it's a baileys and hot chocolate night...mmmmm.

I just received my acceptable letter for an information booth for SAINTS RESCUE at the Denman Street Car Free Day. It's the Sunday prior to the Open House.

Inconvenience is also the #1 reason younger dogs come into rescue as well. The CAAT program has been doing Wellness clinics (free spay/neuter/vaccinations/deworming) up here in nortwest BC - this will be the 3rd year. Quite a few of the dogs coming in as strays have already spayed/neutered. what more can we do?

I read your blog everyday Carol. You are my inspiriation and role model. And give me the courage to keep on rescuing. Yvette

there are situations where not only is rehoming unavoidable but also in the animal's best interests. but the majority of animals lose their homes because their humans are not committed to keeping them AND ensuring the animals have a good life...for many folks, that is just too much work or far too inconvenient.

we live in a world that caters to human convenience and I think the number one reason animals do lose their homes IS because they became inconvenient.

they are easy to get and easy to get rid of..rehome, surrender or euth...whatever works...just come up with a justification or fairy tale so the decision doesn't hurt the human.

of these convenience seekers...how many have surrendered an animal here and said..i am too selfish and suck at caring for him or her?...none.
how many have surrendered with the long litany of heroic loving attached?...can't even count them anymore but I have pretty much heard it all..interestingly enough, the animal usually tells a different more realistic story.

we take in many animals who absolutely have to come here..cruelty/neglect seizures, animals whose medical or emotional issues are too great to manage in an average home, animals whose caregivers are reduced to homelessness or are sick, dying or already gone. but we are contacted for hundreds of others whose families just can no longer be bothered. and those folks will get another pet as soon as they want one again...for a little while.

I agree, pets are for life. I chose to live in a motorhome for a year in my brothers driveway even though I owned a nice townhouse because they would not allow dogs. I was splitting from my partner and refused to move into my townhouse because of my dogs and never regretted it. I got much closer to my nephews and my sister in law and ended up selling the townhouse to move out to acerage in Dewdney. There was no way I was parting with my dogs even though some people though I was nuts!!

BRAVO Allison. I can't imagine having to begin a new life in a new place without the companionship of your beloved dogs. It's most unfortunate that relationships have become so disposable, including those with our animals.

Following my husband's death I put my farm up for sale. "Friends" counselled me to move to Winnipeg or back to the NY metropolitan area where I was born. To do so, I would have had to find homes for my dogs as it would be hard to adapt them to city life (they are Karelian Bear Dogs). I contemplated the idea, but knew that I would always wonder if they were safe, warm and being cared for properly, so I decided to stay in rural Manitoba and find a smaller property that I could fence in. It has been a struggle finding enough work to pay the bills and survive, but I have nature around me and my dogs with me. I feel as you do -- when I adopt a dog, it is for life. I think in today's culture, relationships are disposable -- people get married and divorce all the time and it is the same with animals. People may think I am crazy, but my pets are not disposable -- as Janet (above) said, they are family.

My Beauregard was turned into a shelter because he got too big. What did they think when they got a Newfoundland dog? But, I am one of those 100 who would live on the streets before I gave him up - he is family.

As a fellow rescuer and owner of 3 high maintenance cats I feel your pain. It's easy to say 'pet people' suck, but the good ones are out there, doing our best for the animals we have promised to love and take care of forever through moves across time zones and tight financial times and expensive medical conditions and old age. And at the end of the day, this "crazy cat lady"goes without so her loved ones don't have to and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I find sometimes as rescuers we have so much more compassion for the animals we rescue than the people who have once claimed to love them and I think it's important to remember that good pet parents exist, that we all make mistakes and that sometimes rehoming a pet really, truly, regrettably and tragically is unavoidable.

Someone else's loss is yours and my gain. Because of stupid idiots I have the most wonderful dogs and cats in the world. You forgot the reason "if they keep escaping from your yard" Cuz the only answer would be to give the dog away right, not to bring them inside and build a better fence...