How getting spayed saved Lola

On countless occasions, in many setting, I have advocated for the importance of spay and neuter efforts. Yes, I am also the person who wears a T-shirt that says "I'm into S&N" and is a very fun conversation starter. TNR (trap-neuter(spay)-return) is hands down the absolutely best way to regulate the population of homeless animals. One single street cat can over the years give birth to many, many kittens who will in turn face illness, hunger, cold, and abuse. The kittens who survive to an old enough age to reproduce will continue the cycle. Into perpetuity.

Animal Aid International regularly raises funds for spay and neuter efforts. During our latest round of spays, we came across Lola - a kitty whose own life was saved quite directly and unexpectedly by being trapped and spayed.

Lola was homeless on the streets of Bulgaria. Maybe she was born homeless, maybe she was dumped. We would never know. A kind person trapped Lola and took her in to get spayed as part of AAI's Winter 2016 campaign. The procedure started as usual. Except that when the vet made an incision, he came across something unexpected - Lola had a severe infection of the uterus! Being homeless, nobody noticed the poor kitty was suffering and was likely having symptoms for a while. Lola's illness was so advanced, that the vet estimated she would have died within a week! Our spay campaign afforded Lola the lucky, life-saving attention which every kitty deserves but only few will get. The vet performed full surgery to remove the badly ill uterus and the rescuers took Lola into a foster home and will find her a forever family instead of returning her to the streets - this particular sweetheart has suffered enough!

By donating to spay and neuter, YOU can make a life-saving difference. Choose to help a homeless soul, you may be the only one who does.

AAI's current spay campaign fundraiser can be found here

It may not be easy, but it will be worth it

 

Rescue work is hard. It is inconvenient in more ways than I can count.

 

Pulling over on the side of the road to help a lost animal has more than once resulted in work clothes needing to be dry cleaned or a car that smells like a wet and dirty dog for a few days. But doing laundry can't in any way compare with the amazing feeling of seeing that dog furiously wag his tail upon seeing the owner from whom he was separated.

 

I like sleep (I know, shocking, right?!). Like any one of you, I enjoy waking up when my alarm goes off and not a minute earlier, leisurely drinking my coffee, and getting ready for work. Instead, I wake up when I'm needed. My foster cat is on multiple medications due to his cancer diagnosis. So I allow time to prep and administer medications starting at 4:30 am, and clean the litter box which he can't help but make a giant mess of. Every single day. And yes, there are enough times when I have woken up at 2 am to take a very old dog to pee. Because he can't help that with old age comes poorer bladder control. I partly jokingly say that I will never sleep through the night again. And this may very well turn out to be my reality. But fostering allows me to give love and hope to those who need it most. And that is worth every lost minute of sleep.

 

Before every new case AAI takes on for fundraising, I ask myself if we can do it. After all, donations have been slow. And animals in need abound. Will the donors be touched by this particular animal's story? Before every animal I have adopted or fostered, I have asked myself if I can do it. Do I have the time, can I face the good bye (for fosters and hospice cases), won't it be hard to fit the new addition in my already busy household and schedule. And the answer is usually: heck yeah, it won't be easy. But immediately following that my heart reminds me that it will be worth it. The warm your entire being and give you invaluable memories kind of worth it.

 

So on those extra challenging days, that make me question everything, I have 3 answers that work for me time after time. Have another cup of coffee. Put on my adorable customer bracelet (photo above). And allow myself to rejoice in the purrs, wags, and love of those to whom I am making a difference. I assure you it won't be easy. But also that it will be worth it. Don't trust my word, though. Give rescue a try. You will be hooked before you know it!

Perspective

It's a new year and a new opportunity to raise funds and awareness for animals in need! This year, our resolution is to always maintain perspective. Allow me to explain what I mean by that.

The last post on this blog was from early February 2015. Almost a year ago. Around that time I got discouraged at the rate that AAI was making progress and felt my efforts were making so much less of a difference than the previous year. I lost perspective. And yet at year close, AAI stats spoke loud and clear - even during the very slow 2015 we had helped 302 animals in need! That's almost one a day! Not bad for a tiny volunteer-run organization! And all thanks to our donors. Perspective re-established.

I also recently chose to make a donation which touched me in a particularly unique way (aside from volunteering my time for AAI, I also volunteer for other causes and make modest donations, given my means, to animal charities). The donation was a modest amount I contributed to the very small volunteer-run rescue group AAI helps in Romania - RescueMe Romania. I chose to give money for the building of better shelter for 4 sweet dogs who live at a Romanian cemetery. You see, the rescue group is badly short of foster homes. Some of the animals they help, the rescuers visit at their pre-existing locations and provide with food, medication, and basic living conditions. The cemetery keepers were kind enough (not always the case) to allow the rescuers to visit and help the dogs and to bring them small houses filled with straw. Unfortunately, the roofs of the dog houses were not keeping the water out during heavy rain so a sturdier roof was needed. And so I helped with the purchase of materials. The end result is below.

Nothing very complex but enough to help the pups survive. And this the rescuers counted as success, as a potentially life- and health-preserving improvement. Until adoptive homes are found. Once again came time for perspective. I may have little to give. The end result of my contribution may not be glamorous at all. But it is the source of comfort and safety when those are desperately needed.

You too can make a difference. Donating a small amount can have a big impact. Join us this year in maintaining perspective about the countless ways in which each of us can better the world. And visit our Facebook page for the next story of an animal in need: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAidIntl/