The question of taking responsibility

Ref: http://animalcare.my/2011/06/money-is-yours-but-resources-belong-to.html


I have posted this article (above) before, but today seems a good time to re-post it again, especially in light of my conversation recently with a very skilful and compassionate vet in the Klang Valley.


I spoke to this vet and asked if he would consider offering a rescue rate for spay-neuter so that we could provide a panel vet in his area. I like his style because he would not give up easily on any animal and suggest euthanasia, so I was really hoping he could be our panel vet.  


Unfortunately, he told me he used to provide assistance to many rescuers but not anymore now. I asked him why.


He explained that, as with some other vets, he too is “afraid” of rescuers. He says too many have taken advantage of his generosity; they do not pay the bills claiming that they have no money because they do so much rescue work, they do not pick up their animals and end up boarding the animals for heaven-knows-how-long, taking up space for other sick animals and on top of that, they demand for a rescue rate.  


Because of too many of such bad experiences, he no longer offers a rescue rate now.  


I can absolutely understand his predicament as even in our brief 2 years of offering financial assistance to rescuers, we too have encountered very demanding and irresponsible rescuers.  Fortunately, this brand of rescuers is now fast becoming a rare breed, or is it because we are fortunate enough NOT to meet up with them?  


The Law of Attraction at work?  


So, when it comes to the question of prolonged boarding for animals who do not need it anymore, it all boils down to this: Some people claim that they pay and therefore they are entitled to the boarding. Vets have told me that they have had to turn away sick animals because other animals (who do not require boarding anymore) are still taking up space at their clinics. Some of these animals are perfectly healthy, yet their rescuers are boarding them at the clinic.  


Let’s put this in perspective now: We are sick and we cannot get a room at the hospital because someone else (who is already well) is staying on and taking up the space at the hospital just because he is paying. How does that feel?   


Is life all about money, ie. I pay therefore I get?  


The article above, “The money is yours but the resources belong to the society” is so apt. It tells of this bunch of Malaysian yuppies who went to Germany and ordered a large amount of food at a restaurant. They could not finish, but they paid the bill. A elderly lady reprimanded them for wasting food, but they couldn’t be bothered. So the little old lady called the Social Security, their officers turned up and the Malaysians were imposed a 50 Mark fine and further reprimanded. Serves them right, I say.     


A really good story, especially for wasteful people and those who demand for things just because they pay.  


Money talks? Nope, not always. 


Ultimately, one’s superiority is not measured by how much we have, but how much we are worth, and how much we are worth is sometimes measured by how considerate and compassionate we are.  


I read from somewhere that we will know how much we are really worth when we lose all our money and assets. What would we have left then? Our values, our virtues and our ability to work and put in effort.  


So we come back to the issue of what to do if our rescued animal is already well, but we simply cannot find a home or fosterer for him/her? 


In the past, I’ve had to personally foster Joanie because her rescuer dumped her on me and refused to look after her after she was fit for discharge. I had to get a friend to provide a space for Wendy because it was near Chinese New Year and the vet needed the space for the boarding of pets. I had to get my mother to foster Sean, Tara (both rehomed now) and recently, Karuna. Karuna was not even our rescue. 


Or, one could consider boarding houses instead of clinics. Some clinics have boarding houses, too, but the rates are different, of course. I know of two such clinics – one in Puchong and another in USJ. I’m sure there are others as well.   


For example, Mei Leng is boarding Jenny (the tripod) at a boarding house in Puchong.  


The bottom line is, we have to take responsibility and not push the responsibility to others (in this case, the vets) just because we are willing to pay. It isn’t about money alone. It is also about taking responsibility and being considerate.  


The next question is picking up animals from the street and not taking responsibility for them after that. Many rescuers tell me, “But I cannot turn a blind eye, can I?”. Of course you can’t, but then, why are you turning a blind eye after that and dumping the animal on the vet, or on someone else? Not turning a blind eye means doing it all the way for the animal, and not stopping halfway and expecting someone else to follow up.


I remember when we were called to pick up Joanie, her feeder was just standing by the roadside and pointing her out to us. Joanie was ice-cold and dying. The feeder never visited Joanie while Joanie was warded and fighting for her life. I called to give her updates. She never called me though she has a handphone. And she is a well-known dog-feeder in her vicinity who receives much support.  She also did not offer to pay a single cent for Joanie’s treatment. We paid the bill in full and I ended up fostering Joanie.       


So even though we do not have a plan all laid out, there must at least be some efforts made at looking for contingency plans, be it financial or caregiving. 


The keyword here is EFFORT.  


People are always more willing to help if we know efforts have been made by the rescuer as well. A rescuer is not just someone who picks up an animal from the street. It does not stop there. It is about caring for the animal all the way and this includes making the effort to do it in a responsible manner.