My Beginning Reincarnated
There is a beginning to every story. Mine started when I realized I often had more in common with animals than I did with humans. Oh how I loved my furry and feathered critters, cats, horses, cows, chickens and rabbits. Growing up on a farm in East Texas, they were my playmates and best friends, and my life seemed to revolve around them until I left for college. After that, my busy life, first with a career and then with a family, only left room for a couple of cats and a couple of dogs who were ridiculously spoiled and treated as family members. Then, as life goes, I found myself suddenly single, my daughter away at school, living in a new city, with time on my hands. I began to reflect on some of the most profound questions I would ask myself. Who am I? What makes me happy? What is my passion? What is my gift? What is my purpose? What do I do next? The answers kept leading me back to my beginning, my true passion, animals. My beginning was about to be reincarnated.
The idea was easy. I knew I wanted to help with animals. But in what capacity? I had long thought about volunteering at a shelter. So I applied at the San Diego Humane Society. After my orientation/interview, I was assigned as a canine companion (dog walker, leash trainer). My passion was off to a great start!
I loved working with the shelter dogs and had the satisfaction of watching many forgotten, neglected, and abused pets go to new homes. Many of my friends and family often asked how I could cope with the sadness of seeing so many animals left behind and felt they could never handle it themselves. My answer came easy. If we all choose to not cope, how will these animals ever have a chance of finding a new home?
Soon, I found myself drawn to those who were at the shelter the longest, seniors, special needs animals and the behaviorally challenged from years of neglect. I knew these animals needed extra attention as they continued to wait for their forever homes. I can't even describe the elation I had when an elderly and blind, yet so gentle and loving, Miniature Pinscher was adopted. Tears I thought I could no longer produce poured down my face as I placed the harness over his head for the last time and took him out to his new parents. Sigh. The seed of another chapter was planted.
Soon after this experience, I read a post in a local group page on Facebook about a senior pit bull that had been found in the riverbed, tossed out and left to die, emaciated, sick, and hungry. The post included a go fund me page by the person who found him to help pay for some of his vet costs, as well as information about a local rescue that was also working with the dog to sponsor and help cover some of the bills. The organization was Synergy, a rescue that promotes awareness and rescue of geriatric, special needs, and terminally ill dogs from death row at Animal Control. A donation and a Synergy fundraiser later, I soon met the compassionate founder of Synergy, Carla Naden, and asked to be on her team. Not only did she immediately assign me to become the transport/temp foster for rescued dogs and their fosters, she also gave me lots of opportunities to discuss ideas and strategies to help promote the animals the animals in Synergy's foster care.
After many conversations, I realized how little awareness people had about the lives of animals in shelters and how many seniors are relinquished to Animal Services to be destroyed. Suddenly, I knew I found the answer to discovering my purpose. My mission was to make these stories accessible to the general public. So, I decided to start an awareness campaign, UnCaged Life.
UnCaged Life's mission is to end the suffering and exploitation of animals through awareness, education, and strategic action. The intent is to continuously document and promote information about animals and to generate awareness of not only what is taking place in our own society, but also what is taking place in other countries.
My goal is to share information so that people can join this campaign by sharing these stories to promote change. One cannot do it alone, but together we can accomplish great things.
