Animal shelters, we all know what they are and why they are there, right? We all know that the animals live in kennels behind bars and that many of them will never leave, right? So, I tried to bring cameras from the local TV station to the shelter this week for a segment about our shelter. Nothing negative, all positives, about how our shelter has the Kuranda beds so the animals don’t sleep on the cold concrete, we even have a heater inside that helps keep them warm and we tend to entertain the animals with the radio in the background, they seem to favor country music; and we planned to show how people have sponsored our dog runs and how our cats have towels and blankets and treats for all the animals.  All good things…

Our local shelter is nothing like the other shelters I’ve been in around the country. And I’ve been in them on both coasts, east and west and I have to give kudos to our local shelter for their cleanliness. The director of the shelter, however, gave me a firm no about going into the dog run/kennel area with the video cameras. So, what’s the point in the TV crew even coming? Yes, it will pull on heartstrings. Yes, it is sad that the dogs are in the kennels. Yes, some of the wrong type of people may try to say negative things about the shelter and paint us in a bad light. Yes, people generally have a negative perception about animal shelters.
So, how is that going to change?
The only way it can change is if we take steps to show people we are living in a modern society.  We have to make people aware that this, animal shelters,  is still a very big problem.  I know there are lots of problems in the world, and lots of causes.  This is mine.  I  believe 100% that the way to help the animals is by education and awareness of the problem.  We need to spay and neuter our animals, we need to stop supporting pet shops and breeders, and we need punish those who will hurt and neglect animals.  Its not that hard.  But I’m ranting, the issue today is not allowing TV cameras to enter our facility.  Why?  The director believes people won’t like seeing it.  No one likes seeing it, there’s lots of things I don’t like seeing, but that doesn’t stop people from putting it on TV.  And we aren’t even talking about a NEGATIVE  segment.  We ARE talking about showing how nice our shelter is…maybe it will increase volunteers, maybe it will increase adoptions, maybe it will increase awareness.  That’s all I want to do.  Doesn’t seem like much huh?
Everybody knows what the animal shelter is and why we are there, they know the animals live in a kennel type environment. They don’t expect to find dogs frolicing in the daisies being fed bbq ribs from Tony Romas. And I’m not bringing Sarah McLachlan out to sing “In the Arms of the Angel” like the ASPCA commercial. Although I do love Sarah M. and am a member of the ASPCA; I’m not going to do that on TV, mainly because I don’t know Sarah personally.
I know the director feels that he’s doing the right thing in his position and I told him I respect his decision and understand it, but that I wholeheartedly don’t agree with him.   And I do respect it, understand it may be stretching it a bit, because I don’t fully understand why we can’t show the kennels on TV, but I will respect his decision and continue to support him and the shelter. Agree with them, absolutely not. Not when countless other shelters and TV stations have been allowed to show the world inside an animal shelter. The animals are not prisoners, they did nothing to deserve to be there, they just want love and attention and help! I was really upset by all this today. I try really hard to do everything I can, to help as often as I can, and do as much as I can for the animals at the shelter and then I get stopped from helping for, in my eyes, no good reason.

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.  And now for some quotes to fit the mood…

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.  ~Dr. Seuss

Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

And most appropriately…

Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.  ~Albert Schweitzer