The Summertime Blues

The other day I saw a stretch limo gliding past .... and out in this neck of the woods that usually means that its Prom night.  My human child is 32, so I'm rather out of touch with the school calendar ... but that would mean that either today or tomorrow will be the last official day of school.
No matter what the calendar says, for most Canadians the end of the school year represents the real start of summer.  Schools out means that families are at liberty to take a trip, go to the cottage or head home to reconnect with their roots. 
Gosh, if it wasn't for the bugs, it would be the very best time of the year.  Unless of course, one is trying to juggle twelve dogs into every one rescue slot.   Not everyone 'going down the road' is planning on bringing their pets .. and rescues are often overwhelmed with intake just as they are headed into the summer adoption slowdown.
And so ... with apologies to James Halliwell, I offer you this tongue and cheek salute to all my friends who work front line animal rescue
On the twelfth day of summer, my voice mail had for me:
Twelve "but we're moving"s,
Eleven "Easter bunnies"
Ten "large dogs leaping"
Nine  "going camping"s
Eight  "toms a spraying"
Seven  "loose and running"s
Six  "litters coming"
Five  "intact males"
Four  "barking dogs"
Three "new jobs"
Two  "ruined rugs"
and one that "was really the kid's" 
Think I'm exaggerating?   On any given Monday, my good friend Annette who with ARC is used to being busy with calls and emails about animals ... but now that schools out the flood gates have opened.  Before nine o'clock this morning, she had taken in a seven month old pup, a 2 year old Boston, a 1 year old terrier, a 7 year old Cocker, a 4 year old mutt and a 3 year old Boxer. 
Factor in that ARC is only one of the rescues and shelters in this province on top of that and suddenly the idea of 78 pets being surrendered around the province today doesn't look quite so ridiculous, eh?
Odds are actually pretty good that number is actually only the tip of the iceberg.
What time is it?  Until that day when it is socially unacceptable to abandon a pet because one is moving / going on vacation / the new boyfriend wants a bigger dog / etc ... until that day ... summer is a very good time for anyone to step up to plate by fostering, adopting or just plain spreading the good word about the joys of adopting a rescued pet.