I Rescue Animals. What's Your Superpower?
It all started when I asked my mom for a puppy ...
For sixteen years I begged my mom to get me a puppy. Well, I guess it would be better said that I begged my mom for a puppy up until the age of sixteen because my family technically had a dog when I was very young, but I cannot remember her. Anyways, I stopped the begging at the age of sixteen not because of some maturity revelation, but because I finally did get a puppy! The name given to her by the rescue was Autumn, then I changed it to Abby, then Brandy, Rue, and finally Brandy Rue. This is indecision at its finest. Nonetheless, we adopted her from a rescue called Second Chance Puppies and Kittens Rescue.[1] The thought of my beloved Brandy Rue being killed in a shelter is what led my family to want to help save more animals. We could not adopt more because our house is too small and we already had two birds. So, we learned more about the organization and got involved with the saving process. We became fosters.
As fosters, we are responsible for caring for the puppies from the day they land in South Florida until the day they are placed in their new home. This includes feeding, bathing, entertaining, and bringing them up to full health. The first day that we get these puppies they are thin, covered in flees, and smell as if they were left in a cage full of their own urine for far too long, which they probably had been. As soon as they arrive at my house they are in a sink getting their first baths ever in none other than Dawn Dish Soap.[2] Next, they are given a big meal to start putting meat on their bones. Finally, it is time to play.
[1] Second Chance is a rescue local to my home town that takes puppies and kittens out of kill shelters in Alabama and brings them to South Florida where they are adopted.
[2] Fun fact: Dawn Dish Soap kills fleas. When bathing a dog to get rid of fleas, first put a ring of soap around its neck because fleas tend to move upward towards the dog’s face to hide. Then proceed to bathe normally and use a fine comb or flea brush to remove the blood suckers.
... then she grew up ...
... and we wanted more ...
The fostering and adoption process lasts around two to three weeks depending on if the puppies are already fixed or still need surgery. These are always the most exhausting and emotional weeks of my life.
I am woken up by the screeching cry of scared puppies long before my alarm is set to go off. This means that they are up and I need to be, too. So, I moan my way to the living room where I find the cry-babies jumping up, nearly scaling the wall of the playpen that they are kept in when they are not being supervised. Even at this ungodly time of the morning these pups are ready to play, but first they need to be taken out to pee before they add anymore to the accidents littering the floor from the night. I then remove all of the puppies from the playpen to take them outside to pee all at once. I consciously make the decision to not put on their leashes because of my theory that leashes only complicate the matter when dealing with two or more dogs at a time. I instantly regret my decision as I find myself running around my front yard in my pajamas grabbing bodies that weigh no more than five pounds and herding the ones that I cannot catch.[3] Once the puppies are safely herded in to the house, it is time for breakfast. I place a bowl of food in front of each dog, and monitor that they only eat from their own bowls. Then they need to be herded back outside for number two if they did not finish the job the first time outside only 15 minutes prior. Still, it is a necessary step in potty-training.[4] After I make sure that the playpen is clean with fresh towels and plenty of toys, I grab a granola bar and go to school only to return at lunch time to do it all again. While this work is tiresome, the reward is very much worth the price.
[3] A general rule for when puppies need to be taken out corresponds to their age: 2 months equals every 20 minutes, 3 months equals every 30 minutes and so on until they are trained.
[4] It was not a part of our responsibility as fosters to potty-train the puppies, but we always tried with this to help because this is one of the hardest steps after adopting a dog.
So we became fosters!
First Phone Call
There are so many people involved with the saving of animals and the foster is usually just the middleman between near death and a life time of happiness for these animals. However, there was this one time that I put in additional volunteering for the rescue; I helped run the rescue’s tent at a community event called Saturday Night Lights. I was there to help represent the rescue and so I was given the rescue’s official shirt that would show my association to anyone who had a question or interest in the organization’s work. This shirt ultimately had the same effect as someone wearing a red shirt and khakis at Target, but to me it meant so much more. The back of the shirt had a saying: “I rescue animals / what’s your superpower?” With this shirt came recognition for all of the saving that the rescue does every day. To date, my family has saved ten puppies from euthanasia of breeds ranging from Chihuahuas to Labrador Retrievers and every mutt in between.[5] At times it was difficult to manage caring for the puppies’ health needs while also protecting my dog and her health.[6] The struggle is always worth it because being a part of this process has been beneficial to the puppies that get to live happy and healthy lives, the families that adopt and care for them, and my family as it makes us feel pleased with ourselves in this world that can be so cruel at times. For that reason and many more, I encourage people to “adopt, don’t shop,” but more than anything just adopt. The unconditional love and positivity from an animal can be life changing.
[5] That is only the smallest fraction of what the rescue has accomplished with all of its volunteers throughout south Florida.
[6] We have taken in puppies that have had fleas, ticks, and illnesses like kennel cough that they obtained while in the Alabama shelters. My dog has yet to catch anything that the puppies bring in to my home, but she does get depressed when they receive too much attention over her.