I’m sitting here remembering a day when my husband and I pulled up in our truck and parked in front of a retail store. Out of the corner of my eye I saw this dog dart across the street, in front of traffic, followed by his owner, running and shouting and waving his arms. The dog was romping and I swear he was smiling and he would slow down a little, just enough to give his owner the false hope that he might catch him, and then off he’d go in another direction.
This dog actually darted across the street twice, giving me great fear that we would witness a tragedy, but I knew that jumping out of the truck and giving chase would make matters worse, not better. Another well-intended store patron actually did just that, believing that the two of them could corner Sparky.
When the dog came back into the parking lot where we were sitting, I opened my door, said “Wanna go for a ride?” and the dog jumped in my lap, and sat there until his owner walked up, panting, sweating, and apologizing that his dog jumped on me. No, the dog didn’t jump on me, I caught your dog, you silly man. Don’t you know THAT is how you catch a dog.
Sometimes that’s what we need to do in general. Instead of getting all out of breath and endangering ourselves and others in a pursuit, sometimes we need to sit back patiently and say “Wanna go for a ride?” and see who hops in.
That’s my philosophy when it comes to animal welfare work. You can’t chase people and force them to become involved in volunteering, rescue, board work, fundraisers. You open the door, invite them to come along for the ride, and those who do are “caught,” because once you jump in, you realize how rewarding the work is and how much fun you are having along the way.
I would like to invite you to go for a ride with us. Right now Houlton Humane is gearing up for the trade fair event. We have volunteers to work the booth so we are not asking for your time, but we would really like to offer some treats to sell at the table, to go along with the educational materials we will be sharing — I thought perhaps baked beans and potato salad, containers of chili, bread, a Saturday night meal that folks could take home with them when they leave the fair. Or maybe you are an expert mitten knitter, or an artist, or you make the best cupcakes in town. Would you consider donating something for the event?
Just so we know who jumped in the vehicle with us, could you call the shelter at 532-2862 and let them know what you can donate? We’ll let you know when and where to drop it off.
Currently we are raising funds to help pay for furnace repairs, a large and unexpected expense that caught us off guard. These bills are on top of the routine bills, oil, insurance, payroll, veterinary, cleaning supplies, food, phone, and the list goes on. It costs an average of $2,400 a week to run the shelter assuming no emergencies; then when the furnace goes, it’s a scramble to cover the extra expense.
Your loaf of bread or crock of chili makes the difference in the lives of these animals and we appreciate you coming with us on this ride. Have an awesome week.
