Naughty or Nice?

Naughty or Nice?

If there was a naughty or nice list (for adults!), the nice list would feature alot of names from the rescue world we have become accustomed to. In some of their cases there should probably be a ‘too nice for their own good!’ list too. You see, some really are; others have really healthy boundaries ensuring they stay ‘just nice’, and some actually probably verge between the naughty and the nice list. But that’s for another day!
I know many rescuers who would like to go back to just volunteering whenever suits or fostering the odd cat, dog or pony. Some would like to just go back to their lives as planned with their own animals and spend spare time with loved ones. Some would like to take a shower without having numerous curious kittens looking on and some would like to look in their shopping basket and see a few items for themselves and not have to explain to the person on the till that ‘no, I don’t have a fetish for sardines!’ But they don’t and they can’t. Their selflessness outweighs the need to retrieve their old lives back. Lives on pause for now or forever. Because Ireland has an animal welfare crisis and the only people on the frontline are mainly volunteers.
The lack of basic humanity has thrown some rescuers ‘to the lions!’ A simple example is the unneutered family cat – well, that results in a lot of kittens born because one cat wasn’t neutered! Someone has to intervene. Of course it’s easier to neuter one cat compared to all the ones that will be born as a result of ordinary Joe ‘I don’t care’ Soap. And what about all the dogs in the pound that rescues have to make room for every week. Most of these are surrenders and strays. Probably coming from the same context: someone, somewhere,didn’t care enough for them to not give up on them. And then, what about our chronic equine crisis. When owners won’t feed them, it is left to someone else to or rescue them, in the absense of enforced animal welfare legislation. So yes, it would be nice for rescuers to just be plain old naughty sometimes but with Joe ‘I couldn’t give a hoot’ Soap and a Minister for Agriculture who has apathy pumping through his body – they are going nowhere from that list (unless you count the Robin Hood style of helping). But we will say no more on that.
Yes, those who abuse or neglect their animals can turn us into ordinary but decent criminals, or just burnt out human beings, that deserve the odd small miracle if it’s going.
And if miracles, like the kind in ‘It’s a wonderful life’ existed, I know of a few rescues and rescuers this Christmas, who could do with an angel or two trying to gain their wings to appear! He would be worthy of many wings if he sorted their woes.
Life just isn’t fair sometimes… just because you do so much good, does not guarantee pots of good fortune. But maybe in this world we collect the ‘I did good’ tokens for wherever we are heading after this.
So, this Christmas I’m praying and hoping for miracles for the following:
The rescuers crippled with vet bills. The rescuer who badly needs to see a dentist but she has rescued too many cats with serious dental issues who nobody else would take on. One already has a gummy but a pain free life. She is panadol’s best customer. I’m praying for the lady who is trying to buy the roof over her rescues’ heads and finally I’m praying for the rescuer who for too long tried to save and feed too many (in the absense of help from those paid to help!) that she is now losing her house. Yes, it’s hard to say no; lives depend on personal sacrifices. Ask any rescuer that. So let’s all hope it will be a wonderful life for all these people in 2020.
We can always hope that in 2020 so much of this hard, soul destroying, heartbreaking but rewarding work won’t be left up to the same usual suspects. Many hands do make less work.
Finally, we hope that Minister Creed doesn’t find himself overlooking a mare lying in muck, unable to get up to nurse her baby foal. Or maybe we should hope he will find himself facing such suffering, or we could hope that he will go visit a rescue to see first-hand the consequences of his own legislation when it’s not enforced. Afterall, sometimes the only way for some people to become empathetic about something is when they experience the tragedy for themselves.

Happy Meaningful Christmas & Here’s Hoping for a better year for all animals in 2020!

Please keep sharing this blog next year x