Can I do this?
When I adopted Susie-Belle in 2011 my life was in the UK. I was running my own business, working flexible hours, arranging appointments around Renae and Susie-Belle’s needs. My dogs have always been at the centre of my world, but as soon as Susie-Belle came into it, something changed. I wanted to do more than live with dogs. Susie-Belle opened up a whole new world for me.
It wasn’t long before I began fundraising in my spare time. Mainly for the rescue which cared for Susie-Belle. I became aware pretty fast that the world of rescue entailed a lot of sadness as well as many rewards. For the dogs helped into new, safe lives, they are big rewards. And for the people taking the life changing leap into adoption, the rewards are endless.
But alongside the rewards, there are always the sad reasons why dogs end up in rescue. These are often heartbreakingly sad. Genuine, impossible to manage life challenges can mean very deeply loved dogs cannot be kept by owners. Sometimes death leaves dogs ownerless. Other times there are owners who just can’t be bothered to keep their dogs. There are millions of reasons dogs rely on the rescue system. I have learned not to judge, or at least to try very hard not to at all times; I have learned that for the dogs, moving them forward into new futures is far more helpful than dwelling on why they need new futures.
I never for one second regretted taking the leap into this world which I am now immersed in.
Susie-Belle completely changed my life. Dogs can do this.
Never for one second have I regretted going further than adopting and getting more involved in rescue. My early years of fundraising led in October 2011 to Schnauzerfest gaining registered charity status. The charity’s focus was, and remains, funding veterinary bills for rescues. It also helps adopters and increasingly, owners in need of charitable assistance.
Providing the funds to pay vet bills is a step removed from the tough reality of rescue. Until recently, Schnauzerfest was not actively, or closely involved in the life and death decisions made by rescues every day. But, as the UK is currently in the middle of a dreadful animal welfare crisis, with most rescues swamped and some unable to take more dogs in, my days often now involve much more than running a charity which pays vet bills.
This weekend a dog is alive because Schnauzerfest saved his life. He was booked in to the vet and he was not going to walk out. Because the owners decided they could no longer live with him.
I will always, forever be thankful for the people I have in my life because of Susie-Belle. Those who help Schnauzerfest do far more than I could ever have envisaged when we started fundraising. Without Susie-Belle I would not know the person who I relied on this week to save this dog’s life. I no longer live in the UK and could not do it myself. Instead, one amazing, kind and literally life-saving volunteer worked very fast to secure his future.
He was one hour away from his end.
All os us involved in running Schnauzerfest feel the emotions of this very acutely. We are not a rescue organisation. We are great fundraisers, excellent at supporting rescues and have a fantastic, experienced and reliable network, but we are not used to sitting on the front line of rescue.
I never saw myself doing this work. I am not sure I want to do this. I’m not clear yet that I can manage this emotionally. But, another person who is in my life because of Susie-Belle helped me on Friday understand my emotional responses to this week’s events. She is a professional and showed me that I have no need to fear the powerful emotional responses I had to seeing a dog about to lose his life. Especially knowing that I could put into action a plan to save him. A plan which needed others, and they stepped up without hesitation and did it.
Even though I am not sure I want Schnauzerfest to be as involved in the tough reality faced by rescues every day, what I want and what the charity can, and must do, are different. The charity will do this. The Trustees know the charity can do it. And I know that I can do it, and will do it. I will do it all the time there are dogs whose lives will end prematurely if I don’t stay the course.
My respect for those in rescue doing this all the time has always been high, this week it grew even more.
Please when you see a rescue appealing for your help, please don’t turn away. Times are incredibly difficult at the moment. Help in any way, however small, offer your help. The dogs need you.
Read More About Schnauzerfest’s Week here
