Connie rescued a family of mother-dog and 5 puppies from an industrial site in Bandar Kinrara 6 days ago. She boarded the family at the clinic (at her own cost) and as of now, 2 puppies have already been adopted, all thanks to Lester Hiew’s efforts!
Thank you very much, kind adopters, for giving these puppies a loving home!
If you would like to adopt the other three puppies, please contact Lester Hiew at lesterhth@live.com.
Working together for the animals involves each person taking responsibility for what is agreed upon. In this case, Connie rescued the family herself and she will bear all the costs of boarding and medical treatment for this family while Lester does his best to get the puppies and mother-dog adopted. Should this plan fail, there has to be a back-up as well and in this case, surrendering to a farm or shelter would be the last resort.
When Connie first called me about this family whom she had sighted the night before, we already had Plans A, B, C and D all laid out. Some of the plans are not perfect, but it would just have to do.
Very often, we receive appeals for help for rescued animals, but unless each person plays his/her part and there is an agreement from all parties concern on exactly how much and what he/she can do, a good working relationship cannot be established.
In such cases, we can only help in publicising and if need be, in subsidising the needed medical treatment (but not the boarding). We have no resources for rescue and we don’t do pick-ups because we have no shelter to house the animals. We are not a rescue team and have never claimed to be one. We can only offer our Medical Fund.
And once a working relationship and agreement has been made, we cannot over-emphasise how important it is for each party to honour his/her word. For example, once we agree to subsidise, as long as our policy requirements are met, we will subsidise.
The reason we stopped publicising for fostering is that there had been a few cases of rescuers dumping the animals on the fosterers who responded because of our appeal. When this happens, the problem falls back on us and we are at a loss because we too cannot take over the animal. This is why we only publish for ADOPTION and not fostering.
Working relationships cannot work if each party does not keep his/her word. Not honouring one’s word results in the loss of trust and goodwill.
Rescuers and caregivers also have to be realistic in that besides time, effort and a compassionate heart, animal rescuing and caregiving also requires money. Money is needed for food, medical expenses and boarding (if required). Our role here is limited to only in providing our medical subsidies and shout-outs for help. We also have clear policies that ask for total disclosure and honesty. We are accountable to our donors on how their donations are used, so this is of great importance. There is no “accidental dishonesty”. Dishonesty is intentional. Telling half-truths is intentional. Withholding information is intentional. Not honouring one’s word is also intentional.
We may accidentally step on an insect in the dark or accidentally take something that looks like ours, but we cannot “accidentally” tell lies.
Rescuers and caregivers are also strongly advised to rehome their animals if they wish to continue helping more and if they cannot provide sufficient food, medical treatment, love and care (this includes adequate space) for their animals. And if they fail to rehome them, then they must know when to stop.
We know many rescuers cannot turn a blind eye when they see street animals in need, but unless we have an overflowing of resources, there comes a time when we have to stop and say, “This is as much as I can do.” because when we pick up an animal, it becomes our sole responsibility to take care of that animal. No one is obliged to help us. All help offered is a bonus.
It helps to remember too that we cannot change the world for every animal, but we can change the whole world for that ONE animal whom we save, provide love, care, food, shelter and medical treatment for.
If we can only save ONE, it is still a precious life saved.
Comments
One response to “2 puppies adopted, 3 more to go! (Connie James’ rescue, with Lester Hiew’s help)”
Bless your kind heart Connie for rescuing the mother-dog, her 5 puppies and bearing the costs of boarding and medical treatment for this family yourself.
Bless your kind heart too Lester for working hard to get the puppies and mother-dog adopted.
Sis. Kah Yein, thank you for this write-up on why it is important to be a responsible rescuer. When one fails to be a responsible rescuer, problems compound, lives are affected and goodwill and trust is lost, usually forever.