Reclaim, Recycle, Rescue:
Keeping your balance is critical to rescue success and rescuer's life
For many, animal rescue becomes an "all or nothing" activity, completely taking
over their lives. Beginning rescuers are often overcome by a zeal equaling religious
conversion. While I can't say that I ever had quite that much passion, I know
how all-consuming rescue work can be and how difficult it is to maintain an
emotional and physical balance between rescue and other aspects of life. Achieving
this balance, though, is essential to your well being, effectiveness and longevity
as a rescue volunteer.
Once word is out that you'll take in fosters, there seems to be no end to them.
The "what's one more?" trap has lured many volunteers into taking on more dogs
than they can handle. I've found that many volunteers don't have adequate resources
or facilities to care for multiple dogs but try to anyway. Overburdened rescuers
seem to be able to keep their dogs well fed but mounting costs can persuade many
to forgo vital medical services such as pre-adoption heartworm testing and spay/neuter.
Limited space to provide exercise and segregate incompatible dogs results in fights
and stress to both animals and people. Too many dogs also brings nuisance complaints
from neighbors. All these factors can contribute to poorly screened or poorly
matched adopters as the rescuer tries to move dogs out quickly to relieve tensions
at home.
It does no good to remove an animal from a bad situation only to put it into another
bad situation in order to "rescue" it. It also doesn't do much good to do only
half the job - i.e. failing to spay or neuter because of a lack of funds. Better
to foster a few animals well than many uncomfortably and unprofessionally. Obviously
then, to maintain a good quality of life for herself and her animals, a rescuer
needs to be respectful of her limits as well as aware of them. To live within
reasonable limits, a rescuer must learn to say no and refuse to be emotionally
blackmailed or manipulated.
Too much of any one thing is distorting. People who become so deeply involved
in rescue that there's no room for other things in life are in danger of twisting
their perspectives in a very negative way. Constant exposure to irresponsible,
neglectful or abusive pet owners and their animal victims can create a type of
tunnel vision that leads some volunteers to the belief that all people are this
way. They develop a cynical, distrustful and even paranoid attitude that alienates
adopters and friends. While a circle of rescue-oriented friends offers much needed
support, it can also serve to reinforce distorted points of view if these people
are all of the same mindset.
To avoid these problems, it's imperative that volunteers stay connected to the
non-rescue world as well, to take time out to relax, socialize and do things for
themselves. If you're finding that you don't have any time for this or can't do
it without feeling guilty, it means that your involvement in rescue is out of
balance and needs to be adjusted. Take a step back, evaluate and make corrections
to get back on an even keel.
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