lynne brought up an interesting question today...

about placing dogs who have bonded here...will they not bond well into their new homes?....most of them yes...some of them no.

it depends on a few different things...age, health, personality, history. dogs like larry, al, andy want(ed) to stay here...this was a home that suited them well...they are (were) not interested in anything bigger or better...this was the place that fit.

placing animals into new homes is not just a matter of picking a good animal and moving him or her into a good home. if that was all it took, private rescue would not be necessary, the public shelters have tons of good animals and tons of good homes interested in adopting a homeless one. but they, like us, have to match the right animal to the right home or neither the animal or the people will be happy.

i would love to live in an old comfy cottage in a small village on the east coast near to the ocean....but given a choice i would never go there. my friends, my family, my work, my whole life is here...my dream home would become a lonely nightmare.

we all want these guys to have great homes of their own...some of them want the same. and some of them will have their dream come true and others will die here always waiting. and some of them have already found what they want..they found what they longed for here.

my job is to decide what each animal really wants and then try my best to get it for them.

i have placed animals that tore out my heart when they left for their new homes...and i still regret their loss every day...bali, tucker (the cat,) copper, cuddles, suzie and several others...these were animals who were an intergral part of me and i still suffer phantom pain from their amputation from me. BUT i sent them all out knowing deep in my heart..that this particular home that was offerred to them was what they truly did need.
and so i put my wants and needs away and ensure they get what they need.

i will never keep an animal here because it is the best thing for me. but i will keep an animal here when being here is the best thing for them....the ones i do this for are not necessarily the ones i would choose for myself to keep. hence i live forever with phoebe, with squirt, with andy, with al, with lucky, with the fruit loop trio, with conan the barbarian, and with utter hags like jerry, minnie pearl and jesse....they are too old, sick, set in their ways, messed up or broken to shift around any more AND they all happen to like it here as well.

lot's of nice people have come looking here to adopt a particular animal...but i have actively discouraged strangers, family, friends, staff and volunteers when they are looking at the wrong animal ( i usually will point out someone more suited to them)...it may be because their home is just not quite a good enough fit...or it may be because that particular animal itself needs something different. it may be because i know that animal so well...i know they already have all that they want and moving them again just for the sake of a "real" home becomes another loss in a life long list of loss.

sometimes they just need to be done with loss...they just want to keep and enjoy what they already have.

so my job, independent of anyone elses wants, needs or opinions is to figure out who needs and wants what and see if we can give it to them...either here or in the home of their dreams. i live with these guys day in and day out..my eyes and heart and brain is focused on figuring out for every single one of them...what they need and want and then hoping to find it for them.

it is not about putting a nice animal in a nice home, or even about getting a pain in the ass animal out of here....or keeping one i desperately love or one who also loves me....it is about putting the right animal into the right home at the right time of their life...and each time i have to think deeply on that to ultimately get it right for them.

the update downers for today are...

minnie pearl is having a tough time...i think her end of the road is not too far away.
and i am quite worried about bear today. i can't quite put my finger on it...but somehow...somewhere...he is not feeling great. i gave him some pain meds and am waiting to see if they help him to feel good again.