Water Color Your World » shelter pets

In these rough times

Jobi — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:58:14 +0000

...no amount is too small

A Rescue Dog’s Christmas Poem

Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town,
every shelter is full – we are lost, but not found,
Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,
we hope every minute that someone will care,
They’ll come to adopt us and give us the call,
“Come here, Max and Sparkie – come fetch your new ball!!

But now we sit here and think of the days…
we were treated so fondly – we had cute, baby ways,
Once we were little, then we grew and we grew
now we’re no longer young and we’re no longer new.
So out the back door we were thrown like the trash,
they reacted so quickly – why were they so rash?

We “jump on the children, “don’t come when they call”,
we “bark when they leave us”, climb over the wall.
We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,
now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.
If only they’d trained us, if only we knew…
we’d have done what they asked us and worshiped them, too.

We were left in the backyard, or worse -let to roam-
now we’re tired and lonely and out of a home.
They dropped us off here and they kissed us good-bye…
“Maybe someone else will give you a try.”
So now here we are, all confused and alone…
in a shelter with others who long for a home.

The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,
with so many to care for, they can’t stay to chat,
They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer…
we know that they wonder how long we’ll be here.
We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads…
of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.

Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears –
our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear.
If you can’t adopt us and there’s no room at the Inn –
could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?
We count on your kindness each day of the year –
can you give more than hope to everyone here?

Please make a donation to pay for the heat…
and help get us something special to eat.
The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,
and more of us will, if more people will give.

–Author Unknown

Adopt a shelter pet

Jobi — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:36:02 +0000

People, get yourself rescued today

Jobi — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:00:59 +0000

>
Woman and her dog

I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY

by Janine Allen

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the overworked shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone’s life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.
Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.

I would promise to keep her safe.
I would promise to always be by her side.
I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.
I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

Written by Janine Allen CPDT, Rescue Me Dog’s professional dog trainer. Janine’s passion is working with people and their dogs. She provides demonstrations for those who have adopted shelter dogs, lends email support to adopted dog owners that need information beyond our Training Support Pages, and aids shelter staff and volunteers in understanding dog behavior to increase their adoptability. Copyright 2009 Rescue Me Dog; www.rescuemedog.org

This beautiful story was posted by Janine Allen Monday, November 17th, 2008. After reading it, I sent Ms. Allen an email requesting to pass it along through my site. This is her gracious reply:
“I am so flattered at how many people have emailed me for permission to cross post this little essay I wrote. Feel free to share this with everyone you know. People can find the dog of their dreams at a shelter; let’s hope they make shelter adoption their first option.
Hugs to all of you and your beloved dogs!”