What if you had three months to live...any way you wanted. Would you travel to far countries on someone else's dime, traversing thousands of carbon-bigger-footprint miles just to find yourself? Or would you give more to your community, find an outlet for that passion that's been smoldering inside, and get more out of the life right in front of you? This is the first official Friday of my Leave of Absence (Future Leave) and volunteering at the local animal shelter, halfway Home Pet Adoptions (http://halfwayhomepets.com/).
I've always loved animals, especially dogs, and when on the road I craved Denali my yellow Labrador more than any other comfort. So with full energy to 'change the world' I've started a three month journey to find out if volunteering is really what I've always thought it would be, and if I really could change my world, one dog at a time. This week I can say it's definitely not been the 'Marley and Me' experience I was hoping for, but more akin to Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle.' Not as bad, but worse than I feared. The first organization I contacted to volunteer actually has a waiting list, and I've still not been to the orientation yet. They are a pleasant facility with a no-kill policy, meaning they only euthanize in the case of an animal with temperment issues that may cause issues for public health, or if the animals own poor health would make euthanisia a more humane alternative. But the second organization, Halfway Home Pet Adoptions, had no list because they have few volunteers. This shelter receives over 640 animals PER WEEK, which is far beyond their capacity. They are a high-kill shelter, with most the animals only receiving 5 days opportunity to be adopted. They have to be this way because they are part of Kansas City's works department and they cannot turn away any animals received. This means, they have to make room for others to come through, and room for others to get a small chance, then be humanely put down. This is the toughest place to volunteer, but the one that needs help more than all the rest.
I've started by learning their systems and practices (Supply Chain Engineering and Business Processes), and spent the greater part of my days walking and talking to dogs. When you enter a shelter, especially one such as this that does not refuse any animals, charge a surrender fee, or ask people surrendering animals to wait for openings, you'll likely be shocked by the conditions, as I was. The smell, the noise, the utter despair and hope in each animals eyes may at first energize you to take charge that day. But the next day, when you see new eyes staring back at you, it will also cause you to pause for a great long time at how anyone can help an issue as seemingly insurmountable as pet overpopulation.
Nearly all the dogs I walked these first few days are unaltered, meaning they were either homeless and never given proper veterinary treatment, or they were never spayed or neutered by their uneducated owners. Maybe the owners weren't stupid, but you have to believe they were completely unaware of consequences of NOT spaying or neutering a dog; they end up here.
So this is the beginning of a 3 month journey to live, any way I chose. And I'm choosing to give back to my community by understanding one of the worst issues facing my city; understanding the opposite existence of my beautiful Denali with two loving parents, frequent walks, visits to the vet, an off-leash park a few miles away and much more affection than even she would like at some times. If I can really understand this issue, how pet overpopulation affects my city, then perhaps I can also learn how to really help for long-term benefits. I believe I can do something to improve and change this situation, or I wouldn't be doing it. Rather, I'd be eating pasta, riding elephants, or learning meditation and only having done good for myself. At least these three months will be in service to others, and that's the minimum I'm striving for. Now I'll close because Mr. Magoo is waiting for me at the shelter for a walk. Today is Day Five for him, along with six other dogs I've walked this week. Today at least, I'll change how he spends his last hours and hope he understands I'm only trying to help.
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