Post #14 - A Rescue Story: Voice of an Animal Control Officer

**Editor's Note: This blog was written by the Angel Animal Control Officer, Angie, who originally came to these dogs' rescue.

Today started out like every other day of the last few months at the kennel where the “Fabulous Five” are currently living.  There I was, feeding, cleaning and medicating the dogs. Making sure their runs were clean, making sure the water was fresh and trying to give each of these special souls enough attention to get them through the day while they are alone. None of this is new, as it has become my routine in the months that I have been caring for these sweet dogs.  But yet, today I did something that I had never thought of doing before. 

Buster gets an idea!

I was sitting down brushing Buster when he looked up at me with an intense stare that made me feel like he was trying to speak to me.  Buster has this effect on me – he is so strong and seems to know all the secrets that have gone on within the 4 walls of the kennel. But today, rather than look at me with sadness or seriousness, he seemed to have a mischievous glint to his eyes. It was infectious! I felt like I knew EXACTLY what he had in mind! 

Kennel with ribbons and pictures

So I stood up, walked to his kennel door and promptly yanked off one of the myriad of championship ribbons that covered his kennel door…. and threw it in an empty box. Then I yanked off another one…and another one!  This felt good, and Buster seemed to be smiling in approval.  

Close up of awards

So…one by one Buster and I removed every ribbon, every plaque and each trophy from around the kennel.  After all, what had these prizes brought the dogs? Certainly not the companionship of a family, or a happy, safe retirement, or even a soft bed to lay on. I am sure that these items represented something good to the former owner. But to me, the person who came in and cared for the dogs LONG after they had been forgotten by their owner, they were nothing more than eye sores...not to mention the fact that poor Buster couldn’t even see out the door of his kennel because it was littered with so many ribbons and pictures! Somehow though, taking down the ribbons and trophies wasn’t quite good enough for Buster and I.  So, we got another box and began to fill it with every single photograph of every single dog show result that was plastered to the walls of the kennel. These pictures didn’t show dogs being loved, or patted or cared for. They showed dogs in artificially stances, staring blankly ahead…kind of like the way the dogs used to look before they came to know what true human companionship and love were all about.

The past, packed up.

So now…the kennel walls are bare!  No longer will these dogs (or I) be forced to look at these reminders of their past!  Soon, they will all leave this place forever and begin to replace the sadness and isolation of this place with the happiness of loving foster homes and new experiences.  Eventually the memories of this dark, dusty old place will disappear forever and be replaced with memories of days spent outside with their humans, long walks and nights laying by their human’s side!   I cannot change their past, and sadly Diesel and Susann never left here in the way that I had hoped.  But in their memory, and with love for them, I removed every shred of evidence of the past they endured for far too long!

My final act of the day was to rescue “Jaz”.  There was a dusty urn of dog ashes on a shelf with a nameplate that stated “Jaz”.  There was a note taped to it stating that this dog died in 2009 at the age of 12 ½.  I decided that she too deserved to be rescued.  At least Diesel and Susann got to know love before they crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  This dog lived and died here – we have no idea what her life inside this kennel was like.  So, in an act of love for all dogs that never know love and the security of a family and a real home…I dusted off the urn and carried Jaz home.  Today, her ashes sit on my mantle. As soon as I am able, I will scatter her ashes on top of the highest mountain that I can find… right along with Diesel and Susann.  I hope that they, just like all the rest, never look back.