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I am a Professional Rescuer. I get paid to rescue dogs. I am possibly the only person in a Rescue Charity to do so. I have been thinking about this a lot lately as more and more rescue groups struggle. It is not only the space, finding the carers, rehoming and the ever ending vet bills that crush the spirit - it is the matter of time and value. If you were able to support a Rescuer to work full time rescuing would you do it? If you were able to provide a car or van, pay for petrol and upkeep of said transport - all through your business - would you do it? If you pay an entire year of vet bills at a clinic for a Rescue Charity would you do it? Are you experienced in social media? Photography? Would you give your time to Rescue Charities to help them raise their bar, get more support and coverage? Would you do it? Are you in the legal sector? Would you give advice to Charities who need help - would you do it? If you could help with securing funding, and grants for Rescue Charities - expand their footprint - would you do it? Australians - we have many wealthy people. Wealthy in ways of not just cold hard cash - but expertise. For Rescuers who work two jobs - their paid job and their Rescue job - can you imagine if they got paid and could focus their energy on doing what they need to do? Like Sea Shepherd? Edgar's Mission? And many others like Red Cross or the Salvation Army? Why is there the notion Rescuers should not be paid? Are they not worth it? Or valued enough to earn it? Imagine being a paid Rescuer - as I am, and going into a meeting, or to a conference. Would your standing be better if you were a professional, instead of a volunteer? To raise the bar for Rescuers - one must look at the viewed. We are rarely asked to join a round table of discussion - and yet we have that vast knowledge we work in daily. There MUST be people out there wanting a way to help rescues directly - and at this level. There must be businesses who are wanting to sponsor a Rescue. Let's ask the Foxes, the Rineharts, the Ballieus. The music mogels, the pop-stars, the IT superstars. The sporting teams, the large orgs like BHP, and the car industry. Australia Post, Woolworths or IGA. They would all get bang for their buck. First hand, up front, grass roots, life saving. Just imagine. If you have any contacts - and think it might be something someone could do - drop me a line. Not for me, or RWL - but for others. I'm at rescued1@bigpond.net.au Oh what the heck, no one will contact me, I'm just thinking aloud. x
ANZAC Day. #lestweforget2024
Things have been very difficult to get on top of with caring for Winnie through her cancer diagnosis. Palliative care is HARD but we are throwing everything we can at it. Today is a good day. We'll take it thank you. x
Little Gus had 16 teeth out yesterday. A big day but he will be feeling better I hope after all that infection heals. Gus has severe luxating patellas which I need to discuss with Dylan our vet - surgery could possibly be required. Meanwhile last night he ate a little bowl of chicken and slept well which is all positive news. Lily will be having her stitches out and having a lovely groom towards the end of the week. Lily adores walking. She will need a home who loves a good trot to the park - she is just a lovely girl. Tomorrow our transporters Barbara and Kate are driving hours and hours to pick up an elderly dog for us coming into care. Rescue never sleeps does it? Today apart from Pandora we have Murphy going in for X-rays to make sure his hip is okay and he has a housecheck! And, so does Rhodes. One step at a time. They always need us to be sure, that their future will be bright. And that is what we do - even if it takes us a little while. Wishing you all a great Wednesday, more later. xx
Pandora was taken to the vet yesterday no one could get near her even with gloves on she was lashing out - and in pain. She had two injections for pain relief but last night was still being aggressive when anyone went near her, but not crying like in the morning. Today she will be sedated and scans done to find out what exactly is happening with our little Prickle. We are very worried for our little girl. She has been through too much in her life.
Little Bubbles is on heat. Due to her bladder surgery we have to wait another couple of months before we can have her desexed her Specialist has told us. And so we wait. She is the happiest sparkle, we just love her.
Ex RWL girl Willow - has just celebrated her 16th birthday. Looks like it was a pretty magical day.
Finn loves being outside. He loves his bro Kippy and his sis Imogen, they curl up together on one chair. You can hardly tell the triplets apart! LOL. He's a bit of a clown our Finn, ready to show life is good, just by a smile.
Ex RWL girl Violet is loving life. It's so rewarding doing our work - it's personal, and up front and every step of the way is ours to navigate. We certainly steered Violet to a warm and toasty spot.
This week has past has been quite the week. One of our carers lost her dog to cancer, age 5 years. It was out of the blue and a total shock. Along with Jasmine having liver failure and then passing last night when her heart could no longer go on - we are all feeling a little raw at the moment. A few days a go we received a call from a concerned neighbour - two small dogs had been left outside in an abandoned home. We managed to speak to a relative who was happy for us to help. We really wanted both dogs as they had been together most of their lives but one was given away to a neighbour who declined to give up the dog to us. And so we took little Gus into care, aged 13. Gus has numerous issues having not been to a vet for years - he apparently had a trauma or injury to his back legs, or back and he has a lot of pain there. We were told he only had one tooth but he has a mouth filled with rotten teeth, and this week we will be doing a dental (and desexing him) and taking X-rays to see what is happening with his spine and legs. We know the other little dog given away will be in need of care too - we can only live in hope she received lots of vet care and love. Fingers crossed. So this week, with his bloods showing he is okay - will be having quite the day in the clinic. Meanwhile he is on pain relief and is eating well - and his future is now brighter than before.
We lost Jasmine last night. Mum Fee and Dad Michael rushed her to Emergency but she was in late stage heart failure and so passed in her Mum's arms. Our love and thoughts are with Fee and Michael. Vale darling Jas. x
Four days ago I received a phone call from a lovely young lady from RSPCA Vic. She told me RSPCA Vic had decided not to continue working with RWL. Because of me. I had broken the MOU (memorandum of understanding) by posting two posts on FB a couple of months ago they felt criticised their Organization in which they received backlash and had to go into damage control. I said if I had hurt anyone I would apologize, they were an opinion piece - and I had concerns over when the Rescued Coordinator would leave and the job go part time - if the animals would still be championed as they had been the last three years under her watchful and caring eye. The conversation was polite and not at all combative or abusive, my husband listened (we were in the car on speaker) and the following morning I sent a letter to the Chair of the Board of the RSPCA Vic and to CEO Liz Walker separately - personally apologizing for any upset these posts had caused them offering to call them if they would prefer it. A short while later I received a call from Liz whom I have known for quite a while and she explained that the relationship between RSPCA and RWL was finished due to my behaviour over the years which didn't align with their values. I asked what exactly I had done and she said she didn't want to go into it - but I pressed. I was being accused of something I felt I had the right to know. The case raised was a phone call between Liz and myself over the 3 day impound rule RSPCA Vic wished to implement in Victoria. I opposed it, and set up a petition stating the concerns and why I hoped it wouldn't come to fruition. Liz asked me at the time to take down the petition. And I refused. That, plus the two FB posts included showed how disrespectful I was to staff at RSPCA Vic. I did explain again that I would still oppose the 3 day impound rule - if ever it was raised again. With 19 years of experience I felt I was coming from a place of knowledge in this matter. There wasn't any yelling but I have frustrated and pretty clearly angered the CEO with my attitude towards animal welfare, my outspoken and opinionated personality, and I am not someone she would wish to be in partnership with. We ended the call with me offering if I drove past Burwood one day and had time I would call her and see if she had time for coffee. I've been uphill and down dale over the past few days over this - the impact on RWL and the girls, the fact that two RSPCA states won't work with me because I'm difficult and prefer to share information on the way shelters Pounds, rescues all interact. I am difficult. Bossy. Opinionated and no I don't bend with the breeze for the sake of the animals. I have always wanted more, better, change, in a system I see as fundamentally flawed and geared towards the appeasement of a human's conscience rather than a sensible, no nonsense approach where information is shared, transparency is given and each and every animal is dealt with as an individual case rather than a number. Rescued With Love's work with the animals is not questioned. We have provided incredible care, treatment, work - that is not what is at fault here. We are one of the best. What is at fault here is me. RSPCA Vic have closed their doors to RWL because of me. Apart from the young lady I spoke to on Thursday the only people I have dealt with have been the CEO and the Rescue Coordinator Alisha for the past three years. We have provided around 50 dogs (from memory) treatment, care, love and a good death from RSPCA Vic in the past few years. There has been no issue with that. I guess I must be truly awful if the cost is not allowing a dog that won't be rehomed by their organization a future. That is the cost of my behaviour. Other rescues I hope will be contacted. But one will always wonder - because behind the doors of RSPCA are dogs I guess we could be taking. I think of William, who came from RSPCA Vic. Within an hour of his photo arriving I was in the car driving to collect him. I wonder now if there are other "Williams" in there, waiting for me. It is the price I will pay for being me. I am who I am, and I am not going to change. I will always apologize if I feel I might have hurt someone. I am strong, outspoken, opinionated and take no nonsense. But I am not malicious. Opinion pieces on animal welfare organizations has long been fodder, I am not the first, nor will I be the last. Do we take these pieces to heart so much so that we give them oxygen to create a position where animals potentially are missing out of a future? It has long been the hold over Rescues that large orgs, Pounds and Shelters world wide have implemented to keep rescuers in line. Is it okay to look the other way when you see animals you know you can help because you are told to do so? The relationship therefore cannot be 50/50. Rescues starting out are now enjoying the results of years of blood sweat and tears from those rescuers who have fought with every inch of their being to get this far. There have been times of being turned away from large orgs, pounds and shelters for any number of reasons. A lot of those reasons have been proven unfounded. And lives have been saved. What is the price for that? The price is dealing with personalities you might not necessarily enjoy dealing with. We Rescuers have seen them all. The aggressive, rude, gun toting, ignorant, bullying types. We have seen the laconic, uncaring, and disinterested. We have seen the fiefdom wielding bureaucrats. No one is perfect. I am certainly not. But standing up for my beliefs on the 3 day impound rule, and an opinion on the shortcomings of RSPCA Vic, and struggling to find a 50/50 partnership with them on not only their terms but ours and standing my ground - is it worth terminating a relationship over? I guess for the RSPCA Vic it is. Would I handle things differently? No. Are we open to taking RSPCA dogs? Yes. Will they relent and give RWL dogs? No. Because of me. I want all of you and including the RSPCA Vic staff and other rescues to know I will always speak out. To those who are silenced, threatened to have MOUs removed, terminated for supposed abuse and behaviour - and not being in line with 'values' I hear you. This post is for you today. And for William. And every other William waiting for someone like me.
RWL Foundation girl Poppy is 14 now and has slowed down considerably. She is still reactive at certain times, so loved by her Mum and Dad Janice and Stu. She has the best life, and lives happily with other dogs, grooming is an issue - and vet visits can be tricky but on the whole she is living her best life. Go Poppy.
ex RWL girl Poppy (was Penelope) is enjoying her new brother Wolfgang. Her life has changed so much for the better it is such a joy to see. x
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