Ever have the feeling that you were meant to do more in this world? A calling that speaks to every fiber of your being. A passion that can move you to tears because you care so wide and deep to make a difference.
That's how I feel about helping animal rescues.
Animal rescuers are true heroes of this world. They are the ones crawling under buildings to find a litter of kittens, or wading through the everglades and brush so thick you can't see 2 feet in front of you to find an abandoned senior dog. The ones driving back and forth through burning embers with melting tires to save just one more horse. Their drive knows no bounds of time, distance or effort.
They do it because it needs to be done, because if they don't then they wonder who will? I have a ton of respect for everything they do for those animals, every, single, day.
Their contagious heroism to help so many voiceless beings gives me an ignited purpose to do something more. I've been inspired to volunteer at events, speak with groups, sponsor animals, rescue feral cats, donate supplies, money, time and even create a business to further support rescues' needs.
But what has given me the biggest boost to do even more has been fostering. In 2018 my family and I opened our home to 7 different pups that needed a place to stay while they found their furever homes. Every animal had its own story, and of course special needs. I had the pleasure of being a trainer, a taxi, a nurse, a chef, a janitor, a carpenter (don't ask), and best of all a surrogate mom.
The first question people ask as soon as I mention having a foster dog is...
And I have to stop myself from saying it so bluntly, but the reason is because if I don't they could die. Die in a shelter because there wasn't a foster to take them in, die in someone's backyard chained to a tree in the sun, die in the streets because the rescue was too full to take another, or worse, die waiting for someone to show them some basic compassion.
I have learned to say why I foster in a way that I think the general public can understand now, "I foster because it gives another animal a chance to live the life they deserve." By taking in that one being, no matter how long, it frees up the rescue to help another one.
The truth is working with rescues makes me WANT to keep them all, I WANT to give them the life they deserve to have, but I also know there are amazing families out there that WANT to help as well, and can do so by adopting pets from their local rescues to love forever.
While fostering has been an amazing experience, it has shown me there is a lack of awareness in what animal rescues do and why. It has shifted my passion from helping a handful of animals to finding ways to scale those efforts for more and more rescues around the country. I have an even greater purpose to find the most effective ways rescues can share their efforts with the world, and ultimately find more homes for more animals.
I wanted to do more, not because it is easy but because it means I am giving them a voice and saving their lives. I am making a difference, and if you think I made it through writing any of this with a dry eye, think again. Tears of passion, of remembrance, of drive to get things done because there is so much to do, and so many more rescues to help.
Ever have that feeling? I truly hope so.
Obviously I do, and I hope you will discover a passion that moves you to tears with the hope that you can be an integral part of making a difference in this world.