Sunday, April 7, 2013

Every Pet Deserves a Life Worth Living

This is GARD’s overriding philosophy, governing all we do and how we do it. On our website and literature you’ll often see reference to the fact that we operate quite differently from most other rescues in that rather than being guided by a business plan, we operate from the heart. Although we’ve managed to keep the shelter viable by trying to avoid fiscal suicide, we often do things that would cause a good business manager to break down in tears. There’s a good reason for this. We like to be able to sleep at night.

Bruno is a very good recent example of this philosophy at work. Mom was at one of our Vets several hours away with a van load of dogs in for routine treatment/checkup. While she was there, some folks came in with their dog who had got himself caught in a leg-hold trap and had dragged himself 2 miles home to get help despite the fact that jagged bone protruded from his destroyed limb. The decision was made that surgery would be too expensive and he would have to be put down. Now I don’t know about you, but if I had just dragged my mangled body 2 miles to get help and you offered to kill me for my efforts, I might just have to bite you. Reacting to the unfairness of it all, Mom said that GARD would take the dog and get him the care he needed and left him with the vet for surgery to be performed. By the time she got all the way back to the house, the vet informed her that he wasn’t going to be able to “get around” to the surgery for a week (Bruno wouldn’t have lasted a week given his recent heroics and the fact that the wound was already starting to stink), suggesting that it might just be better to put him down. Aghast, Mom left out the next morning, back to the vet to pick him up and bring him to another vet half a state away. Bruno’s leg was amputated and he is recuperating nicely, having taken up temporary residence in our laundry room with access to the back porch and fenced yard. You may be wondering, at this point; “What sort of life worth living does a three legged dog have?” You’d be amazed at how adaptable we are! We’ve seen numerous amputees go on to lead healthy, happy lives. We have one now who has the run of the shelter and he gets around so well that, unless you looked closely, you might miss the fact that he’s missing a leg. I personally would rather be a live three legged dog than a dead four legged one. We even had a dog here once who had been confined so long in an overly small crate that she had lost the use of her hind legs. While she was here, she taught herself to do “handstands” and got around remarkably well in that manner. Angel has since gotten a loving home where she has benefitted from physical therapy and has since regained the use of her back legs.

Yes, Bruno’s surgery and all of the running around it entailed was expensive but we were able to accomplish it without sabotaging our overall mission and yes, a good business manager would be a whimpering basket case by now but who are we to randomly decide who lives or dies. In a “normal” shelter, this decision would generally be made based on such as cuteness or being of a highly preferred breed but even then, who wants a damaged dog? Maybe, just maybe if he made the AKC’s top ten he might have a chance but only maybe. I sure would hate to see the right to life routinely determined on a basis of charisma and good looks ‘cause I love my Dad and would really miss him. Bruno? Have no doubts that Mom will find someone to love him and give him a forever home. She’s real good at that.

For those of you who have followed Bruno’s story on our Facebook page and have responded with generous donations to help defray the expenses incurred, we offer you our profound thanks. GARD is a non-profit public charity, receives no governmental assistance and is totally dependent on the generosity of a caring public. As important as these donations are in fulfilling our mission, they are equally important in providing the moral support of knowing that there are other, like-minded individuals, families and organizations out there who value what we do.