A Bit Of This N That

“Throwaway Pooches & Other Pets”
- Rev. Don Schink, author

We live in a throwaway society. Don’t believe me? Just look at any street, pathway or trail and you’ll see what I mean. There’s a constant barrage of soda cans, candy wrappers, tires, appliances, old cars, and other items too numerous to mention! But then you already know that. I just hope that you are not one who participates to the extent that some do. No, not you!

Yes, we live in a throwaway society. But do we have to throw away our loyal, faithful, loving pets? What’s up with that? What about the guy who loads his pets into his car and drives out into the countryside, seeks out a remote location where he won’t be identified dropping them off, and then opens the door of his vehicles, gives them a shove and drives off? Now, you really wouldn’t do that, would you? Can I give you, as my reader, benefit of the doubt on this one? Maybe. Maybe not.

My family and I have found a new love in our lives. It’s animal rescue. Now we realize that we can’t save the whole world. As a bi-vocational pastor, I know that all too well in dealing with spiritual issues. However, we can make a dent in it. We do. It is fulfilling and fun. It is also sad and heart breaking.

I guess that I come by it naturally enough. As a kid, growing up in the country in the Finger Lakes area of Upstate New York, our family inherited many such pets over the years that people would bring out into the country from the cities, abandoning them to their own survival or demise. They'’ show up at our door, ragged, dirty, matted fur, and very, very hungry. The word must have gotten out in doggyland, as they seemed to know right where to go! There were lots of beagles and other breeds. I remember one that adopted us that we had no idea as to what breed that it was. So we simply nicknamed it “mousehound,” as it looked like a pitiful matted mouse when it first showed up on our property.

I was out in California when I first encountered a Shetland sheepdog, more commonly known of as shelties. A senior couple had the most adorable tri-color sheltie and I fell head-over-heals, so to speak, with that precious little dog. Smart! She was the smartest dog that I’d ever encountered up to that point. I knew immediately that as soon as it was practical that I would have one of these fine animals!

So I was privileged to own several shelties over the years. In fact, they became a joy to not only myself, but also to my whole family, as well as other people who crossed our path and who learned the value of these precious animals. We learned that they are very intelligent and easy to train. In fact, while I was pastoring at Watkins Glen, New York, my family became involved in 4-H obedience training. It was great for the kids and I enjoyed it as much as the kids did.

Now you should be able to ascertain that I really love and appreciate these fine animals, as many others feel about their own pets and various breeds of dogs, cats, horses, etc. I love them as much as anything the Lord has allowed to be a part of my heart and my life. You do understand that, I trust. So, why would anyone want to mistreat or abandon such precious pets? As time has gone on I have discovered what I have always suspected. That is, this has been a major problem for many years, of such proportion that it is almost unbelievable! It’s true.

I want to express appreciation to the untold numbers of organizations and individuals who reach out daily to rescue these helpless, unloved, mistreated and abandoned animals. My family has a special love for shelties and we have to stick with sheltie rescue. It isn’t that we care less for other breeds. It is just that the need is so great that we decided to stick with the ones that we already love and that we seem to be most familiar with.

Animal rescue takes on many faces. There is honestly more to say than can be written in this article. What grips the heart of a rescue person? It’s the collie that I saw on an Interstate that had been abandoned and hit by a car, still alive, frightened, snapping at the tires of hundreds of cars, in total confusion as to where the poor thing found itself. It is the frightened little sheltie who was so distrustful when she came to us that she snapped at all who reached out to her. It took time and lots of love, but she finally responded to our continual and loving outreach. It is the senior sheltie who came to us with tumors and other ailments from years of neglect and poor diet and care. The last two-and-a-half years of her life were by far the best that she’s ever had. It’s the dog who was raised in a puppy mill, simply for continual breeding. And the list goes on and on.

Rescue groups and individuals take these ones in, normally absorbing the cost of medical care and all that goes with nurturing them back to health and guiding them to the point where they can be passed on to loving homes who will care for them and keep them in what we call their new forever homes.