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"The animals have no voice but ours..." |
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The Break Up May 2, 2008 I had a conversation with a friend the other day that turned out to be quite profound. We were discussing the concept of animals returned to shelters. Now, sometimes, don’t get me wrong, the reasons behind bringing a pet back to live in a cage can be understandable – dominance issues, allergies, financial concerns, deployment. Sadly, I fear some people tell us what they know will be acceptable for bringing animals back to the shelter and not the real reasons. Especially when we’re halfway through a conversation where they don’t have enough time for the animal and suddenly they tell us it’s because their child is allergic. See what I mean? Still, we get the ones that make you shake your head. “My husband is unnerved by the cat’s green eyes.” “The dog doesn’t match my couch.” “The kitten messed up my hair.” All those were reasons animals were returned to this shelter. It can be frustrating for the staff here, that’s for sure, but it can be equally frustrating for the animals. They don’t know why they’ve gone from a home environment to the shelter again. Living in a cage is rough on these guys and coming back to one can be even tougher. Well, here’s where my conversation got quite deep. My friend said to me, “Oh it’s like break ups. They hurt so much and you’re so disappointed and you’re not really sure why they happen. It’s like an animal who comes back to a shelter has gone through a break up.” I took a second to ponder this and responded, “Oh my word, it really is!” Think about it. Remember that first relationship you had? The first time you were ever in love? That first time you felt that spark for another person? I’m betting you were absolutely over the moon. Convinced this was it and you were living the proverbial Danielle Steele novel. Somewhere inside you just knew that no matter what happened, you two would make it. You smiled all the time. You’d found your soul mate. And when it fell apart, do you remember that? Even if it didn’t fall apart and you were one of the rare, lucky ones to have first love last, think about what it would be like if it hadn’t. You stop seeing this person every day. Someone who had come to mean so much to you is suddenly no longer in your life and you have to watch that person walk away. It’s crushing. Devastating. Did you know broken hearts can manifest in physical pain? Trust me, they can. You wonder how you could have been so wrong. What you could have possibly done to make this happen? You wish with all your might for one more chance to change things. Make it right. You want that person back so very bad. That’s what it’s like for animals returned to shelters. We can see it in their eyes. The devastation. The confusion. The longing for what they had. It’s like my friend said, a break up. Sometimes, some of our pups and cats are lucky. They get second chances. And sometimes those second chances actually work out. They, like some of their human counterparts, discover that finding where they’re truly meant to be can be a long, winding journey, full of a number of hills and mountains to climb. Some of our babies at the shelter have been through a lot of break ups. You think it would harden their hearts. Make them jaded. Cynical. I know first hand how difficult it can be to bounce back from something like that and how easy it can be to stop believing. But these animals in our kennels have the one thing that’s often fleeting for humans; they have hope. They’re not only looking for a second chance, they believe in happy endings. I know for the two-legged creatures out here, that attitude and outlook can be incredibly poignant and inspiring. It can give those of us who have succumbed to the skepticism and pessimism something to have faith in again. And for that, we all work to make sure these animals don’t go through any more break ups. We want to give all of them their happy endings. ***** Jennifer Vanderau is the Director of Communications for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at cvasoc@innernet.net. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, call the shelter at 263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. Animals available for adoption can be viewed at www.petfinder.org. CVAS also operates thrift stores in Chambersburg and Shippensburg. Help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the stores.
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CVAS, Inc.