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For those in rescue, fighting a losing battle!

halfpenny

Wise Old Thumper
Saw this on Facebook, and it seems appropriate for the state of animal rescue at the moment!
Maybe explains why those in rescue are so passionate.


This is the best way to explain what we do everyday, what we see and what we feel while doing it.

For animal lovers like me, animal rescue is the most incredible, rewarding job... in the history of ever.

At the same time... it's also the most heartbreaking...
The truth is...
You see a lot of things... you never thought you'd see.
You witness a level of cruelty... you didn't think was possible.
You feel a degree of helplessness... you never thought you'd know.

You stare at painful images... soon burned into your memory... that will haunt your thoughts forever.
You try to pick up the pieces... so many pieces... of the damage you didn't do.
You do everything in your power... but even still... you'll never reach them all.

You'll try to stay strong... but you'll mostly feel weak.
You'll build walls to protect your heart... but they'll never keep you safe.
You'll place barriers around your soul... but the pain will always reach you.

And no matter how hard you try to fight it... over time... here's the truth about what happens in animal rescue...
The neglect changes you.
The abuse hardens you.
The suffering breaks you.

The ignorance angers you.
The indifference disturbs you.
The injustice destroys you.

On a daily basis... your faith will be tested.
Your heart will be wounded.
Your soul will be altered.

On a weekly basis... you'll question yourself.
You'll question your strength.
You'll question the world.
On a monthly basis... you'll fall down.
You'll get up.
You'll go on...

On a yearly basis... you'll look back...
You'll see faces...
You couldn't save them.

You'll learn to mourn.
To grieve.
To sob.

You'll learn to trust a little less.
To do a little more.
To fight a little harder.

You'll learn to try.
To hope.
To pray.

You'll learn to fail.
To succeed.
To accept.

You'll learn when to hold on.
When to give up.
When to let go.

You'll learn who you are.
What you stand for.
Why that matters.

Then... at times... you'll forget why you matter.
You'll question what you're doing.
You'll wonder if it's worth it.

But... here's the good news...

When you forget...
When you question...
When you wonder...

All you have to do...
Is take a look around...
And you'll see them.
You'll see their faces.
You'll see their smiles.
You'll feel their love.

In their eyes, you'll see their journeys...
You'll remember their beginnings...
You'll know how far they've come...

You'll remember when they didn't know you...
When they didn't trust you...
When they'd given up.

You'll remember how you healed them...
How you loved them...
How they loved you, too.

And as you look back...
You'll want to move forward...
For them... and because of them.

In your darkest hours, you'll look around...
To find the differences made... the hope given... and the lives saved...
Because you existed.

In those moments, when you look into their eyes... every doubt will be erased.
Every question will be answered.
Every worry will subside.

Because in that instant... in each of your hearts...
You both share the very same thought:
"Every bit of pain was worth it... for this moment here with you."
And honestly... no matter what else happens...
Those moments hold all the strength you need...
To keep going.

Rescue is pain.
Rescue is joy.
Rescue is worth it... because they are worth it.

And that's the honest truth."
 
That's so lovely! I have thought about volunteering for a local rescue, but my OH reminded me of how it would affect me, seeing all the suffering and not being able to help them :cry: it put me off actually, I suffer from depression at the best of times and I don't think I could do it. But I absolutely respect & admire the people who do volunteer & run rescues!


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That does help me understand more what rescues are going through, why they're so passionate about rescuing and why they're pessimistic (something that's always hard for me to understand, being very optimistic myself). It seems a very hard thing to do, the emotional toll especially :(
 
That does help me understand more what rescues are going through, why they're so passionate about rescuing and why they're pessimistic (something that's always hard for me to understand, being very optimistic myself). It seems a very hard thing to do, the emotional toll especially :(


Well, that made me smile.
Yes, it's very easy to become cynical in the rescue world, so many people lie, abuse and expect rescuers to pick up the pieces, usually for free!
 
:cry: that made me tear up a bit. and i'm at work!

i'm hoping to do some voluntary rescue work at some point :thumb:
 
Oh fliipping heck Louise you have mde me cry at work now. A friend of mine is an rspca inspector and she was saying the other day that since doing the job she has completely lost her sense of smell because she was constantly faced with stench :cry:
 
That's lovely.I wish I could do more for rescues. I now advocate for and have convinced a new bunny owner and she adopted two girls from a rescue.
 
Oh fliipping heck Louise you have mde me cry at work now. A friend of mine is an rspca inspector and she was saying the other day that since doing the job she has completely lost her sense of smell because she was constantly faced with stench :cry:

I have friends who are RSPCA Inspectors, and I don't know how they deal with some of the things they deal with.
 
Having worked in rescue I can say hand on heart that there is no way on earth I could ever run a rescue.

As staff there was a distance between us and the worst stuff. We provided basic care and did the on the day rehomeings to the lovely new family's :love: the owners dealt with the 'intake' trying to decide which animals were the neediest, if an animal warranted being called an emergency and being squeezed in or whether we had to turn them away. They dealt with the late night call outs, the rushes to the vets and the difficult decisions that entailed. They also dealt with the public, saw the lack of interest and care. They also were there almost every single day (in a whole year they had 2 weekend breaks, other than that they worked from 7am till whenever they could get away, rarely earlier than 9.

It was hard enough sometimes, I got my Poppy from falling in love with the little aggressive ball of matted fur, poop and overgrown claws. She is now the furthest you can possible get from aggressive and happily snuggled up with Thor. If I hadn't had the ability to walk away at the end of the day, keep a little emotional distance I know I couldn't have coped.

I am in awe of those that do.
 
I couldn't do animal rescue work - well I could, but would end up either a very hard cynical person or completly losing the plot (and probably be locked up for attempted murder). It takes a special person to do that - and I am too much of a coward I'm afraid.

That is a lovely poem though - and a lovely tribute to all of those who are strong enough to run rescues.
 
That does help me understand more what rescues are going through, why they're so passionate about rescuing and why they're pessimistic (something that's always hard for me to understand, being very optimistic myself). It seems a very hard thing to do, the emotional toll especially :(

im glad it helped you understand a little

my friend works at a rescue here are a few cases that may also help you understand

a bun with a broken leg, the owners never took the bun to the vet and it happened after the adult got annoyed at the bun for upsetting her daughter but not sitting on her lap for cuddles as she was told by the breeder that if you get baby bunnies you can train them to be lap bunnies and to cuddle and told her not to get a rescue bun as they are not happy and gentle bunnies. the mother threw the bunny across the room for not sitting on the daughters lap he broke his leg and they left him in the cage for months knowing he wasnt hopping right etc.. they took the bun in a cardboard box and was about to leave it on the rescues front door when my friend came out the woman handed it over told her she didnt want it and what had happened ie what breeder said, how it wasnt a cuddle bun and how she accidentally dropped the rabbit to which the daughter chimed in with no regret that the mum did it on purpose but she said it like the bunny deserved it........

the bunnies leg couldnt be mended and it will never be able to hop fast or binky but loves life he was finally adopted after months by a woman who has another disabled bun through a rescue, it was also a ex breeder bun and left to get to a point where nothing could be done

The rescue I volunteered for was always hearing the breeder told me this and that and it wasnt true and if we knew that we wouldn't have got a rabbit or we were told this by the pet shop or breeder and now this has happened and we dont want the bun. or in so many cases we found the buns abandoned outside the gates or were called to collect abandoned ones :(

its soul destroying to watch buns age and pass away without knowing a home without knowing the love of a owner who is theres etc...
 
im glad it helped you understand a little

my friend works at a rescue here are a few cases that may also help you understand

a bun with a broken leg, the owners never took the bun to the vet and it happened after the adult got annoyed at the bun for upsetting her daughter but not sitting on her lap for cuddles as she was told by the breeder that if you get baby bunnies you can train them to be lap bunnies and to cuddle and told her not to get a rescue bun as they are not happy and gentle bunnies. the mother threw the bunny across the room for not sitting on the daughters lap he broke his leg and they left him in the cage for months knowing he wasnt hopping right etc.. they took the bun in a cardboard box and was about to leave it on the rescues front door when my friend came out the woman handed it over told her she didnt want it and what had happened ie what breeder said, how it wasnt a cuddle bun and how she accidentally dropped the rabbit to which the daughter chimed in with no regret that the mum did it on purpose but she said it like the bunny deserved it........

the bunnies leg couldnt be mended and it will never be able to hop fast or binky but loves life he was finally adopted after months by a woman who has another disabled bun through a rescue, it was also a ex breeder bun and left to get to a point where nothing could be done

The rescue I volunteered for was always hearing the breeder told me this and that and it wasnt true and if we knew that we wouldn't have got a rabbit or we were told this by the pet shop or breeder and now this has happened and we dont want the bun. or in so many cases we found the buns abandoned outside the gates or were called to collect abandoned ones :(

its soul destroying to watch buns age and pass away without knowing a home without knowing the love of a owner who is theres etc...

:shock::evil::censored:

I feel sick reading that story! What a :censored::censored: that :censored: is!!!!! I sincerely hope someone throws her across the room for not "behaving" and see how she likes it!!!!

Oh and if I'd been there when poor bunny was handed in by said :censored: I'd have decked her one and taken poor bunny home for love & cuddles

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:shock::evil::censored:

I feel sick reading that story! What a :censored::censored: that :censored: is!!!!! I sincerely hope someone throws her across the room for not "behaving" and see how she likes it!!!!

Oh and if I'd been there when poor bunny was handed in by said :censored: I'd have decked her one and taken poor bunny home for love & cuddles

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She wanted to believe me but she has a zoo at home as it is lol and as for decking her there was a queue lol

Sigh... I just want to scream sometimes

Jake was dropped by his owners because the kept trying to cuddle him and he didn't like it he broke his leg and they did nothing he ended up at brinsley I adopted him his broken twisted leg didn't stop him he was adventurous and happy and affectionate in this own way
He died last year if a stroke :( I miss him
I could t believe someone could leave him like that and force him to cuddle he hated being picked up
 
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