08/10/2024
When you see the sweetness combined with being scared and trying to be brave - it pushes a flood of emotions forward.
Here is our little 15 yo man Willie Wonka leaving the shelter and heading for our Vet Clinic.
Less than 10 days ago he was living with his mum. I can't forget that. He has lost her, and his family. I don't think we can underestimate his fear - being elderly - and so vulnerable.
The raging fury side of me says, "Well I bet the family are happy to accept all the money coming from her house when it sells. But they couldn't care for her beloved companion - tossing him aside like a piece of unwanted trash." Not that I know their circumstances.....
The number of times we see this is astonishing. As a nation of animal lovers here in Australia - you peel that layer back and it is festering with (I hope it's okay if I say this) parasitic family behaviour.
I don't think of RWL as cleaning up someone else's mess. I prefer to think of us as a safety net - a village of people who care - and will help these vulnerable ones to a safer loving future than what their family left them to face.
I don't care about the ex family - not one bit. They have shown their true colours - and quite frankly they are tarnished and torn - and the one act of disposing of their mother's pet in such a callous and thoughtless way - shows they are not worth any of our time.
Willie Wonka is best off with us anyway.
Looking at his little face makes me very emotional, after all these years. Mum Joanna who has kindly driven to the shelter to collect him - said he is super sweet and very scared.
We sit helplessly while he experiences these feelings. It's repeatedly heartbreaking in Rescue as rescuers all know.
We know he will be treated and cared for - but he does not. And he will go through more anxiety over the next week as we do vet visits, possible surgeries and tries to figure out the new people in his life who are going to show him kindness.
They are strangers to him. He will be grateful, and show that - but the impact on an older dog, grieving for his original mum honestly makes my heart feel like lead.
I know we do many of these, all Rescues do. Perhaps I'm a bit tired, as we all are, and it's getting to me today.
I hope his Mum is looking down from heaven on him, happy that he is going to be okay. Maybe she thought he would be with her family, which turned out to not be the case.
I feel all jumbled on the subject. Instead of breezing past 'he's out of the shelter, he will be okay and in his new home tonight' there are pauses where we should recognize the significance of the behaviour of people who do this.
It is common.
It doesn't say much about us as a society does it, really.
