One important thing I learned about this case is that when it comes to animal welfare, you have to walk your talk.
So often, folks will say they support "adopting, fostering, volunteering" etc., but they don't actually adopt from shelters, save a life by fostering a needy animal, or volunteer a weekend at their local shelter. Instead, they post pictures on Twitter and Facebook asking other folks to adopt, foster, or volunteer.
When it comes to walking my talk, I take it in stride every week. Besides volunteering and adopting pets from local animal shelters, I have also started fostering older dogs from a kill-shelter.
Thus far, I have only fostered four dogs. But that is "four lives saved" so far--lives that would have been snuffed out if I didn't foster them. I'm asked all the time if it is hard to let the dogs go to new homes--and I can say that each and every time I've cried my eyes out. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the dogs have new forever homes but I am sad that they cannot stay with me forever. Adoption days are my happy-sad moments in life I will remember forever.
Last Sunday my third foster "child" was adopted and as I watched him walk away with his new owners, I had the good fortune to sit with another foster mother who had two dogs with her, hoping they too will be adopted (which one was while I was there). She hugged me as the tears fell and told me she felt the same way every time one of her dogs was adopted. I asked her how many times she went through this and she said she had gone through the adoption process at least two hundred times! That's right...200 times!
This woman is my hero! She has incredible strength of heart to save so many lives at her own personal emotional expense--I simply don't know how she does it! So here's to all the people who adopt, foster, and volunteer at animal shelters! Saving one life, or the lives of many animals, is such a blessing and I'm glad to know people who will sacrifice everything to be one who really makes a difference in this world!
As soon as my heart heals again, it will be time to take another "walk" at my local animal shelter! Jesus rescued me years ago and now I'm just "paying it forward," one rescued animal at a time.
#SpeakCompassion! #SpeakLife!
Speaking of emotional expense, I found this article very interesting as it applies to animal welfare workers and volunteers... Always remember to #ProtectYourHeart!
5 Signs Animal Welfare Workers Are Dangerously Stressed
BLOG | Friday, July 11 2014 | ASPCApro Blog | 8 Comments
If you manage a team at an animal welfare organization, it’s important to help them identify when they’re stressed, and give them the proper tools to deal with compassion fatigue. As National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse director, Allie Phillips has suffered from her share of stress—luckily, as a master energy healer and teacher, she’s learned how to recognize unhealthy signs of stress and has developed some helpful coping mechanisms for the field, which she shared in the webinar, Handling the Stress of Combating Animal Abuse. We all have hard days, but here are some signs of ongoing stress symptoms that should receive serious attention.- Physical Exhaustion
“I lay awake some nights worrying about the kitties and grieving for what I know is surely going on as I try to sleep. Sometimes I feel powerless.” —Azar, webinar audience participant
This kind of feeling of lack of control over a situation can lead to symptoms like:
- Trouble sleeping, even though you’re wiped out
- Feeling physically drained, even when you start your day
- Dragging your feet
- Increased Susceptibility to Illness
"Emotional stress can actually turn into physical illness," says Phillips. You might experience frequent headaches or get sick more often—stress can even cause increased feelings of hypochondria.
- Cynicism
“The majority of the time, I don't believe a word people say when referring to their own animals.”—Alyssa, webinar audience participant
Phillips acknowledges that it’s easy to feel numb in this field. "People do terrible things to animals; it's okay to get angry," she says. But watch out for signs of cynicism that aren't healthy, like:
- Struggling to have compassion toward humans
- Beginning to see the world as "evil"
- Disconnecting from humans
- Disconnecting from animals
- Decreased Productivity
Sometimes when you’re overstressed, your ability to make decisions is impaired. According to Phillips, when you take on an animal’s trauma, you may end up working more hours to help, but you're ultimately doing a disservice to yourself.
- Dread of Going to Work
Compassion fatigue can cause animal welfare workers to take a lot of “mental health days,” or even quit when they think they can’t bear going to work. This is what Phillips refers to as psychological stress.
How to help staff handle stress—sneak preview:
- Encourage plenty of exercise outside the shelter (Phillips flash dances around the house until her legs hurt!)
- Make them feel safe to speak up
- Have in-house counseling/support group
- Be flexible about hours/time off
- Celebrate the victories at work
- Improve morale with awards and free food
For an in-depth exploration of identifying and dealing with compassion fatigue, check out this free webinar recording: Handling the Stress of Combating Animal Abuse.
How do you guys in the field cope with stress?
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