Month: October 2020

Two different animal hoarding and cruelty cases have been reported in the past week in the Seattle – Tacoma area. 36 dogs were seized from a home in the Midland area last week, the second time authorities have taken animals from the same home. On Thursday, over 200 animals were seized from a hoarding situation in West Seattle and are currently in the care of Seattle Animal Shelter.

I imagine your response is the same as mine. “How can people do this?” “How are people allowed to do this?” I have moved through all the waves of emotions over the last 48 hours, and my heart truly hurts for any of the animals that were harmed in these cases. But I am not here to play keyboard warrior and start lashing out. There are enough comment threads out there with basement vigilantes saying all the harsh words from behind their computer screens. I am not going to do that, and I implore you to use this article as a way to turn your anger into action.

How can you help? Here’s a handful of ways:

DONATE and FOSTER:
Organizations like Seattle Animal Shelter and the Humane Society of Tacoma and Pierce County bear the bulk of the burden in these seizure cases, being the first option to care and re-home all of these animals. When taking in the animals from West Seattle, SAS put an immediate call out to fosters and donors for open homes and supplies to help offset the immense need.

The simplest way to help is to financially donate to an organization when they have a large, sudden intake. Even $5 can feed a dog for a week, so don’t discount every penny that you may be able to offer. It may be cliche, but every single donation adds up.

Have some time and energy to spare? Signing up to foster with these organizations puts you on an emergency list to take in last second animals, and allows organizations to say yes when they are faced with these large influxes of animals. No one is ever going to make YOU say yes, but it makes a rescue organization feel good to know they have options (trust me). Plus, you get a lot of good karma in return!

DO YOUR RESEARCH:
I am not going to tell people to ONLY adopt from a rescue and avoid breeders. I know how unrealistic that is, and you can “rescue” an animal and still be contributing to a backyard breeder. Instead, I beg you, no matter where you get your animal, do your research. Here are some things to look out for:

• Rescues and shelters will most likely have a 501(c)3 status, especially if they accept donations. You can look up any nonprofit organizations status by a simple Google search.
• Reputable breeders will have paperwork to show the lineage of their dogs. At the very least, you should be able to meet the parents if you are getting a puppy.
• Every place that tries to give you a dog should also be open to showing you how that dog lives. If they scoff at you, take it as a sign. (Author note: I have worked in a shelter that had multiple facilities for different kinds of animals, and only one adoption location. I know it happens, but I still find it sketchy.)

BE AWARE:
Hoarding situations can exist for a long time before anyone notices. Be alert. It is possible to request “Welfare Checks” on situations where people appear to be either hoarding, or abusing animals. If you see something, say something. And keep a log of when you report things, to keep a running timeline of events. These may become important if someone is caught.

REDIRECT YOUR RAGE:
Once again, I implore you to keep your rage off the message boards, and redirect them towards someone who could do something. We all know that we have some major elections coming up (VOTE!), and your opportunity to demand change starts at the polls. Researching where your local politicians (City Council, Mayors, etc) stand on animal cruelty is a great way to vote the right people into office.

Once politicians are in office, it is up to us to pressure them to change laws around animal cruelty. Imagine if every Facebook or Twitter comment launched aimlessly into the ether was instead sent to the office of your local official. Imagine flooding the members of your City Council with the realities of hoarding and cruelty cases. Harnessing your rage into an email and sending it to someone who can actually change the law is a much better use of your energy than aimlessly typing away on a message board. REAL CHANGE STARTS WITH YOU!

News feeds are flooded with miserable updates on a minute by minute basis. Things can be very overwhelming in times like these, where the world feels like it is collapsing. But we in the animal welfare community have the ability to change and support the organizations and communities in charge of dealing with these animal cruelty cases. There are a lot of options for anyone to take. Now it’s on all of us to be better.

Who’s ready to quit Tinder (and Bumble and Hinge and all the rest) and find true happiness in the wild? Online dating is a drag, and has only been made harder in the times of the ongoing COVID pandemic. There has to be an easier, less stressful way to meet your match without swiping through hundreds of strangers.

Fostering a pet is a perfect way to make a serious difference, while also avoiding all the misery of wading through your DM’s. Not convinced? Well, here are 10 of the best reasons to give up swiping and start fostering today!

1) Will Move at your Pace:
Not sure you want to commit to a long-term relationship? That’s okay! Fostering an animal offers many flexible options, from hanging out for a cup of coffee to becoming roommates for a few months. Fosters are simply thankful to finally have a comfortable couch and a steady stream of love to count on, and they will not pour undue pressure on you!

2) Always Punctual:
Tired of sitting at a bar, sipping on your third drink, still convinced Mr. Wednesday Night will come walking though the door? Your foster pet will be more than happy to welcome you at the door, and meet you at the table for all of your dinner dates. No more needing to awkwardly explain to the waiter that your date is just running 45 minutes late.

3) Won’t Ghost You:
Speaking of, what ever happened to Mr. Wednesday Night? Was it the awkward story of when you split your pants during the middle school play? Was it the broccoli in your teeth? With a foster pet, you’ll never have to worry about broken message threads. You’ll wake up every morning knowing exactly where you stand!

4) Always Interested in your Hobbies:
Crochet? Video games? Stamp collecting? Your foster pet will love to sit for hours and listen to the history of your 1852 lucky penny. Those loving eyes would love to hear more about the boss on level 18 of your latest RPG. Heck, they’ll even sit with you!

5) Would Love to Meet your Friends:
Forget about Becky’s tendency to drink too much chardonay on a Tuesday night! Your foster will happily velcro to every ear scratch and will soak in all the extra attention! And if you want to take things a step further, you also won’t have to worry about taking your foster home to mom!

6) Zero Expectations:
Marriage? Babies? Who needs that kind of pressure? Many foster programs (including ours) allow you to end your foster time whenever you have to. You have complete control over the length of your foster’s stay, and the only thing the pet asks for in return is your care for however long you can be together!

7) Down to Keep Things Casual:
The weather is getting colder, and sometimes all we want is a warm body to cuddle through the night. Guess what a foster can do? They would love to join you for some cuddles and ignore all those simply commitments.

8) Will Join for Every Netflix Binge:
Did we mention your foster will be down to keep things casual? Find a new show that you are about to waste your weekend? Grab that blanket and bowl of M&M’s and let the shows roll! Best yet, your foster will even let you pick what you watch!

9) Sincerely Means, “But I only want to Cuddle”:
Stop worrying about all the funny business! If you haven’t figured it out, your foster will love to snuggle up on a cold night and not leave you guessing about their intentions.

10) Emotionally Available:
Until now, we have talked about zero expectations and moving at your own pace. But what if love strikes? What if you want your temporary foster to become your forever pet? Great! Adoption is a wonderful and welcomed outcome to all of our foster placements, and we can walk you through the process of making your foster a permanent member of your family!

BONUS: You can foster a pet safely during COVID!
Resilient Hearts goes through many safety protocols to make sure you stay safe and healthy! Don’t worry about meeting in a crowded coffee shop or trying to yell at each other through masks. Fostering a pet is a safe way to make a difference and find companionship during these uncertain times.

Interested in fostering with Resilient Hearts? Sign up is easy, and there are plenty of flexible options to fit every lifestyle. Visit our foster page to find out more!

Stay up to date with Resilient Hearts by following us on Facebook and Instagram!

Let’s start by saying the obvious: 2020 has been a terrible decade. From the raging fires across the world to the social unrest to the most important election in our lifetimes (VOTE!), a lot of hope has been lost and a lot of cynicism has taken hold. Unless you started the pandemic rich, you’re most likely suffering through more and more impending uncertainty around your income and rent payment. The shit keeps piling on, and we haven’t even talked about COVID. Life is hard.

But behind clouds is a ray of light. The movement to stand up for social justice, volunteers pouring out to help those in need after another round of tropical storms, and the historically low numbers of animals in shelters during the pandemic all give a glimmer of hope. Many are turning inward to find ways to heal and help a world that has been scarred for centuries. Many are trying.

What does this have to do with dog shit? Walking down the street with our dogs, it isn’t surprising to see a steaming pile of feces on the grass, left behind from some other neighborhood dog. Queue all the Nextdoor complaint threads about how dog owners are ruining the neighborhood by not cleaning up after their dogs! Insert the fingers pounding on keyboards in Facebook groups about the disgusting mess that is “constantly” left behind from neighbors who just don’t care anymore. The world, as noted above, has gone to shit.

What none of these flowing outpourings of rage ever acknowledge is that sometimes people make mistakes. Sometimes people forget to carry a bag (god knows I do). Sometimes a mother is juggling three dogs and a stroller. Sometimes a disabled neighbor is trying to get home with their therapy dog because the rain started and they forgot a cover for their wheelchair.

My point is that sometimes things happen, and with all the ongoing shit storms that we are experiencing as a society, the least I can do is clean up some random dog shit. I have the privilege of having the money to buy ample amounts of poop bags. I have the privilege of having two functioning legs. I have the privilege of time, attention, and no toddler pulling on my arm.

And I have the privilege of being there myself, looking around aimlessly as my own dog squats to shit in a parking strip in front of a house, the homeowner’s eyes burning a whole in my chest as I stand their helplessly with nothing I can do. I know the embarrassment that comes from not being able to clean up after my pet.

Why do we have to make a big thing of this? Why can’t we show enough compassion to clean up a pile of dog shit when we’re already bent over picking up another? Why do we have to unleash a belligerent tirade against our neighbors for something that, in the end, they may not have had any control over?

And maybe you’re not comfortable bagging up and disposing of a dog’s shit. Cool. That’s awesome. But there are still options to help. First, you could redirect that internal disgust towards your neighbors into an email to your local neighborhood groups or community legislature, asking them to install more garbage cans, or install poop bag dispensers in your local parks (this would be a huge help in my neighborhood, nudge nudge Seattle Parks). I promise, if everyone who complained on Nextdoor would instead turn their disgust towards their local representatives, there would be more options for clean up.

Second, for those more inclined to get thrifty, you can craft your own dog poop bag dispenser. It’s easy, quick, and you can encourage others to add to the bags as they are able. Again, you make the bags more available, and you won’t have to clean up any shit!

There are options to help. In the end, though, we need to learn to be helpful and compassionate towards our neighbors. All of us are wading through a mountain of shit, why do we have to pile on?

Follow along with Resilient Hearts on Facebook and Instagram! Resilient Hearts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and 100% of donations go towards rescuing animals from high kill shelters across the US and uniting them with their forever families in the PNW. If you would like to donate, please visit our donations page.

Go check out your Instagram feed, and guaranteed you know someone who has acquired a puppy while in quarantine. “How cute!” you squeal, jealous that Jill from fourth grade has a fluffy new golden-doodle puppy to snuggle and play with. You watch the pictures pile up, liking and commenting on every new outfit and selfie of the new proud parents. “I could absolutely take care of a puppy,” you exclaim, furiously Googling for local rescues and breeders trying to locate that one fluffer-noodle that is going to steal your heart. Staring through your cuteness-goggles, you know for sure that everything is going to be perfect!

I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m here to drop some truth. Adopting a puppy sucks! Think burning your hand on a hot pot and stubbing your toe on the counter kind of suck, but after you accidentally stepped in a mud puddle that was a foot deeper than you expected kind of suck. Only the puddle has tiny needle teeth that constantly need to bite any and every inch of exposed skin it possibly can (but we’ll get there).

Puppies are blank slates. They know nothing and often times can’t even walk a straight line. Keeping a puppy’s attention is like expecting a 5 year old baseball player not to chase butterflies in the outfield. It’s unreasonable. How are you supposed to leash train a being as fragile as a dry leaf on the sidewalk. Leaf? You mean the most funnest thing to chase ever? Yup, you lost your puppy.

Okay, but puppies shouldn’t know how to walk on leash. I’ve talked about that. And they really are adorable when they pounce on that leaf …

Fun fact: Did you know science has proven that if your puppy needs to pee, they will select that area closest to, but not on, their pee pads? It’s true. Also, a survey of 6 recent puppy parents says that a puppy is guaranteed to pee inside either just before going for a long walk, or immediately after you return from one. I’m just reporting facts people. It’s basic statistics. You know who has to clean up all of those messes? You! How did we get here?

AND THOSE TEETH! Why is it that baby animals are equipped with the most finely sharpened daggers that they instinctively know to latch on to every bare patch of skin? Covering yourself in 4 hoodies and doubling up on pants won’t help. So, um, I’m told.

Oh, and you’ve slept enough for the next several years, right? Puppies have an internal clock that works on the exact opposite schedule of everyone who adopts them. Again, it’s science. A puppy in North America is acutely in sync with the rising and falling suns in Australia. It’s amazing, check it out sometime.

All of this is assuming you can even FIND a puppy. Resilient Hearts has adopted out 28 puppies to date, and every family has told us how long and difficult their search for a new puppy was. Simple fact is, there are a lot of suckers out there just like you that are competing for the right to sleepless nights of puppy pouting and the lingering dread of the smell of puppy poo wafting up from the floor. Shelters and rescues alike are tapped out on puppies the minute they become available for adoption. Suckers I say, all of them.

I have to ask: Jill, how have you not pulled all of your hair out with your puppy yet? What, your puppy has figured out how to potty in the grass consistently? It only took a week of training? Puppy classes have lessened her biting? Yes, but … no, you’re right, that pic of her with the leaf on her head is adorable. Wow, the rescue you worked with has been helping out with training tips, too?

You do seem happy, I guess maybe it was worth it? Oh, yea, sure, I’m up for a selfie.