Over the years, getting to know different clients and friends involved with animal rescue has revealed how this world operates. Their stories highlight the impact on individuals, the community, and beyond. I was amazed by the various animal rescue roles and the dedicated people involved. In this article I will introduce you to a few key participants.
Rescued animals are those taken from the streets, from shelters that euthanize, or from unhealthy situations and are successfully rehomed. When picked up by city or county organizations, they go to the local government run shelters. Due to overcrowding and limited resources, many are euthanized after a short time — around 359,000 dogs and 330,000 cats in 2023. However, that year, about 4.8 million cats and dogs were adopted from these shelters, and that’s not including the thousands re-homed by rescuers and non-profit shelters!
The animal rescue participants include unintended rescuers, trappers, exonerators, media advocates, transporters, fosters, and volunteers. You won’t find these jobs posted on Indeed; these positions involve blood (I’m not kidding — getting bitten is no fun), sweat, tears and lots of compassion fatigue. At the same time, it pays off in satisfaction and a sense of relief that at least one more innocent animal has a full belly and a safe place to lay her head. Let’s look at these rescuers:
The unintentional rescuer. We all know them; you may be one of them. This is the rescuer who unselfishly took in a stray cat or dog in crisis. In fact, most of our clients and people we know have 3-7 unexpected pets. I call these generous people the unintentional rescuers because they didn’t set out to be a rescuer but became one because of their heart to help.
Trappers and media advocates. Despite the negative connotations associated with their name, trappers are actually good. They respond to sightings of hurt or uncatchable animals, often pregnant or with babies. They spend hours or days gaining their trust or using safe traps while calling every shelter hoping and praying there’s room and a local vet can help.
After receiving immediate medical care, the behaviors of these rescued animals are evaluated with some needing socialization while awaiting new homes. Media advocates — sometimes the same previously mentioned individuals — may spend hours putting together the perfect photo and personality write-up for pet adoption websites.
Transporters and exonerators. Once that internet love connection has been made, a transporter may drive for days across the country to other network shelters to deliver these previously unwanted pets to their new families who will cherish and nurture them with the healing love they deserve. When space is available, many of these shelters and associated volunteers will pay (from donations and personal couch change) to adopt dogs and cats from the city/county shelters when they are due to be put to sleep (permanently). I call these lifesavers the exonerators.
Fosters and volunteers. Last, but certainly not least, it’s the fosters and volunteers who make everything run, and I mean everything! They are the backbone of shelter operations, stepping in when shelters are overloaded. Fosters take care of rescued animals until they are adopted, with shelters covering food and vet bills. Volunteers handle numerous tasks, including running shelters, managing thrift stores, trapping and transporting animals, organizing adoption events, and more. Their involvement is crucial! The Huntsville thrift store that supported the low cost ($5) spay/neuter assistance program (SNAP) sadly closed its doors due to a lack of volunteers.
Whatever your skills, from nurturing to photography, from social media to calling in a needed rescue, your help is crucial to save our animal friends. More ways to help and support can be found at Walmart’s Spark Good program to round up and donate your spare change to local shelters while shopping. Every little bit adds up!
The most important thing an animal rescuer can do is to support local legislation and laws that enforce spay/neutering and regulate backyard breeding. Animal shelters and rescues are not an effective solution to the issues of stray overpopulation and neglected animals. It’s like bailing out a sinking boat with a cup.
What really needs to happen is policy change at local and state levels — creating and enforcing laws that address the problem ethically. If you would like more information about getting involved in any aspect of this process, reach out to your local non-profit shelter or rescue group.
Julie Bjorland is a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) and has been working alongside Goutam Mukherjee, DVM, MS, Ph.D. (known as Dr. G) for the past 20 years. To suggest a topic for discussion, email [email protected]
