Rescue Journal

and diane's comment about easy...

Alison  ·  Feb. 7, 2007

and mo's comment about multi tasking a couple weeks ago, reminds me about a couple of things, like easy, efficient, productive and safe. cuz even the simplest things are a lot harder now than they were a month ago and when prioritized, some stuff that just ain't a big deal finds itself way down the list and other things are big, red waving flags. so maybe my injury in the long run is a good thing. because now i am looking at not just how to get thru the day and get everything done, but how to make it easier and safer for me and everyone else here too. and once i figure out the easier/safer parts, well then saints life gets a bit more managable for us all.....and maybe the dogs will get even more runs or walks in the park, or the cats will get brushed, cuddled. played with or given treats more often, or we might actually have a moment or two to chop carrots and apples, or pull out a soft brush for bunnies and barn guys too.

i don't think any of the in-house volunteers will argue that the in-house cleaning is easier now. part of that is because i am here all day long and can slowly keep up with stuff as the day goes along. but, it is much easier to clean the cat room now with orgainizing stuff and getting things off the floor and shifting the furniture for wheelchair pathways too. the machines are finally fixed and laundry is under control and everyone is doing their part to keep it moving and flowing thru. it is not piling up and stinking up the house cuz none of us want to get stuck back at the laundrymat with hundreds of pounds of gross laundry to do. (that really sucks and before it was just me that had to go there so while everyone felt sorry for me, it only, truly, sucked to be me, now anyone is fair game so it sucks to be anyone with 2 good laundrymat accessible feet.)

i gave greg a list of priorities while we still have some donations from the vancouver sun article to do them. like the roof on the barn so we can move the hay back in there when the donkeys go and not risk it getting wet and burning the whole building down around our beloved friends heads, and the wire for the pasture fence to keep maude, cole and copper and whoever future else comes here that fits thru the current wire, from escaping. plus the safety things like elecrtical stuff and water pipes that freeze and can burst in the night. and finally, before summer, we will bring in water tanks and hook them up to our pumping system. so at least when we have to buy water, we can actually use it instead of watching it seep away back into the water starved soil. nicolas read, your article has helped us more than you will ever know and all of those $25 and $50 donations added up to some really important things, like water supply, and saving our volunteers mostly middle aged backs from endless hauling, and risk of harm, and keeping for all the dogs and horses and volunteers safer so we can actually care for everyone here like we said we would do. thank you to everyone for this.

i was talking to someone last week about all of the things that go into rescue. from insurence, to safe feces removal and disposal, to individual animal plans of care, to ensuring quality of life, and decision making, to resource management, risk prevention, and appropriate knowledge bases to at least know how to problem solve thru challenges as they arrive. it is not just about having a soft heart and taking them in. it is about all the other things that need to be in place to do it well. anyone can shove a hundred rescued animals into some space somewhere, and lot's of people do it. but if you don't keep moving and planning and implementing and evaluating, and re-thinking and changing and evolving and working to do it better, it just becomes another place that the animals need rescuing from. and that is the biggest mistake that anyone in rescue can ever make.

so maybe broken ankles in the long run are good, because you finally have some time to actually think. i think that by the time i am mobile again, saints is going to be alot easier, safer and better for both the animals and the humans who visit or volunteer here too. this week the barn, fencing and slippery field stuff is getting dealt with and the safety concerns addressed and soon, out there at least, we'll be a well oiled machine that ticks along nicely, all our ducks in a row, and happily carrying out the animals care better with much less risk. and swinger will be less likely to fall again, maude can be running, and running, even if i can't be with her too...and that fat little beagle can finally be free of his daisy and quit looking like some demented childs toy as he tries so hard to just be a regular dog on the run!

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