Confessions of a Rescue Addict

By Georgia Cameron

I admit it. I have a problem. When I look into the eyes of a dog or cat on death row, or one that happens to wind up at my back door looking for food, I can’t help but get involved. There’s an intrinsic high you get when you save something that is near death, and seeing them off to their new homes with people that love and cherish them makes me feel like a super hero. I can’t imagine a drug that feels this good; on every level I am tingling with master-of-the-universe like power. I just saved a life.

After several years of near bankruptcy because of my condition, a few girlfriends and I pitched together and started what was supposed to be a tax umbrella and a little help for the vet care we put into our strays. Within three years we had grown to a point that was beyond a combined addiction – it was sheer insanity. With only 6 real volunteers and 4 foster homes, we managed to save over 220 animals in 2009. Of that number, more than ¾ had been marked for euthanasia at municipal shelters either because of space constraints or because they had failed behavioral tests. What makes our rescue different is that one of our founders is a professional dog trainer; we combine training into every single aspect of the rescue experience. Our dogs are rehabilitated from the ground up, and where once stood a terrified Chihuahua that would try and bite is now a happy family dog that enjoys hugs from children.

There are varying levels of rescue addiction. Some people watch Craigslist; others forward emails, some occasionally foster. Then there are the full blown addicts who are just crazy enough to try and start an actual organization dedicated to saving these animals. You are in a whole new territory when people are contacting you directly to save a dog they saw tied to a stop sign – and you actually go pick it up.

There is a lot of learning when you first start a rescue. Effectively filing your 501 application is no small feat, and finding ways to raise funds and stick to a budget is just as difficult. You will fight amongst yourselves, but in the end you’ll realize it takes the group effort to make a true rescue succeed, not just one individual.

Your personal life will suffer. Only a compassionate partner will understand when you have to skip a romantic dinner date so you can crawl through the mud, trapping kittens under an abandoned house that’s about to be torn down. You will reach points of sheer exhaustion, but you somehow manage to carry on (although not always coherently).

You will spar with your supporters. Some think you are miracle workers, others see you as paper pushers who just make the process more difficult with reference checks and adoption fees. You will quickly realize who your true friends are – the ones that will listen to your crazy stories and let you cry on their shoulder when you have a melt down. They also forward your frantic emails looking for homes when you get in 5 death-row dogs in one day, and somehow also managed to find a stray on the side of the road.

Your outer self may seem more tired, more world weary, and more jaded. You’ll have scars from bites, scratches and random accidents, and you’ll get more than one tetanus shot. Like a used car salesman you will start plugging your adoptable animals to everyone you know or meet. Yet the biggest change will come from within.

Your inner self, the one you know so intimately and can count on to act rationally, becomes like a lightning rod and occasionally a stranger. You will begin to feel the power of the universe as it moves through you, putting you in places at times that can’t be coincidence. You experience miracles that take your breath away. You will do things that sane people would walk away from, but you somehow embrace with the passion of a person who can see the difference they are making in the world.

In a short amount of time, you will become as one who does not feel complete if they aren’t juggling 20 balls at once. The people at PetSmart will know you by name, and your friends will begin to include veterinarians, animal control officers, and those similarly afflicted. You will love and hate the animals you save. You will fall to your knees in near ecstasy when that black mutt that’s been in your program for nearly a year smiles at you as he’s walked out the door by his new owners. You will cry when the dog that was dumped at the kill shelter for having cancer loses her battle, asleep on your bed. But you will thank the powers that be that you get to participate in this crazy ride that is animal rescue, and feel blessed for the ups and downs that now mark your life.

I am a rescue addict, and I am proud to admit it. In fact, it’s the thing I am most proud of about my life. It makes me whole just as it tears me apart. My inner-me has never been so lovely, just as my outer me has never had such a messy house or so many scars. But to save the life of a deserving animal, and give it a second chance, is the greatest accomplishment I can ever claim.

My name is Georgia Cameron, and I am the Vice President of a no-kill, non-breed specific animal rescue in Denver, Colorado. What started on a whim has turned into a full-time job and hobby. Check out NSC Rescue to learn about our organization and find out how you can get involved.

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