A rescue

This is where I've spent the last 3 days. It looks fairly calm and orderly but what an adventure it has been. Here's my story:

It all started last Thursday. Actually, it all started in November 2007. I got an email from somewhere that United Animal Nations was holding an animal rescue training here on Oahu. It was on a Saturday and I decided to take it. I never really thought I'd use it here but hey, you never know. Over the past 2 years I've read about all kinds of rescues that this group has been on and thought I'd never get to join one. Then last Thursday I get an email about a possible deployment here on Oahu. I was very excited. Not because there were animals in distress but because I'd get to help. So, emails and phone calls to the mainland and it was arranged, I'd help out on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. I got the email confirming it and it was a go. Needless to say I was excited and curious as to what all this would entail.

Sunday morning dawned and I headed out to help. When I get to the warehouse where the temporary kennel is being set up I find a scene out of Animal Planet. There was the Oahu SPCA, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), United Animal Nations (UAN), and a number of local animal rescues. It was crazy. Everyone was getting ready, the HSUS was going to head out to the site and collect the animals. First, they had to get air conditioned trucks to transport the animals in. Once the trucks arrived and all the details were worked out, HSUS headed out to start the collection. Meanwhile, those of us staying back were busy getting the kennels ready. We had to build 50 kennels to house all the dogs and cats expected. It was hard work but the most amazing thing was that people who had never met stepped right up and started working together like they had done it for years. It was absolutely amazing to see and something that struck me over and over again over the past 3 days.

Finally, we got word that the first truckload of dogs were on the way. As the truck pulled in everyone took their places. There were the handlers who would take the dogs to their kennels. There were the unloaders who got the dogs out of the trucks, usually in carriers. There were the paperwork people, that was me, who made sure each dog had the right paperwork with it. Finally there was the shelter coordinator who was directing traffic. It went like clockwork. In a very short time the first truck was unloaded and on it's way back for more. 24 dogs had been safely removed and kenneled with us. Shortly there after the second truck pulled up and we all jumped into action. It was like that with every truck until all the dogs were in their temporary homes. Then it started with the cats..... Finally, all the animals had been removed and housed in our temporary shelter. After the initial vet check everyone was fed and the humans went home for the night.

A couple things struck me that first day. With all the animals coming in and all the work that needed to be done, it was impossible to focus on the animals themselves. It was easy to stay detached because there was so much to do to get them settled and make sure they were comfortable for the night. I left Sunday night being filthy, exhausted, and feeling very satisfied with what I had helped with that day.

Monday came really early and, after taking care of my own animals, were off to help those less fortunate. I was the 2nd person to arrive at the shelter and we found 3 dogs running loose. It was fun hunting them down and getting them back into the proper cages. After that we started in on the morning feeding. There were 3 rows in the kennels and a pair of volunteers were assigned to each row. It took my partner and I 3 hours to feed all our dogs. Exhausting work. Then it was time to clean the cages. Many of the cages were a mess, but considering the conditions they came from this was nirvana. The next 3 hours were spent scooping poop. It was at this time I finally got a chance to really look at the dogs and notice their conditions. Wow!! Overall they were in pretty good condition, many are overweight, but the problems are bad. Mange. Lots and lots of mange. It's impossible to tell what kind yet so we have to assume all of it is highly contagious. Wounds. Lumps. Overgrown toenails. And filth. These guys really need a bath but the priority is to make sure their basic needs are being met and finding them a place to call home. I ended yesterday filthy, exhausted and very satisfied.

Tuesday morning dawned way too early. I arrived at the site only to find that the first person there had seen 3 loose dogs. She managed to capture one and return it to it's kennel but couldn't find the other 2. Four of us searched that place high and low and could not find that dog anywhere. We did manage to determine which dog was missing, thanks to that paperwork we did on day one. Eventually we just kind of gave up assuming either that the dog was hiding or managed to get out some how. So we began the rounds of feeding and cleaning again. Today seemed to be much easier, we seemed to have worked out routines that worked well for us. Before you knew it the feeding was done. Other pairs had begun the cleaning and before we knew it lunch arrived. Today was the day we started talking about the dogs. We had worked together now for 3 days and were pretty comfortable with each other. Sitting there, eating lunch we started discussing the individual dogs. It was here that it struck me how a rescue goes.

The first day you are so focused on getting everything ready that you don't really notice the dogs. The second day you start to see the individual dogs but you're still focusing on meeting their basic needs and that takes work. Finally by they third day you actually start to see the dogs. You know who's friendly and who's scared. Who hasn't eaten since Sunday and who hasn't pooped. Which ones are food aggressive and which ones can't be left alone at all. You quickly become attached to certain dogs and start feeling protective of them. And you wish you could take every one home and make it all better for them. But you can't. You can only make their transition as easy as possible and pray they have a better life then what they came from.

My first animal rescue and it won't be my last. I met people from California and Washington who travel all over the country doing this whenever they can. I want to do that too. I want to help these animals. I really do believe after 50 years I've found my passions in life, teaching and animals. I will do this again and I hope to meet some of these great people again. It was an experience and I'm so glad I did it. It was exhausting, dirty, back breaking work, and worth every second to see one tail wag, one dog get excited to see you coming, one dog come out of their kennel very slowly just to sniff your hand. It was soooo worth it....