Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Free Shot Fair: Mission Possible!
We did it, and we did it with integrity! I want to thank everyone who participated in the March 29 Shot Fair at Ira Jenkins Park. These events connect us to the communities we serve in a way that nothing else does. We devote our time to offer a valuable service, we invest our heart and soul, and we take our experiences back with us—some good, some bad, some inspiring, and some that make us loose sleep at night. It is grass roots work in raw form. It is in these communities that our mission takes root, and where the seeds sprout with our efforts to create a more conscious environment for the welfare of companion animals.The folks who help with these events are making an impact that extends beyond the boundaries of the park, and even the neighborhood. We are raising awareness, and that awareness will eventually put an end to animal suffering. We may not see it come full circle in our lifetime, but I have seen it extend beyond my imagination in the short period of time I have existed on this planet. It is true that we must act local and think global, because it is with that approach that we prevent burn out and defeat.
Sometimes I lay awake at night and think of the insurmountable amount of suffering humans have inflicted on innocent creatures, and in those moments I feel like I’ve undertaken an impossible mission. And then I think about the time that I was finally able to convince my neighbor to stop tethering his dog after five years of an imprisoned existence. I think about Bart surviving a cruel beginning, and finding a home where he is deeply loved. I think about all the effort our CA’s put into teaching dogs to trust that humans will treat them with kindness. We are doing right by animals, and we are doing right by people. When you do work that is based on kindness and respect, you are essentially healing the planet. You may not recycle all the time, and you may eat McDonald’s, but you are changing people’s minds about the way they treat their animals.
