Vibrant Nation

Working in animal rescue, we are often asked: "Why are you helping animals? Why aren't you helping people?" But the truth is, when you help animals, you are always also helping people.

People tend to assume that if an animal is in a shelter, the problem is with the animal. Most of the time, this simply isn't true. These animals are not difficult or sick; the fact that their humans have problems is what creates problems for the animals. Whenever a human being has a serious problem such as illness, bereavement, job loss, or divorce, you will often find an animal suffering at the end of it. So you never help an animal without also helping a person.

A woman once contacted our organization, Best Friends, to ask if we could take her dog. She had cancer and several small children. She was terrified, exhausted and overwhelmed. Amidst all this, she had a dog and she was feeling bad because she couldn't give the dog enough exercise. So she felt she needed to place the dog with us.

This woman and I talked for a long time. I listened to her describe her situation. Eventually I said, "Your children are stressed because you're sick, but they will feel even more stressed by losing the family pet at the same time." I suggested she find a girl scout or neighbor willing to walk the dog. I also reminded her that dogs are fundamentally loyal animals. If her dog didn't get exercise for a period because she was getting treated for cancer--well, that dog was part of the family. Families go through rough times together, and the dog would surely prefer to give up exercise temporarily rather than be separated from its family permanently. You don't split up a family simply because times are hard!

By then the woman was sobbing. She said, "Do you think it would really be okay to keep my dog?" The woman didn't want to give up her dog at all; she wanted to do the right thing, but she had been missing the point. I find that many people are well-meaning when it comes to animals, but they often make wrong choices like giving up a pet or buying pets from stores, misguidedly. At Best Friends, we try to engage and guide people, offering as much information and support as we can, so they can solve their problems rather than sacrifice the pets that they love.