Friday, December 2, 2011

In praise of walking the walk ....

I love going to the base library!   What's not to love?  My Friday afternoon visits are a lovely way to wrap up the rhythm of my week.   Even better, even with the controversial (if you can imagine :) new five dollar annual membership ... I still think of libraries as one of the best free bits around.  Not even Netflix offers movies for free, eh?   Best of all of course is the ability to broaden one's horizons by testing the waters with new authors and subject material!
Does that mean I am going to read everything in there?  Of course not!  I have a special fondness for nail biting suspense and an enduring affection for tales of redemption that easily overrides the dubious charms of bodice rippers and anything by L Ron Hubley.
For all of this autumn, I have been following a new blog that has been journalling the story of one dog's redemption.    Right from the start it was a nail biter.  
The tale began at the (then) Cape Breton SPCA, where a purebred wheaton had been surrendered by his owners for behavior issues.  The breeder ... for one reason or another ... was either unwilling or unable to take back the dog.
He had captured the heart of the volunteers there, who were pulling out all the stops to save this dog's life.   (Sheesh ... there go those darned volunteers helping the animals again, eh? )
He almost did not get out the door ... even though there was a rescue waiting in the wings.   Almost.
He was deemed to be untreatable.   He had been prepped to be killed ... but for one reason or another was never given the final injection.
So he did make it out the door and into the safe shelter with his foster Mum at Atlantic Small Dog RescueSince then she has been sharing his story on Jamie's Journey ... complete with all the challenges along the way!
Why is she doing this?   Are people not lining up to adopt adorable purebreds?  Well ...  Jamie is not, in her words, a push button dog.   It is going to take time to undo all the results of having been raised in inexperienced hands.   
But ... as I am always saying, Jamie's foster Mum knows that there really is somebody for everyone.   As hard as it is for her and I to imagine, there is actually a whole world of great pet owners who only ever have ONE pet at a time!
So she blogs about Jamie's Journey because she knows that the whole world doesn't have to read the blog .... all she needs to do is connect with that one kindred (dog experienced) spirit:)
Jamie is a very special dog   He has assumed 'big brother' duties for his foster Mum's elderly half deaf and half blind poodle!    He stands watch whenever Benny goes out and will stay out to shepherd him as long as needs be:)
Jamie is a very lucky dog!  In a shelter that was only paying lip service to No Kill .... without those darned compassionate volunteers who stepped up when Jamie was knocking on heavens door ... Jamie would not have lived to have his foster Mum tell the tale.
What time is it?   It is always time to salute the simple fact that there is enough local volunteer heart to create better outcomes for  the animals in Cape Breton.   That there is enough rescue heart willing to step up and redefine healthy and treatable.
There is enough love .... waiting the wings to walk the walk instead of the 'old guard' who were simply talking the talk
And that is how I see it, on Friday, December 2nd ... the SIXTEENTH day since the dismissed shelter manager and the disbanded board created the renegade shelter.








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