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Warriors-The Dragon Slayers
I have a confession; I am a huge fan of the Pixar movies. There it is out and I feel better for it. The relevance this has to this week's entry is in regards to the movie How To Train Your Dragon. Martin recently gave me this dvd partly because he knew I would love it and partly because of the relevance in the story. The message in these films is something which knows no age limit.
In a nutshell, the story is about a young boy born into a Viking clan. He is rather scrawny by Viking standards and does not fit into the mold of his society. In the beginning his greatest desire is to be a master dragon killer until he meets that one dragon that changes his life and perspective. He discovers he has a talent for understanding how to communicate and tame the dragons. His journey to takes him to the source of the war the dragons have declared on mankind. It is a huge, nasty monster of a dragon holding the good dragons hostage and forcing them to bring it offerings or be eaten. At times this monster actually eats the dragons bringing it sacrifices just because it can....Rent the movie for the full relevance of the story.
This week's entry is about the warriors among us. Just like the champion of the good dragons these are the advocates on the front lines of a very real war not only to save the American Pit Bull Terrier but to save as many animals as possible being eaten by the monster we call apathy.
For many years I have called Karol Wilcox of the Caruthersville Humane Society Dragon Slayer. Honestly I do not even remember what shared event we stood together to face which inspired this title but it is one that suits her. Karol is a warrior of the highest caliber. She fights a demon which would steal her very life just as fiercely as she fights for the animals.
This is a woman who will brave the dangers of the human monster in order to save a dog regardless of breed. She knows the laws of investigation and is my mentor in what it takes to build an effective case resulting in the conviction of animal abusers. There are specific guidelines for investigation which require those who embark on that path to hold their emotions in check in order to successfully build a case resulting in conviction. Animal abuse is a crime most law enforcement finds trivial in the face of the more prominent offenses such as murder. That makes it even more imperative for an investigator to adhere strictly to the rules of the 4th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. There is nothing more devastating to an animal advocate than to see an abuser walk free because of a breach of the law on the part of an investigator.
When the original Caruthersville Humane Society was closed, Karol and her team of warrior volunteers did not lay down and give in to the devastation. They went straight to work finding a new location in what was little more than a shell of a building. The community and volunteers rallied raising funds, volunteering their labor and soon opened the doors of a beautiful new shelter in Hayti Missouri. From the ashes has never been a more apt phrase.
Now also known as the Pemiscot Animal Welfare Society (CHS-PAWS) this shelter will forever be the Caruthersville Humane Society in our hearts. The new location has also gone no kill. A problem I have always had with no kill is they have a tendency to turn into little more than animal warehouses. This is another danger of thinking with your heart, not your head. The attitude of "but they're alive" may make the human heart rest easy but in the hardwired psyche of a dog, they lose the human interaction craved by a pack animal as necessary as food, water and shelter. This group insures ALL animals residing in the shelter have more human companionship than most owners are able to give their own dogs. This is leadership by example in its purest form.
Extremely rescue friendly, they utilize the electronic network to not only share their own animals but to insure the largest possible exposure for the displaced animals of southeast Missouri. They have built a support system among the rescue groups resulting in an army of animal welfare advocates in our area and beyond.
John Richardson of the Burlington County Animal Shelter in West Hampton Township New Jersey appears to be a bear of a man. In actuality he is a man of great heart. He proudly shares the successful record of this shelter in its bid to return lost dogs (and cats) to their owners and the adoption of dogs many shelters still euthanize purely because of breed or the way they look. Also rescue friendly this is a shelter which leaves nothing to chance when it comes to saving dogs.
BCAS is an open admission shelter which means they take everything. There is a mistaken notion by the general public that a shelter who must make the painful decision to euthanize is without feeling. I assure you this is inaccurate. If you do not believe this, look into the eyes of a man like John when he has just lost a healthy animal because there is simply no other choice. You will see a soul which is being torn apart by unnecessary death. The final thing you see before ending the life of an animal is the confusion in their eyes. On some level they do comprehend what is about to happen. That is the image which haunts the nightmares of anyone who has ever had to take the ultimate responsibility for an animal. This is also what motivates John to move mountains in an attempt to save as many lives as he can, through whatever avenues he has available.
Lysa Boston of the Joplin Humane Society Animal Adoption & Resource Center came to Missouri from BCAS. Their loss was truly our gain. Lysa brought her extensive experience and dedication to an area formerly backward in its perception of the best way to deal with surplus animals. I lived in this area and remember all too well what the old Joplin shelter was like. It fit the profile of a dog pound and rarely made any effort to re-home displaced animals.
The decision to build a new shelter brought with it the decision to bring a new attitude. Joplin is also an open admission shelter which means they are faced with the grim task of deciding who lives and who dies. With this responsibility comes a drive from within to leave no stone unturned when it comes to the matter of remaining focused on insuring they live.
Like Karol and John, Lysa also wears her heart on her sleeve. The story of the journey of these warriors is clearly visible in their eyes. The eyes really are the window to the soul and with each failure they have had to face comes a new dedication to the war on ignorance in the matter of an irresponsible society which seems to be losing more and more regard for life.
When looking into the support of shelters consider their mission statements and if they do indeed do more than talk a good game. In the matter of open admissions do not condemn if you have never had to face the reality of their task. Focus on how you can best support their mission in the fight for life. Each time someone attacks an open admission shelter because of kill numbers they tear another piece of soul from a heart already bleeding. Instead of making their task more difficult consider instead how you can help them in the war on ignorance.
Albert Einstein said "To condemn without investigation is the height of ignorance". Condemnation of something you have no actual working knowledge of can be just as devastating as the irresponsibility and outright stupidity which keeps the open admissions trapped in a cycle of intake of staggering numbers and the loss of so many lives.
Regardless of whether a shelter is no-kill or open admission it takes warriors to wage a war. If you can support these shelters with monetary donations, do so. If you cannot support with money, donate supplies. ALL shelters are in need of cleaning supplies and even a roll of paper towels can be a blessing.
Fosters are invaluable in this war to save lives. Fostering is hard because it takes someone of great heart to bring an animal into their home, give them love and care, then hand them over to an uncertain future. Even this old war horse cries every time a foster moves into the next chapter of its life. The rewards of fostering far outweigh the pain of seeing that animal leave.
When you remove an animal from a shelter, you save two lives; the animal you bring into your home and the animal which now has the opportunity at life an open kennel represents. Too many people hold to the concern with themselves in the matter of how hard it is to provide this avenue to a shelter. Loose that self centered notion and embrace the reality of being able to give sanctuary to an animal at risk of losing its life simply because there is not enough room.
All three of these shelters represent leadership by example. Their dedication to saving lives is proven by the numbers of animals being saved. They stand as testament to what is possible when you meet the task at hand head on and unwavering despite the pain sheltering can represent. Remove yourselves from the position of armchair manager. Take that energy being wasted in criticism and use it to join the warriors in their fight to save lives and bring light into the dark place we call apathy.
To Karol, John and Lysa I send my deepest gratitude and respect for what you do and what you represent. I am honored by your friendship and proud to take a stand with you.
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NJ148.html
jrichardson@co.burlington.nj.us
UPDATE: Several weeks ago I shared the story of a dog from the Missouri bootheel area found emaciated, damaged and dying. This is Skelly today:
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