Dear Rescue Friends (you know who you are):
It seems like the last couple of weeks have been very difficult for some of my rescuer friends! The number of dogs that have come into rescue have been overwhelming, and most of those poor babies have been in very poor health. You have dealt with having to amputate a leg from a Dane that was hit by a car. You have dealt with having to save two entire litters of puppies so that the shelter would not euthanize them. You have exhausted every resource possible to treat several animals that have tested positive for heartworms. You have dressed these dogs up in cute costumes just for a fun photo shoot, to help draw attention to the rescue world. You have received dogs that should weigh 125 pounds, but are currently at 50 pounds. One dog in particular was beaten by her previous owner so badly, that this dog now tucks her tail between her legs, lowers herself to the floor anytime you get near her, and tries to do the belly crawl to get away! And the latest news has sent us all into despair. A horrible case of animal cruelty has taken place in Clarksville, TN where a number of animals were abandoned inside a home without any food or water for at least a month. Two Great Danes were found dead, another Dane is in such bad shape that it will have to be euthanized, and a fourth Dane is in custody at the shelter pending a court date where charges are being filed against the owners. We all feel horrible about this, and just can’t understand how anyone could do this. And as I sit here typing this post, one of you is on your way to Clarksville, TN to see if you can get close to this surviving Dane just to show it some love, and to see if the rescue can help it.
Animal rescues do so much to help when they can! And I just wanted to give a little shout out to those of you who are involved in rescue! It takes so much time, money, patience, and love to do what you do. And I am usually crying right along with you when I hear of the horrible circumstances that some of these dogs have lived through before you took them in to help them. But because of you, these dogs will live the rest of their lives knowing what love and family means! I hope you that you understand just how special you are because of this! And while it may be easy for me to open my home every now and then just to show some love and food to a dog in need… I do not think that I could ever be strong enough to do what you do!
If you are a family who is thinking about adding a dog to your home, please consider adopting one from a rescue. When you adopt from a rescue, you are saving a life… not only the life of the dog you will take home, but the dog that will be brought into the rescue to fill your adopted dog’s spot. Your adoption creates a chain reaction of positive things that can be done in a rescue. Become part of that circle!
Two particular rescues that I support are:
Dames For Danes Great Dane Rescue – A rescue organization in Tennessee that rescues Great Danes and helps them find homes in the Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia areas.
Operation Education Animal Rescue – An all breed rescue in Tennessee that strives to rescue all animals in need, find them suitable homes, and educate the public about the proper way to care for an animal, while stressing the importance of spaying and neutering.
Give one of these rescues a call, and become part of their circle!
Dedicated To Rescuers (in honor of Patchie)
By Arlene Pace
Once I was a lonely dog, Just looking for a home.
I had no place to go, No one to call my own.
I wandered up and down the streets, in rain in heat and snow.
Ate whatever I could find, I was always on the go.
My skin would itch, my feet were sore, My body ached with pain.
And no one stopped to give a pat, Or to gently say my name.
I never saw a loving glance, I was always on the run.
For people thought that hurting me was really lots of fun.
And then one day I heard a voice, So gentle, kind and sweet,
And arms so soft reached down to me, And took me off my feet.
“No one again will hurt you, Was whispered in my ear.”
“You’ll have a home to call your own, where you will know no fear.”
“You will be dry, you will be warm, you’ll have enough to eat.”
“And rest assured that when you sleep, your dreams will all be sweet.”
I was afraid I must admit, I’ve lived so long in fear.
I can’t remember when I let, A human come so near.
And as she tended to my wounds, And bathed and brushed my fur
She told me about the rescue group, And what it meant to her.
She said, “We are a circle, A line that never ends.”
“And in the center there is you protected by new friends.”
“And all around you are the ones that check the pounds,
And those that share their home after you’ve been found.”
“And all the other folk are searching near and far.
“To find the perfect home for you, where you can be a star.”
She said, “There is a family, that’s waiting patiently,
and pretty soon we’ll find them, just you wait and see.”
“And then they’ll join our circle, they’ll help to make it grow,
so there’ll be room for more like you, who have no place to go.”
I waited very patiently, The days they came and went.
Today’s the day I thought, my family will be sent.
Then just when I began to think, It wasn’t meant to be,
there were people standing there just gazing down at me.
I knew them in a heartbeat, I could tell they felt it too.
They said, “We have been waiting for a special dog like you.”
Now every night I say a prayer to all the gods that be.
“Thank you for the life I live and all you’ve given me.
But most of all protect the dogs in the pound and on the street.
And send a rescue person to lift them off their feet.”
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