The Animal Rescue Site sells a T-shirt with this cartoon on the front of it. I laughed hard the first time I saw it—the night after my orientation at a local animal shelter.Yes, my application was accepted, I passed the phone-screening interview, and sat through a lengthy dos-and-don’ts presentation about how to be a high-achieving volunteer.
On the tour of the facility, I couldn’t help but notice the histories of the caged animals. In addition to those who were surrendered because a household member had become allergic to them, others were there for these “reasons”:
Guardian has a new baby
Guardian has a new boyfriend/girlfriend
Guardian says the cat/dog can’t be trained
Animal doesn’t mesh with guardian’s lifestyle
I’ve tucked this little cartoon into my brain to steel myself for working at the shelter. Imagining a world where adults honor their commitment to the animals they safeguard calms me.
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