Animal welfare is a tough profession. Some days are great, but more often than not they are overwhelming and full of animals with desperation in their eyes sitting in a kennel or a cat condo petrified in the corner with a look on their face that screams "I'm scared! What did I do to end up here!?". Those days are the really hard ones. There are no words to comfort a dog or a cat in those moments. All we can do is be there for them and show them one thing, they matter. Their life has value and never again will they endure life on the streets, or the end of a short chain. They won't know what it feels like to be hungry again, or to try and find a safe place to sleep at night. Some come around faster than others, but the end goal is always the same. To heal them as best we can, both physically and mentally, show them a kindness and love that some never knew, and make it our mission to find them that furever home they so deserve.
While every one of these animals has an affect on me in some way, a few of them I end up very personally invested in and that is why I am striving to raise at least $1000 for this years Bark on the Boards fundraiser.
Mischief was a foster kitten. He arrived missing an eye with an empty socket that was badly infected. While he was started on meds, I noticed how scared he was of all the other kittens in the room with him.. I have never seen a kitten as petrified as he was. He loved people, but other kittens terrified him for some reason. Every time another kitten came near him, he closed his one eye as hard as he could and just quivered all over. I knew he had to come home with me and have some one on one time. After getting his eye socket cleared up, he started to blossom. Soon, that scared little kitten was gone and this giant personality busted through. He learned to make friends, became very brave and finally landed in his perfect furever home.
Lexi arrived from Texas very heavily pregnant. Just a baby herself at 1 yr old, she was now having babies of her own. We set her up in the ARC nursery and I was lucky enough to be with her when she whelped all 8 of her pups. For the past 6 weeks, we have been helping Lexi raise her babies and soon it will be time for them to fly the nest and go home with their new families. Without the BVSPCA, Lexi may not have been able to have her babies in a warm, safe environment. Out of all the litters we have raised in our nursery, Lexi's pups will definitely be the hardest for me to let go of, but I know they have amazing futures ahead of them and I am just grateful to have been part of their lives, even for just a short while.
Lastly, my current foster. Duke was brought to the ARC as part of a cruelty confiscation back in January. He arrived in horrible condition. Highly contagious Sarcoptic mange, covered in fleas, massive amounts of hair loss and irritated skin, damaged eyes that were so crusty and appeared very painful, his old body covered in tumors and masses of various sizes. Duke ended up having to sit on protective custody for 7 months. That's a long time for a nearly 15 yr old dog to be in the shelter. When all was said and done, he was no longer wanted by his former "family". Tossed aside like he didn't matter. Knowing his age and infirmities would probably not appeal to many adopters, I knew he needed to come home with me. He didn't deserve to have whatever time he had left be spent in a shelter. Thanks to the BVSPCA, I was able to bring him into my home as a hospice foster. Duke gets to be in a home and get all the medical care he needs while living his best life. I am grateful for the opportunity to show him as much as I can and give him as many adventures as he can handle in what time we have left together. Right now he's happy and we take things one day at a time. When it's time to say goodbye, Duke will have known what real love is and that's what matters most.
Without the support of BVSPCA, I would not be able to foster as much as I do. Fostering truly saves lives and can make a world of difference in an animals life. Please help me help more animals like Mischief, Lexi and Duke get the love and opportunities they deserve! There is no amount too small and every cent is appreciated more than you could know. There is no greater feeling than knowing that an animals life was made better because of you. :)