Rescue me!

I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately. Rescue is an emotional roller coaster. It’s a huge thrill when you are finding great homes for the dogs in your care. It’s terrifying when the dogs are needing rescue faster than you can find places for them to stay, or money to provide their care. The last month has been mostly terrifying. Things had been pretty quiet, so when I saw this sweet face on Petfinder, I knew I wanted to help him.

He was at a shelter in northern California, and California rescues have been inundated lately. “Cal” arrived stressed out by the trip, and in pain from a growth that was protruding from his rectum. We had it removed, but a biopsy showed that it was cancerous. A second biopsy of a skin scrape showed he also had skin cancer. By this time he had calmed down and I was hopelessly in love with him.

Shortly after I committed to helping Cal, I got the call about Bonnie, a deaf female who was not adapting to the toddler in her home. At first the plan was to list her on the web site, and look for a foster home. The day after I listed her, I learned that the owner’s wife had sent her to a shelter, and was threatening euthanasia. We got her listed on Petfinder, and I was amazed by the response from people who wanted to be sure she was safe. We talked with several potential foster homes, and chose one with only one other dog. Bonnie arrived at the foster home with kennel cough, which she got while in the shelter. It’s highly contagious, though not usually a serious health threat. Things seemed OK at the foster home, but 10 minutes later I got a call that their dog had gone after Bonnie, and a serious fight broke out. I went back for her, and was driving toward home wondering what I was going to do with a sick dog, when I got the call about Cal.

If I were a volunteer in a rescue organization, I would be able to dump these kinds of problems on someone else, but since I was crazy enough to start a rescue, the problems all belong to me. To make matters worse, we were flying to Missouri to see family the following Saturday. I needed to find a place for both Cal and Bonnie, and I had a deadline. Fortunately, I was able to place Cal with one of the homes that originally volunteered to take Bonnie. They had 3 senior dogs, so we couldn’t risk sending Bonnie to their house. After a very stressful few days, I found a veterinary hospital that could board her in isolation, but it cost $600. I kept Bonnie closed up in the laundry room with the vent fan running until it was time to take everyone to boarding.

A ten day vacation from dogs, even the dogs I love most, was good for me. It was strange not to jump out of bed and into my shoes for the first morning walk, but in a good way. It was also a little odd to not have plastic bags in my pockets, but I adapted. I was disappointed to learn that Bonnie was still coughing when I picked her up. She was pretty stressed from the isolation boarding, because they don’t even get walked. She did not like having to use her kennel floor as her bathroom. It only took one night in the laundry room for her to settle down and make herself at home.

The cough eventually faded, and the poor girl started to crave company. I invited her to hang out in the office with Harley, and discovered that she was afraid of him. At first she avoided him, but after a while, she started confronting him. At this point, I had to put her back in the laundry room, as I can’t spend my day breaking up arguments between old dogs.

Usually when the rescue stress becomes unbearable, a solution appears from an unexpected location. A lady from Yelm volunteered to foster for us. At first I was going to send her Maggie, an owner surrender that was being boarded at the owner’s expense. She needed to be out of the kennel by 3/26, so I was once again stressing over a deadline. As soon as I started talking to her about Maggie, I got a foster inquiry from a UW grad student, who is also a runner. She was a perfect match for Maggie, and may eventually adopt her. With Maggie’s future squared away, I called her about Bonnie. We made plans for me to bring Bonnie to her house next weekend. A few hours later, we got an adoption inquiry for Bonnie, so I’ll be taking her to meet an adopter instead.

For the moment, I have peace of mind because all of the dogs in my care have places to go. I hope they all work out, and I also hope that there is a lengthy break before the next guest. Rescuing the dog is it’s own reward, but the stress of worrying about them takes it’s toll.

By the way, Cal is having his skin cancer removed later this week. His prognosis for a complete recovery is quite good. As soon as he recovers from the surgery, I will make him available for adoption. If you would like to donate to help cover the cost, please visit his listing and use the donate button.