"It's the toughest job you'll ever love."Isn't this the slogan for a branch of the US Military? I have no doubt that is an incredibly difficult job, and I'm so thankful for our Military. But I have to admit, being a dog rescuer ranks right up there with tough jobs. It's no walk in the park. Some days it can really tear a girl up.
This beautiful dog is Bruno. He ended up at the shelter in Manhattan, NY and I met him through the wonderful Bruised Not Broken
Facebook page. Late last week, Bruno was placed on the shelter's euthanasia list, as all dogs eventually do if they are not adopted or saved by a rescue group. A post was made on the Bruised Not Broken
Facebook page, stating that if Bruno was not adopted, fostered, or rescued by morning, he would most likely be put down.
Most of the time, the dog is saved. By posting pictures and stories all over social media, miraculously an adopter is found and arrangements are made, and the dog is rescued from the shelter. It is truly a heartwarming thing when the announcement comes, letting us know that the dog is now safe and sound.
Unfortunately, it doesn't always happen because, let's be honest, it's just not possible to save every dog. There simply aren't enough homes. There aren't enough adopters, fosters, and rescues to save all of the dogs waiting in shelters. The cold, harsh reality is that sometimes a dog doesn't make it out alive.
Bruno was one of those dogs. He died on Saturday, because no one came to save him. I like for my blog and Facebook page to be positive and upbeat, a happy place where my followers enjoy hanging out. But it's also of dire importance that I keep my mission in focus, and my mission is to save shelter dogs and educate the world about Pit Bulls.
I don't like reporting that a dog we tried to save didn't make it, but I have to because we have to understand the reality of what we're doing.
We have to find a way to change the reality of Pit Bulls {and other dogs} in shelters.
Every day, 600 Pit Bulls die in shelters across our country. That's 218,400 every year. And that's just Pit Bulls - that doesn't take into account dogs of every other breed that are killed each year because there was no room in the shelter and no one came to take them home.
We must stop the cycle of unwanted animals ending up in shelters, and that starts with spaying and neutering your pets. That's followed by adopting, fostering, and rescuing from shelters, rather than paying hundreds of dollars for "pure bred" animals in pet stores and from backyard breeders. It starts with spreading the word about the thousands of beautiful animals that are waiting in shelters right now for a new home, a new family, and a new life.
You can make a difference right now in the lives of shelter dogs simply by following my
Facebook page and helping to network these dogs. Yes, it hurts when one doesn't make it. But man oh man, you can't imagine how rewarding it is when we save one.
I'm doing this for Bruno, and for every other dog that died today because we let them down. My motto, from the Eli Young song, is "keep on dreamin' even if it breaks your heart." I do what I do every day, even when it hurts, because they need me.
Won't you join me? Please follow The Lazy Pit Bull
Facebook page today. Do it in memory of Bruno.
By Christina Berry
