rescue for dummies

someone should write that book so rescue isn't so hard.
do you want people to respect you universally, 100% agree with everything you say and do...geez even LIKE you every day?
well don't bother going into rescue.
because....
it has the unique capacity to bring out the best and the worst in you.

lets be honest...
it took me 10 YEARS to get people not to come on site on the weekends before 9am.
i explained it got the dogs riled up too early and that disturbed the neighbors.
i explained that saints is only safe here as long as we do not disrupt the people living near us too much for them to bear.
i said it over and over in a hundred different ways and people still came early because it was more convenient for them.
and finally i literally flipped my lid and everyone listened.

sometimes over the past few years i feel guilty when i see folks patiently waiting in their cars on the weekends for that magic 9 am on the dot to hit.
but i know why it is important..its not about power or control... its about keeping the animals safe from bylaw complaints by frustrated neighbors who get woken up early on their days off by our noisy dogs.

flipping my lid occasionally, actually works pretty good.

of course the problem with losing your temper is you automatically are labeled a bitch..it really doesn't matter if you have only lost it a dozen times over a dozen years. that label sticks.

which is ok because here is the reality of rescue...
A. its hard
B it sucks
C it ain't no fun.
D it isn't for weenies.
and E..nice guys don't always get things done.

it takes a couple of not all that popular personality traits...stubborness, single-mindedness, and the ability to recognize bullshit. it takes being able to stand on the line and sometimes being willing to cross it and take risks. it also takes a fair amount of fearful fearlessness. that sounds a bit conflicted but it's true. you might well be cringing in your socks about something you have to say or do, but if it has to be said or done, go ahead and freaking cringe all you want but get out there and do it.
AND...it also takes the ability to forget and forgive..the people who are sometimes judgemental of you and yourself too when you actually are being a bitch.

here is the thing..rescue may be a dream, or a passion, or a calling..but first and foremost..it is a job. and jobs have to get done. having a super sensitive rescue soul is no excuse for lacking guts.

sometimes i wish that god gave me a crystal ball, a book of easy to follow directions, a script of what to say, do, when and how.
i also wish he gave me a million dollars, a beautiful face and super looking body.
sadly, i just got what i got.
and maybe after 20 years of rescue and a couple of thousand animals...maybe he gave me enough.
or maybe he didn't
and i just ad libbed my way.
whatever i am or am not...the reality is, the animals do have S.A.I.N.T.S.
and that is almost good enough...(it actually would be better if there were no animals who needed saints.)

(and by the way..the purpose of this post? honesty demands that i admit
i really am just justifying the flipping of my lid the other day!)