged, and on top of all of that, this amazing lady blessed us with a really good deal that we believed we could make a plan for.
Walking In Faith
I was so excited to tell them the news, the very next day after they had agreed to walk in faith.
Not only did God provide them with somewhere, He provided them with somewhere AMAZING, within the timescale, within a budget we could manage!!!
I was so amazed by the deal that was offered, that I had to phone back to double check that I'd heard correctly!!!
When I showed the family the website and told them the offering, they were blown away and preparations were made to get everything in place.
Gareth, who does video productions, was so happy and touched, that he offered to do free videos for them for marketing purposes by way of returning the favour!
Jet
Unfortunately, they had to say goodbye to 15 year-old Jet, the matriarch and Mum of Ghost and Leigh, as she had cancer all over her body and it was felt that the trauma would be too much for her.
It's always hard to know what's best in these situations, and there always seems to be an element of fear which stops us from thinking straight, but it was felt at the time that that was the best decision, all things considered.
This was a huge blow and a huge loss as Gareth had had her for her entire life, and sadly, it made the experience bitter sweet.
But God saved the rest of the pack, and the focus had to be redirected to gratitude, including for the length of time that Jet lived and the wonderful time that they had together, including the fact that she got to live out her days with her daughters, Ghost and Leigh.
And so the date was set for the rest of the pack to be taken to their new temporary home and the new adventure began.
A New Adventure
Moving forwards in faith, Ghost, Leigh and Ash were taken to their new temporary home and integration will be done slowly.
We agreed the monthly amount the family were able to contribute, unless or until they let me know otherwise, and they also agreed to supply them with food and flea and tick and worming treatments.
The boarding home walked in faith with us financially and gave us time to find sponsors for the outstanding amount and I'm confident that as always, God will deliver.
Leigh is top right, Ghost is bottom left, both females of 12 years old, and Ash, their Dad, is bottom right, and is somewhere between 12 and 15 years old.
We agreed with the boarding home that during high season we would move them to enable them to get full payment from clients and we will make a plan nearer the time.
Long-Term Goals
The long-term goals were to find either one or a collection of financial sponsors to cover the R3,000 per month shortfall of payment needed for the dog boarding place.
I was going to set up a BackABuddy to be able to receive international and immediate payments via credit or debit card from anyone who wanted to contribute as they felt to, but ongoing and unresolved technical issues prevented me from doing that.
I didn't let this stop me and continued in faith, and within a week and a half, I had received all the donations needed from 3 sponsors, one giving a one-off amount, and 2 sponsors providing an ongoing long-term monthly donation, directly into the dog boarding bank account.
With faith, everything is possible, but it must be remembered that action is a critical part as faith without deeds is useless (James 2:20).
This journey will be one of continued faith and the family will have to make a renewed commitment at every turn, the final result being for their dogs to be safe and happy and for them to have them back when they are back on their feet.
Long-Term Fosters
It turned out that the huskies didn't want to integrate with the other dogs and were instead kept together, providing a less stimulating environment which wasn't ideal.
Also, they were howling at night creating a noise issue, and it was felt that a long-term foster would be the best option for them.
Next steps is to find experienced husky people to look after them for the next 6 to 12 months so they can be happier and more active, and they either need to be the only dogs or with other huskies.
And so, we go onward with our mission in faith, with Ash being the priority as he's the oldest and most in need, and the two girls going together.
I wish Gareth and Mickey, Ghost, Leigh and Ash every success on their journey and that Jet rests in peace, and I commit to being with them every step of the way; and this is how the world is changed, one person, one blessing and one wagging tail at a time.
