the facts of life

look...if you want to be involved in rescue, you better be prepared for stormy weather. every captain of every boat has probably earned the right to navigate rescue's unpredictble waters in the way that feel most comfortable to them...personally. in the vast fleet of rescue, there is everything from the queen mary (best friends) ..to the workhorse search and rescue ships or fishing boats trolling the oceans to the simple canoes/row boats paddling around the peaceful pond to see what they too can do.
and whoever is making decisions for the boat...big or small... is the one responsible. and just like in the shipping world, there are certain high and low sea rules...like you do not ram another boat on purpose, no matter what they do.

there is a continuem in rescue..those at the beginnng of their journeys and those near the end...and a bunch in the middle. there are the risk takers and the cautious..the experienced and the novice..and every single one is operating their boats with unique and personal beliefs and philosophies.

we all learn new things as we sail along..some learn faster than others..some get better at the whole rescue thing than others..some get good at some things but continue to suck at others..it is the way of the world.

but there is a code on the water and in rescue and that is..you captain your own ship. it doesn't matter how stupid or dangerous another captain is..blowing them up doesn't work.

every registered rescue has a board of directors who are also responsible so if you have a complaint or a concern, politely and respectfuly direct it to them as well...give the group the chance to work problems out together if they so choose.

but the bottom line is..what other rescues are doing has nothing at all to do with me...(unless i end up personally having to rescue their animals cuz they have left them hanging somewhere and are now knocking on my gate because they have no rescue safety net...)

i try to avoid the ones who are driving their boats around in maniacal high speed, creating waves that can capsize the unwary..and i try to avoid the boat rage ones who are in such foul moods, they don't give a shit who they sink cuz the whole freaking ocean revolves around them....and i try to avoid the novice boat drivers til they actually learn how swim cuz i don't really feel like getting pulled under in trying to rescue them!

there is a prevailing attitude in rescue that it is the captains that are the most important aspect in all of this..when in fact it is the cargo that is precious. and it is each captain's primary responsibility to keep their cargo safe..it would be nice if everyone concentrated on that one thing only.

battles at sea sink ships..sunken rescue ships drown animals..don't tell me anyone wants to feel the thrill of victory when there are bunch of dead animal bodies bobbing around the victor's ship.

janice and i were talking about the stanley park petting zoo animals...yes the activists won and the zoo was shut down...and the newspaper now tells us that many of the goats ended up in the slaughterhouse. not what anyone intended but it is what unfortunately happened...those goats are no longer at the zoo...now they are dead.

the moral of the story is..in rescue or advocacy..guns rarely work. it takes communication, negotiation and well thought out planning to help the animals without just torching their only floating ship.