The Price of Success?

Riley, an almost senior dog, was adopted!

My least favorite part of rescue work is placing an animal I am attached to in a new home. Of course I know it's the best thing for them; that doing so makes room for another animal who may otherwise die in a kill-shelter; that I definitely cannot keep every animal I love, and that it is my duty to do this very thing. Logically, this little machine we have built is running just as it should. We are saving dogs and cats, caring for them well and finding them wonderful homes. Emotionally, however, I am finding myself in need of a tune-up.

What I did not consider when I started my own rescue is how many adoptions I would be doing! When I was with another rescue group, the animals in my home were just a few of the total number of animals in the organization. But now, with all our animals under my care, every application for an adoption comes directly to me; every animal that leaves Almost Home for a new life and forever family is a goodbye that must be endured. I get to do all the celebrating, but also get to do all the grieving.

Shiloh found her forever home!

This week has proven particularly wonderful, perplexing and difficult all at the same time. Our pet listings finally went public (meaning all legal paperwork is now in order enough to qualify to reach millions via pet adoption websites). In just the first few days of going public, my mailbox filled with applications. In the last few days, two of my hard-to-place dogs have found their forever homes, two adoptions are pending and another is in the works. This is remarkable and I am thrilled, but also finding the whole experience emotionally exhausting. It has always taken me a couple days to recover from each adoption. Now, I am finding myself without time to come up for air between them. I don't know if the current rate of adoptions from Almost Home is a trend that will continue, is related to the season or is just a fluke. And, I am certainly not complaining about what it means for our critters. I began this project with the worry that keeping our rescue small would fail to make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, but five adoptions per week certainly puts those concerns to rest.

Riley with his new Mommy before leaving our shelter!

So, I am adjusting. When I began rescuing animals, I told myself that if the time ever came when I wasn't sad saying goodbye, I needed to evaluate why because I did not want the experience to harden me. I am grateful my job has not become rote; that my heart is as open as it was when I began, as that means my animals are receiving what they need from me while in my care. And, as I am saying goodbye to an animal I have loved, however briefly, I am content in knowing I did so with my whole heart.