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Sunny Saints St. Bernard Rescue

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Revelations from a Dog Rescuer ... Things They Never Tell You!

11/10/2012

5 Comments

 
Picture
Pam Henry, with husband Pat, Paige & Pearl
Sunny Saints staff was recently asked to list three, four or more things that people may not know about dog rescue.  Not surprisingly, our discussion started off with the joy and satisfaction of saving lives, and the pride we take with creating happy families.   However, some surprising revelations were made, and we want to share them with you.

First, everyone thinks that all you need is a big heart to work in dog rescue. Wrong. You need to be able to think smart and have a strong backbone, to know what you can humanly do and not do. You need to make tough decisions about when to put a dog down for health or public safety reasons. You may have to walk away from a beautiful Saint in the shelter, knowing you have no suitable foster home for him, or if he’s animal aggressive. If an animal is placed in a home, and injures someone, your rescue could be liable, and be shut down by an insurance claim or lawsuit. Sometimes, you let one animal go for safety reasons, so that you can continue to SAVE many more. It can seem cruel and heartless at times. You must keep focused and keep your eye on the gold: Finding forever homes for as many  Saints as you can.

Dog rescue can be very depressing. You wonder, "we are only saving one Saint at a time, while thousands are dying and/or being abused." Yes, we aren't even approaching the TIP of the iceberg. Sunny Saints volunteers must remind themselves that they are removing sadness and misery from the world with each dog saved, and bringing joy - lots of joy - to families.  Removing sadness and misery, replacing it with joy. Not a bad thing.

It takes all kinds of people to form a successful rescue. It starts with passionate people, and you must assemble a team of people with diverse talents and skills. It takes business savvy, sometimes legal knowledge, dog training and behavioral knowledge, accountants, nurses, marketing pros, computer pros, vets, etc. This is just a very short list of the types of people we have involved. Sunny Saints seems pretty straight forward in its mission, but it takes a diverse village to run smoothly to continue it's success.  

It doesn't take a large yard, tons of time or even lots of money to help save Saint Bernards. Volunteering at an event for a few hours, donating $5 for food, helping transport a dog to a new home... priceless. And we can't do it without you. Even posting a flyer for a dog that needs a foster home. You may have just saved a life. It's so darn easy.

And the number one bonus of being a Sunny Saints volunteer is that you meet the nicest people, from ALL walks of life. To all of our Saint-loving, big-hearted friends: we can’t do it without you! You are appreciated! 

Now, it's your turn to add  to our list of "things you'd never know about dog rescue."

Thank you for opening up your hearts and homes!

5 Comments
Lucy
11/10/2012 09:26:52 am

Thank you. I have heard one person refer to Mother Theresa as a shark. People always think of her as a saint, which she is of course, but she had to make very difficult decisions that didn't feel good, didn't please every one, and have very little resources to use to helped the poor. She created something extraordinary from virtually nothing. Of course there are differences, but people who have stepped forward to rescue are extraordinary in a similar way. In this society right now people are convinced if it doesn't feel good, it must not be right to do. You validate that doing the right thing does not always come down to how you feel but doing what is in keeping with a strong moral character. God bless each and every one of you rescuers.

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Sunny Saints
11/10/2012 12:13:56 pm

A sincere thank you, Lucy, for that heartfelt "pat on the back." While we're certainly no Mother Theresa, we're all doing what we can to make this world a better place. One saint at a time.

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April
11/13/2012 12:46:54 am

I think one thing many don't know if the guilt we feel. I know that when I pull a dog from a high kill shelter I see sooo many other dogs and cats that I know probably will not see tomorrow much less til the end of the week that are perfectly fine animals. I guess this kinda goes into the depressing category but for another reason.

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Kristina
1/27/2013 03:22:37 am

One thing? I can think of a lot of things... but the biggest thing I can think of is the reward and satisfaction it feels to give back to these dogs who may not have known a lot of love... Watching them blossom into these beautiful animals that they should have been all along, is one of the best things I have ever witnessed.

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Sally link
3/4/2013 07:29:53 pm

It's an amazing, worthwhile job you do. I can imagine it must also be heartbreaking at times :(

If it helps you to rehome dogs, please feel free to mention any needing homes on https://www.facebook.com/CrazyStBernardObsessedPeople

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