I rescued a human today.

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid.

As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone’s life. She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me.

I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her.

Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

Written by Janine Allen CPDT, Rescue Me Dog’s professional dog trainer. Janine’s passion is working with people and their dogs. She provides demonstrations for those who have adopted shelter dogs, lends email support to adopted dog owners that need information beyond our Training Support Pages, and aids shelter staff and volunteers in understanding dog behavior to increase their adoptability. Copyright 2009 Rescue Me Dog; www.rescuemedog.org

I got an email from Meara’s mom a week or so ago telling me that for Meara’s birthday the last few years she’d been asking her friends to give money for a charity she chose INSTEAD OF GIFTS!! (This girl is 8 yrs old!! How many previous birthdays could she have done this!! She started YOUNG!!)

Last year she donated the money to the Liver Research Society because someone close to her had liver disease.

THIS YEAR she chose US as the charity, donating $275!! UNBELIVEABLE!! She said she liked what we did for dogs like Joey and all the other ones too.

Last Monday she came with her mom, sisiter and brother to present us with the money and bring a new dog toy (which Cammie promptly grabbed and ran off with it)  and play with some of the dogs. She was sad not to see Joey but glad he had a home with another little girl.

This little girl kind of knocked my socks off – I keep telling people $1 or $5 helps and if this little girl cares enough about dogs she doesn’t even own and a place she barely knows MAYBE there are OTHER LITTLE GIRLS AND BOYS out there who’s want to do the same thing on THEIR birthdays this year?

A challenge perhaps to all the little kids who’ve come here to see dogs or adopted dogs or wanted to adopt a dog. If YOUR dog was blessed to have you in their lives, maybe it’s time to help other dogs NOT YET SO FORTUNATE?

Dogs who come here are USUALLY fairly easy to adopt out but i have to be careful to pick dogs who HOPEFULLY won’t get sick here or be a drain on resources precluding other dogs from being saved.  Many of my dogs are from KILL SHELTERS, REALLY THEY ARE PUT DOWN if the pound is over crowded, if it’s a puppy or a pregnant dog it goes first.

Every day i see great dogs begging for a place to be safe and help find a new home. Lots of you think I’m nuts for having 40 dogs at a time or taking 20 in at once. Aside from the work – IT’S A LOT OF WORK – and food, i can handle that.

What i can’t handle without help is the Ray’s who need testing and maybe eye surgery, the Gwens who eat their stitches and cost me almost $600 to re stitich  - Schroder getting pneumonia to the tune of almost $1000. Jelly Bean too. Louie was adopted last monday and while i thought he had kennel koff it did, within 24 hours of adoption, turn into a fungal pneumonia!! He also has heart worm (the test was a false negative – the 2nd one in 5 years) - unforseeable stuff like that - THOSE dogs absolutely financially KILL me – i Have $305. o/s at Orono Vet 905-983-9010 and $4900 o/s at Guildwood Animal Clinic 416 -265-5000 if anyone wants to call in a visa or Master card and pay off that $1 or $5 that add up quickly – buying Heartworm and Flea Prevention, antibioptics up the kazoo this month but usually just for kennel koff. I get 20% off on SERVICES and NOTHING OFF ON PRODUCTS AND PRODUCTS IS THE BULK OF WHAT I NEED THERE. I’d LOVE to help the new owners of Ray and especially Louie get the help they still need – KUDOS TO JENNIFER AND JEFF for keeping Louie and loving him IN SPITE Of the costs they are incurring and i can’t help with.

I need to rethink what i’m doing here – I can’t expect others to help when it’s my choice and my burden to do this rescue thing but i would be sad to not do it.

We ARE in the process of getting Charity Status (Thank you Bram Lecker for lawyering for us) so that would be tax recipts for financial help given  but at the moment i don’t have Sponsors or Angels out there helping and i am using all boarding income to cover rescues,  food etc (beleive me – the Adoption Donation covers NOTHING – each dog on average costs me $600-700 EACH).

So the challenge is – How many kids (or adults for that matter or even your dogs) want to use their birthdays to raise money for Camp LotsaDogs Rescue?  We can help the dogs no one would pick to help and especially take care of the ones we do pick and maybe help Jennifer with Louie and Julia who adopted Ray (now Ben by the way).