I WANT TO QUIT

 

Thanks Patti for this amazing email.

It came at a time when I was feeling really low. I put my heart and soul into my little page and pray to God every day that it can change someones mind or help to find one home.

My Donation Drive was and is going really slowly. It seemed that everyone who had been supportive had all-of-a-sudden become quiet in case I asked them for a small donation to make the end result a big one…

There is one person I wanted to have say to me hey you’re doing a great job keep at it but I got exactly the opposite…

My new scary health issues didn’t help much either.

BUT then I got this… It reminds me why I fight every day to make my page a success, Why I fight to make this blog a success.

This gives so much meaning to my life… meaning that only a rescuer can understand.

xx Di

I Want to QUIT!

I want to quit!

My health is bad. There are days I feel so terrible that I can barely move. My phone bills are outrageous, and I could have replaced my van with the funds I have spent these last 3 years—on animals that were not my own.

I want to quit!

I spend hours and hours emailing about dogs. There may be 500 messages when I start—and at 4 AM, when I finally shut down the computer, there are still 500 emails to be read.

I want to quit!

Gosh, I haven’t the time left to email my friends. I can’t remember the last book I read, and I gave up my subscription to my local newspaper- — I used to enjoy reading it, cover to cover, but now it often ends up under the kitty litter box — unread.

I want to quit!

I’ve spent days emailing what seems like everyone—trying to find a foster home, help for a dog languishing in a shelter—but his time has run out, and the shelter has had to euthanize to make room for the next sad soul.

I want to quit!

I swear, I walk away from my computer to stretch my legs—let the dogs out—and come back to find another dog in desperate need.  There are times I really dread checking my email. How will I find the funds, the help, to save yet another dog?

I want to quit!

I save one dog, and two more take its place. Now an owner who doesn’t want his dog—it won’t stay in his unfenced yard. An intact male wanders… This bitch got pregnant by a stray… This 3-month-old pup killed baby chicks… The dog got too big… This person’s moving and needs to give up his pet. I ask you, friends— what town, what city, what state doesn’t allow you to own a pet?

I want to quit!

I just received another picture, another sad soul with tormented eyes that peer out of a malnourished body. I hear whimpering in my sleep, have nightmares for days…

I want to quit!

I just got off the phone. “Are you a Rescue? We want to adopt a male to breed to our female.” How many times do I have to explain? I have tried to explain about genetics, about health and pedigrees. I explain that rescue NEUTERS! I usually end up sobbing, as I explain about the vast numbers of animals dying in shelters across the country, as I describe the condition many of these animals are found in. I wonder if they really heard me…

I want to quit!

It is not like I don’t have enough rescues of my own to worry about– -but others have placed dogs improperly and aren’t there to advise the new owners.

I want to quit!

There ARE some unscrupulous rescues out there—hoarders, collectors, and folks who will short change the care of the animals to make a dollar. They save them all, regardless of temperament, putting fellow rescuers and adopters at risk by not being truthful.

I want to quit!

I have trusted the wrong people— had faith and heart broken…

I want to quit!

AND THEN… My dog lays his head in my lap, he comforts me with his gentle presence—and the thought of his cousins suffering stirs my heart.

I want to quit!

AND THEN… One of those 500 emails is from an adopter. They are thanking me for the most wonderful dog on earth—they cannot imagine life without their friend—their life is changed, and they are so grateful.

I want to quit!

AND THEN… One of my adopted Rescues has visited a nursing home. A patient that has spent the last few years unable to communicate, not connecting– -Lifts his hand to pat the huge head in his lap, softly speaks his first words in ages— to this gentle fur child.

I want to quit!

AND THEN… A Good Samaritan has found and vetted a lost baby, “I can’t keep him, but I’ll take care of him until you find his forever home.”

I want to quit!

AND THEN… “Johnny took his first steps holding on to our dog.”  “You should see this dog nursing this hurt kitten!”  “I was so sick and he never left my side…”

I want to quit!

AND THEN… I get an email from a fellow rescuer, “Haven’t heard from you in a while—you OK? You know I think of you…”

I want to quit!

AND THEN… A dozen rescuers step up to help, to transport, to pull, and to offer encouragement. I have friends I have never seen, but we share tears, joys, and everything in between. I am not alone. I am blessed with family of the heart, my fellow Rescuers. Just days ago it was a friend who shared her wit and wisdom, whose late night email, lifted my heart. Sometimes it is friends who only have time to forward you a smile. Often, it is my friends who forward me the notices of dogs in need.  There are Rescuers who see a failing transport and do everything they can to find folks to pull it together for you.

Rescuers who’ll overnight or foster your Dog while you seek transport. There are Rescuers not used to or comfortable with your breed, but who put aside their discomfort to help.There are Rescuers whose words play the music of our hearts. Foster homes that love your Rescue, and help to make them whole again—body and spirit. Foster homes that fit your baby in, though it may not be their breed. 

Rescuers whose talents and determination give us tools to help us.  Rescuers we call on for help in a thousand ways, who answer us, who hear our pleas.

Rescuers who are our family, our strength, our comrades in battle. I know I cannot save every animal in need. I know my efforts are a mere drop in a sea. I know that if I take on just one more  — those I have will suffer.

I want to quit!

But I won’t. When I feel overwhelmed, I’ll stroke my dog’s head while reading my fellow Rescuers emails. I’ll cry with them, I’ll laugh with them—and they will help me find the strength to go on.

I want to quit!  

But not today. There’s another email, another dog needing Rescue.

This piece is dedicated, with love and gratitude, to all Rescuers. Author: Joan C. Fremo 

Di Doodles Birthday Donation Drive

Di Doodles About Stuff Birthday Donations
to Animal Sanctuaries In Need.
Dear Di Doodles Supporters.
It was Di Doodles About Stuff’s Blog’s first birthday on Friday the 21^stOctober.
To celebrate I am collecting donations from our suppawters to donate to some needy animal sanctuaries that are close to the heart of Di Doodles About Stuff…
The more donations we collect from 21 Oct to 21 Nov the better.
I will start with one Sanctuary and as the amount of donations grows I will add more… sanctuaries that is…
If you would like to donate email me on mailto:stuffdidoodles@gmail.com and and I’ll give you more details.
I would like to keep the sanctuaries a secret from the sanctuaries themselves and surprise them so please don’t spill the beans when I tell you who will benefit… ;)
If you would like to donate as a company I will put a little ad on FB for you so our supporters know that you support animal sanctuaries in need!
Thanks Everyone!
Our first donation went towards buying a Calendar Girls Calendar…
I think its cool that you can buy a calendar and be suppawting animal shelters. We chose to suppawt AARF when we bought the calendar.
This calendar will go to one lucky Di Doodles Suppawter who donates towards the drive! So lets get donating people!!!
If you would like to suppawt SAINTs and buy a calendar these are the details… Remember to choose which sanctuary, whose ladies are in the calendar, you would like to donate to…

Treasures

 

This really is a great story!

Lucky Dog....

Anyone who has pets will really like this.

You'll like it even if you haven't and you may even decide you need one!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named Lucky.

Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box..

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact; she was just sure it was fatal

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky?

Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom..

Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap..Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!

While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky, he still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure..

Remember......live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

Live simply..

Love seriously.

Care deeply..

Speak kindly.

Leave the rest to the dog.

Balance

 

Today I’ve decided to do a post that’s a little off the beaten track – although – it’s a subject we could all use.

This year has been quite a year for me. I have had many highs and lows as many of you have had too. I won’t get into what the issues were because we’ll be here all day then! Lol

I’ll get straight to the point…

 

 

In the long run after very long BBM’s and Emails to an extremely long suffering, wonderful and supportive friend – I decided that I would take her advice and explain clearly for the last time; what I needed; and that I didn’t need extra pressures in my life.

Not everyone understood where I was coming from…

It made people upset with me… and they will probably never understand… as someone said to me “people will never truly understand unless they have been there themselves.”

This past weekend I began to doubt my decision until I watched Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love. The movie really resonated with me.

You can’t hold back on your dreams.

You have to say to yourself – “this is my life” – Everyone is different. We all have our own set of goals and dreams that we wish to be a reality.

You can allow someone else to live their dreams BUT you can’t let them drain you of yours.

You can’t have an overwhelming relationship with one person as it allows your other relationships to suffer.

You can’t make everyone happy. You have to make yourself happy. If you are happy and the people around you sincerely care about you, they will be happy for you.

The saying that people are in your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime rings true… The people no longer in your life now never made it there for a reason and its best to leave those people in the past where they belong. Learn from the issue that put them there – make yourself stronger by it – and move forward.

You have to have balance in your life. Without that balance you make yourself sick – whether it’s too much work or too much play.

When I went to bed last night I had an Oprah “light bulb” moment.
Since applying balance concerning the people in my life I have been far less stressed. I have been able to do what I need to do in the day without the constant anger from being annoyed. I have been able to work on my dreams and goals and you know what - I am happy with my progress – if someone isn’t happy with it – it’s tough…. “It’s my life” and I am deserving of the balance I need. So I shouldn’t doubt my decisions.

I am stronger than what I was before. I still have niggling health and soul issues to work through but I’ll get there - one day at a time.

That may be harsh – but as my good friend said to me “you have to be cruel to be kind.”

Just 1 litter

 

Hi Everyone,

This is a very long email I received this week but it is VITAL that you read every word written and understand it.

I will not say more than that as I understand every word and see the value of sharing it far and wide.

Please share this! Put it on your social network profiles, email it. Do what you can to spread the word.

Please don’t copy and paste as the person reading may be educated by another article posted here. It is VITAL that we educate so people understand the issue at hand.

if you don't believe it, go to my facebook page and see how many animals are placed daily for adoption… and that isnt ALL of them!!! it is only the tip of the ice berg!

“You want your dog or cat to have just one litter for your children to witness the miracle of birth? Then you should be prepared to complete their education by allowing them to witness the miracle of death in the backroom of a shelter” ~ BAT

IN A PERFECT WORLD EVERY DOG WOULD HAVE A HOME AND EVERY HOME WOULD HAVE A DOG"~unknown"

This means that there are 45 cats and dogs born for every person"

Did you know... :

• 1 out of 10 dogs born ever get a home

• 1 out of 12 cats born ever find a home

• 2-3 millions pets are euthansed in the United States alone because people won't stop breeding

When you get yourself that cute puppy or kitten and decide to have just 1 litter - do u actually realize that you are bringing an estimated 67 000 puppies and 420 000 kittens into this world?

Apart from that for every puppy or kitten that you sell you are responsible for a shelter animal loosing it's life just because you chose to breed!

People need to start understanding how serious this problem is and how out of hand it is getting! People need a SERIOUS wake up call and need to start realizing that this is not about offending anyone, this is about educating people who are breeding until it sinks in, because quite plain and simply, you have absolutely no idea what a complete stuff up you are causing by breeding with your animals!!

I work in animal welfare myself, in fact I have even been told by my family that my life revolves around it! I get to see and deal with 100-200 emails a day and none of them are pretty! Every single one is cats and dogs needing loving homes, and its always the same old thing, Unwanted, breeding, immigration, moving into non pet friendly houses, you name it. All my fosters that I have hand reared and brought up were innocent puppies that had been born from people who couldn't be bothered to spay their female dogs.

Chiquita - you all know my dog

Chiquita - she was a foster - abdandoned in a township, another lot of puppies that I fostered were literally dumped on my doorstep to become my problem and my very recent foster dog Angel was wired to a tree and beaten, kicked and starved!!!

So forgive me if a person comes to tell me they are going to breed and I get a bit ratty about it!

Those of you who don't work in this field have absolutely no idea what it is like for us who do and you have no idea how difficult you make our job sometimes just because of your greed and irresponsibility

The bottom line is you are being selfish if you are breeding, and before you come and wave a finger in my face, I have been doing this a LONG time and think I may just know a little about what I am going to talk about here!!! If you want to breed, come with me, for just one day to one of the animal shelters and I promise you, your mind will be changed in 2 seconds flat!! I will say this again, if you are breeding, you have no idea what damage you are causing!

Some of the most ridiculous excuses for breeding that I have heard was "I wanted my child to witness an animals birth" Well guess what? I never witnessed one and I turned out pretty okay!!! Another favourite of mine is "they just so cute, we had to breed" PATHETIC!!!! but my most favourite and most used excuse of all time is "It wasn't supposed to happen" PEOPLE!!!!!! What the hell did you expect to happen? They are animals for goodness sake!! When a female goes into heat, the male will be attracted!!!!!!!!!

STOP WITH THE EXCUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you want pets, you need to start understanding that they have certain needs and requirements and if they breed, it is YOUR FAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In my experience with working in the animal industry, I have found that most of the time, people who choose to breed have absolutely no clue what they are doing and think they will find good homes for the puppies or kittens they have bred with, but in short, what is a good home? In many of these cases, because people that are having just "1 litter" have no experience when it comes to choosing the correct family and think that any old home where food, water and shelter are provided is more than enough for qualifying as a 'good' home

Well I have news for all of you who want to have just 1 litter!!!! First of all, breeding is not profitable and quite honestly it is just disgusting that you want to sell innocent animals for money. Most of the time, females have to be rushed in for emergency caesarians because the inexperienced twit of an owner who has bred with them have no clue what they are even doing! I know someone who bred a huge male with a tiny female and then wonders why the female nearly died during birth!!

What these backyard 'breeders' cannot get through their heads is that their idea of a 'good' home is not enough!!! You have to interveiw the puppy or kitten buyer's, you have to do homechecks, you have to put sterilization contracts in place, you have to ensure that the animal will be made part of the family - the list goes on......

In short - you are bound to those babies for life!!!! I am still in contact with people who adopted some puppies that I hand reared and I have had the pleasure of seeing them all big and grown up now! I warn all people that adopt my fosters - you are stuck to me for life!!! And if you don't like it - tough!!!!

AND THIS IS WHY WE IN ANIMAL WELFARE GET SO ANGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because this is not being done!!!!!!!!!!

 

When I just out of interest called a breeder pretending that I wanted to buy one of her puppies, I actually asked her if she would need to come and evaluate my home and if I must spay the puppy - her reply was " when you have paid me, it is your puppy to do with what you want" I was speechless to say the least - Does this woman have any idea how irresponsible she is being?? Actually when I look back now, I think she does know, but couldn't give a damn!! In my line of work, I get to see a lot of people who buy puppies from breeders and I always ask them about the breeder that they bought from. Do you know that I have come across exactly 1 breeder that actually follows correct protocol?
1 breeder - that is shocking and scary! It is plain and simply sick and revolting! What I'm trying to say is that when you have your 1 litter and sell your 5 puppies or kittens, I can guarentee that with 1 of those babies that you sell, the supposed 'good' home will also decide that they want to have just 1 litter. Then they sell that litter of babies, and then those people who buy them also decide to have just 1 litter.

Do u see where I'm going with this? It's never just 1 litter!!!!! The vicious breeding cycle just continues and continues!

Please read this and think about what I am saying to you! It is not worth it!!!!

Please stop leaving us (animal welfare) to clean up your mess!!! Just stop - please.

Enjoy your pets as companions and furry children. Please stop exploiting them for money.

Stop using them as breeding machines - Please stop!!!!!!

Please be part of the solution, not the problem

Help us to educate/ convince others to neuter and spay. It is the biggest present you can give a pet!

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and my biggest hope for this email is that I manage to change just one persons mind with breeding!!!

Bath Time

 

A few thoughts on cat baths....

by The Cat:

 

'But You Said You Loved Me!'

 

'You will pay, you will pay.'

 

'Holy crap, you call this water warm???'

 

'I don't think I like you anymore.'

 

'You Lied !!!!!!'

 

'E.T. Phone home.......quick!'

 

'No, I'm not your Good Little Kitty anymore.'

 

'Traction... .I'm losing Traction!'

 

'I want my Mommmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!'

 

Oh Hell No !!!!

Adoption Education

 

I received this in an email I got from PETS this week. I think its worth sharing; especially to those who continue to buy from breeders and pet stores.

Please feel free to share this.

Please guys don't copy and paste. By sharing you may allow someone to be educated further by another article I have posted.

Thanks

Di

Why Adopt?

My parents always advised me never to buy a used car, because I would just be buying "somebody else's problems."

Unfortunately, that's how some people view rescue pets - as pets that weren't wanted because they had problems and didn't make good companions.

In the vast majority of cases, that's just not true!

Most dogs who come into rescue are not given up because they were "bad dogs" or have behavioural problems. Unfortunately, many people buy pets without thinking about the time, effort, and expense involved in keeping them. These pets end up in shelters, along the side of the road, or if they're lucky - in rescue.In fact, the most common reasons a pet ends up with a rescue organization include the following:

• The owners don't have time for the pet.

• The owners find that they can't afford either basic vet care or the expense involved in treating an illness or injury.• The owner dies or goes into a nursing home.

• The owners divorce and neither party can keep the pet. (You would be amazed at how many pets end up in rescue as the result of a divorce!)

• A young couple has a child and no longer has time for the pet, or the pet no longer fits into their "lifestyle."

• The owner is moving to an apartment building that doesn't allow pets.

This is not to say that all rescue pets come with perfect manners, perfectly socialized and housebroken. The pets who have been neglected and abandoned need training and gentle discipline - but so do all the puppies & kittens people buy! And a rescue pet usually needs much less training than a baby pet.

Another myth is that rescue pets are, by definition, inferior to pets bought from a breeder or pet store. Pets who are rescued came originally from show breeders, pet stores, and hobby breeders - pretty much everywhere. They are a cross-section of the pet population, and, as such, are no more or less likely to have genetic problems than any other pet.

But I Want a Particular Breed!

Purebred pets - Don't shy away from considering adoption of a pet from a shelter because you have a preference for a specific breed. About 25 percent to 30 percent of shelter populations are purebreds. If you're looking for a specific breed, contact or visit your local animal shelter or breed rescue group and ask them to contact you should a pet of that breed becomes available.

Designer dogs - People spend big money on labradoodles, spoodles and other "designer dogs" when their local shelter is full to the brim with the exact same cross breed dogs. Except the shelter likely calls the labradoodle by its true name - a poodle X!

Reasons to Choose a Rescue Dog or Cat

Those of us who volunteer in rescue all have at least one rescue and we know what terrific pets they can be!

Here are some reasons to consider a rescue if you are ready to add a new pet to your family.

You're not starting from scratch with an older pet - When you buy a puppy, you're essentially bringing an infant into your home... a completely untrained, unsocialised little critter who thinks the crate you bought for him is a jail (and who cries to get out... at 3 AM!), the newspaper you put down for him to squat on is a wonderful toy to be shredded, your new shoes are much tastier than rawhide, and your best carpet is an excellent substitute for grass when nature calls!

Most rescue dogs have been house dogs in the past, come with some basic manners and may have even been living with a foster family to teach them the ropes.

An older cat most likely will be content being alone - a perfect match for someone who has an active lifestyle.

The bond is strong - Contrary to the belief that an adult dog cannot bond with a new family, a dog that has been abandoned once is usually eager to become part of a loving pack, where they feel safe and secure, and are likely to act accordingly.

We find that rescue dogs are generally eager to please their new owners. Animals rescued from puppy mills often want to be in your lap at all times and will follow you from room to room, just to be near you.

Adult cats may sleep at the foot of your bed, in a cozy spot in your bedroom or under your bed. A kitten will most likely run around all night climbing and play attacking anything low enough to jump on - including you.

Fewer vet fees - Rescue pets have had physical examinations, have been desexed and are up to date on shots. When you buy a puppy or kitten, you pay for the pet AND for the vaccinations, desexing and other medical expenses.

What you see is what you get - When you buy a baby pet, you can never really be sure what type of adult you're going to get.

All puppies are cute and playful, but their adult personalities aren't visible until they're about two years old. So you don't know whether you're getting a dog who wants to play all the time (ALL the time!) or a couch potato. When you rescue a dog, you know what the dog's personality is like and whether it fits with what you want in a dog companion. You also know in advance about any problem areas you, as the new owner, will have to address.

A cat's personality has already been developed by the time it's one year old. A lap cat will continue to be a lap cat and it is easy to determine if the new cat will work out in a multi-cat household. With an adult cat, you definitely know what you're getting.

Adult pets are generally better for families - Adult pets generally are better with kids. Pups and kittens can play rough and cause harm to children by biting, nipping or scratching. When excited, large breed pups can knock children over accidentally. Children sometimes handle animals too roughly and can cause harm.

Adult pets are more mellow and more able to get themselves out of harms way and because of this are often more patient with children.

It teaches your kids good values - Face it - we live in an extremely materialistic society, in which TV teaches kids that everything can be bought, that they should get their parents to buy them everything, and that anything worth having costs a lot of money.

Adopting a rescue pet for your family presents a wonderful opportunity to teach your children basic values of compassion and caring, and also about the value of second chances.