Rescue or not rescue, that's the question! Or is it really?
I remember one time when I had conversation with someone in Paris, to whom I answered I was into animal rescue when he asked what my “occupation” was. He seemed a little bewildered and wondered if I was actually talking about these moutain dogs who save people in avalanches… He didn’t realize that rescuing dogs was actually a thing, that some animals were really abused and abandoned, needing devoted humans to rescue them. Most French people had the same ignorance, not much into animals anyway, at least not as part of the family. A pet had to bring joy and not be too complicated to care for, certainly not being some kind of millstone.
A few years prior to that, during our first stay in the US, I also had a weird reaction about rescued dogs. I had saved my first dog, Elliott, who I nursed back to health. He was devoured with red mange, was almost hairless and looked like an ugly alien with swollen wrinkles, people walking their dogs in the streets seemed freaked out and preferred to change sidewalks… A person once had no choice than to pass by us and asked with anxiety if he was contagious. It didn’t occur to that person that the fact Elliott had two other dogs walking by his side, who were Wallace and Charlotte, being completely fine and healthy, meant it was not some horrible disease you catch so easily. What kind of reckless owner would I be anyway, putting them at risk if it was?! But that was not when I had that offended reaction. I was walking again the same trio in Houston, but Elliott had now fully recovered and looked amazing. A lady mentioned how cute they were and asked if they were all rescues. “What, no!” I was quite offended she could think they were rescues, even if Elliott was per se but it didn’t show anymore, they were all happy, healthy and pampered! Back then, I didn’t realize she didn’t mean harm; the fact of rescuing dogs in the States was kind of like a religion. Even more so, it seemed like you were indubitably a better person if you mentioned you had a rescue. I was still a rookie and to me, a rescue was damaged and it showed.
Elliott when we rescued him, devoured with red mange.
Looking fabulous once he fully recovered.
When you say the word “rescue”, people have different ideas of what that entails. While some still have no idea what that means, or have misconceptions about it, others are pretty familiar with it, but have their own take on what a rescue is. Young, old, happy, shut down, healthy or very sick, you can argue but one fact remains: a rescue is an animal that’s been given another chance. Whether it is a puppy, who hasn’t been into any kind of trauma and was just rehomed, or a sick senior pulled out of the dog pound right before euthanasia. Although one situation may be more critical than the other, in the end, if nobody is there to get them out of this dodgy situation, then the worst may be envisioned. The “family” dog is not sheltered from receiving the deadly shot, there are more people than you might imagine who bring their pet to the vet asking for euthanasia just because they don’t want to care anymore. But I did not always have that point of view. Like many I believed cute pups and younger would for sure find takers and never be in danger, whereas the damaged and old ones didn’t have that kind of appeal on their side. Which is why I had that reaction back in Houston and why when I created the rescue organization, I decided to reach out to the most wrecked dogs, the ones most people would rather disregard because they were too much of a burden. To me, these were real rescues, those needing the most devotion to overcome their trauma, a behavioral issue or serious disease, if it was ever fully possible. Many people looked at rescued dogs to do a good deed, but it should not require too much work. And it was trendy to say you have a rescue… At that time, if someone said '“oh my dog is a rescue too” and it was a cute and happy pup, I smirked. I know now it was lame, but that’s what happens when you’re too involved in this rescue world, you can go to extremes and become quite self-righteous. Because you see so much abuse and injustice, you tend to think that when others pretend to know what rescue is all about, it’s just ridiculous, as if you knew better. It’s not because you may be more aware that you are onmiscient. I talked about the zombies of rescue, those who think they’re so almighty that they eventually transform into some scary monster.
This is also why, when running our sanctuary, where only senior dogs and special needs were given a pass, there were dogs I saved that were not part of the organization. The ones I refer to as personal rescues. Not that any were treated differently, but since they were maybe not as old or as damaged, though they still came from dubious circumstances and needed some deserved tlc, I felt it would not be decent that people sent donations for them. None of the money donated to the organization ever went to them, when on the other hand, most of our personal savings went to the rescues under the cover of the organzation, to compensate! Besides, some of these dogs came from breeders or individuals that didn’t know about the organization and I would not have been able to save them had they been aware I was on a rescue mission (just because they either didn’t want to think the dogs handed were “rescues” or because they were against these kinds of advocates). And well, I have to admit, it was also to avoid a flood of criticism from any rescue fanatic because I was, according to them who, in passing, didn’t know me, betraying my principles. I knew people would get worked up, saying these ones did not tally with our goal and should get adopted out… Yep, totally senseless! That was also an annoyance we had to put up with, ayatollahs having rigid opinions on how we should manage the organization and who knew better, surfing behind their computer screens. I realized over time that it was mostly pure jealousy, because I did not follow the rules and did things my way, that fitted my ethics more that being an adoption machine, treating rescues as cases, that you botch to quickly pass to the next, the more the better. Each dog that entered our home was part of our family and we cared for them until the end, that way making sure they would get the care they required and would never ever be abandoned again. Believe it or not, I was once bashed because another rescue organization had eyes on a severely sick Chihuahua that was transferred to me, thinking a younger dog had nothing to do in a retirement home! As if all of our rescues were just veggies… It turned out one of their devoted volunteer wanted him so bad and they were pissed. Told you, you become dangerously blinkered when you’re too involved in animal rescue, and, for those already pea-brained, it’s beyond help. So I had this little secret garden which actually helped me keep my sanity! Although these non-part-of-the-organization-because-not-damaged-or-old-enough rescues’ quirks and issues did not show on the outside for the most part, they totally fit in our special pack and deserved their spot in our doggie paradise. And they enjoyed our veggies’ company very much!
This is what our “real” rescues looked like… Raymond was very sick and damaged. And well, he looked like a dinosaur, a diplodocus to be precise!
For some, their trauma is not always visible from the outside. Leeloo is one of our “personal” rescues who almost passed away giving birth when she was hardly a year old. The breeder sait it was an “accidental mating”.
So, yeah, rescue or not rescue is quite a question. But it’s not the most important one in the end in my opinion. If you reach out to a pet in need, this is a rescue, no matter the situation they were in. Rescue organizations that buy dogs from auctions or breeders is a controversial way of doing and I’m not gonna discuss it here. But still, the dogs they save are also probably in need of rescue, one way or another. The real question I think that matters is where these rescues end up. You can rescue and do a shitty job, so is it really a rescue in the first place if the animal would benefit to be actually saved from this rescue? Puzzling right?! That’s the true conundrum of rescue. This word can mean the most worthwhile action or the worst cruel wrongdoing, this is why it has to be used with a pinch of salt.
That’s how we came up with the “I am Gurk” motto. Our Gurk is not a rescue fundamentally, but he became one thanks to his crappy genetics. He’s our rescue in disguise. If he hadn’t ended up with us, who not only put up with his many bonkers behaviors but also care for his many health issues and now deal with his blindness, he would most certainly have found himself in a very iffy situation, either potentially euthanized in the end because his breeder/owner or a shelter tagged him aggressive (he has a tendency of going berserk in an environment filled with the scent of unknown related species) or with someone neglecting his issues and making them get worse. Rescue or not, he was lucky to have us. People who are “Gurks” are aware and care for their furry kid like a member of the family. They go above and beyond to give them the best life, sometimes even adapting their lifestyle for their well-being. Whether their dog was bought from a breeder or adopted from a shelter/organization, they take care of them and would never let them down, surely not when they age and need their humans the most. That matters more than arguing what a rescue is, which dog deserves more than another one, and such irrelevant topics. When you think about it, if each individual was more responsible, breeders and adopters alike, the word rescue would not even exist, at least not for cats and dogs, maybe only for animals in the wild. No dog or cat would find themselves roaming the streets, being shamefully abandoned, going from one home to the other, unsettling them, or being abused and neglected by deranged people, even die under their thrall. Unfortunately, this is a fantasy that will probably never take place because the human race remains too self-centered.
Gurky and two of our senior rescues back in Normandy. Can you tell who’s who?
So, the real question is: are you Gurks as well? Tell your story, share your thoughts qnd experiences, we’d love to hear them!