And Why You Should Too.
Without a doubt, animal rescue is a morally
righteous hobby. It is hard to disagree when you look at the state of animal
welfare in our society, from general overpopulation, punitive training
techniques, to puppy mills. But everyone finds their way into activities in
different ways, and mine was purely self-serving.
I grew up with a family dog. After doing
much research, my family purchased a Bichon Frise from the most reputable
breeder we could find. Neither of my parents had grown up with dogs, so this
was largely uncharted territory. After taking our hamster to the vet for an
ankle injury, my parents finally gave in to our pleading. And so Casper joined
the Iordanis family.
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| My two sisters and I with 2 year old Casper. |
I have two older sisters, so adding another
male to the bottom of the totem pole was great for me. Casper and I definitely
saw each other as brothers. He slept at the foot of my bed, and we ate lunch
together most days. As much as Casper and I were brothers, he absolutely loved
my grandpa.
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| Casper, hanging out with the oldest people he could find. |
When we told my grandpa we were getting a
dog, he offered to build a doghouse for “it” to live outside (what he was
accustomed to in our native Greece). Little did Grandpa know, in the following
years when he would babysit Casper, the little dog would sleep in his bed—kicking Grandma out to the spare
bedroom.
The love Casper had for my grandpa (it
became mutual) got my mom to certify him as a therapy dog with St. John’s
Ambulance. While he had a great time at Sick Kids’ Hospital, what he really
wanted was a retirement home. Seniors
were Casper’s “speed.”
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| Casper on the couch with Andrea. He does kids too! |
I moved away from Pickering for four years
to go to university. I noticed how much I missed the companionship of a dog,
but I was pretty busy trying to balance my textbooks on top of my case of beer.
Casper would freak out when I came home for a weekend but then would remember,
hey, you left me, and would give me the cold shoulder for a while.
Unfortunately, Casper passed away at the age of 14 the summer after I graduated
from university.
About a year later, I conceded that I needed—not just enjoyed but needed—a k9
in my life. However, at this point in my life I am not really in a position to own
a dog. So what’s a guy to do?
Well, why not volunteer? I know there are
some dogs out there who could, at the very least, tolerate my presence. So I
interviewed with TAGS and haven’t looked back since. In my time at TAGS, I’ve
learned a lot about dog behaviour, which is critical when volunteering in
rescue.
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Buttercup, a dog I helped socialize and ultimately helped get adopted.
Read my blog post about Buttercup here. |
I have found great inspiration in these
rescue animals. Many of these dogs are abused and have had horrible lives, but they
do not hold that against me—the next human in line holding their leash. When
they first come into the program, there can sometimes be an Oh boy, this one’s going to be tough to get
adopted feeling. Then we get pictures from adoptive families with their
dog, and the dog doesn’t even resemble its former self.
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Boomer, the TAGS dog I am helping socialize right now.
He is still available for adoption! |
The best feeling in the world for me is
seeing a dog at the dog park after it has been adopted. My personal favourite
is when the dogs see their family start to leave, and they bolt toward the door
as if to say, “I’m coming, I’m coming. Don’t forget me! I want to be in this
family!”
Many people say that they would have a hard
time volunteering in rescue because they would want to keep them all. To that I
say you are missing the whole point. When you volunteer in rescue, you are not
trying to save one dog—you are trying
to save as many as you can. So while that may mean seeing some of your favourites
get adopted, it also means that there is another soul out there who is down on
their luck and needs some help.
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| Casper volunteering at a retirement home. |
Saving one dog is better than none, but
saving 90 dogs (amount of adoptions by TAGS in 2012) is considerably more
rewarding, and that’s why you should volunteer in rescue too.
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Casper, looking under a canoe.
Casper Iordanis 1994 - 2008 |
Spike is an enthusiastic walker, so using a Gentle Leader is best. He always gets excited before his walks because he loves meeting new dogs and people! As a 21st-century dog, he is even comfortable using a treadmill.
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I have two older sisters, so adding another
male to the bottom of the totem pole was great for me. Casper and I definitely
saw each other as brothers. He slept at the foot of my bed, and we ate lunch
together most days. As much as Casper and I were brothers, he absolutely loved
my grandpa. 
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Her allergies have become an everyday part of her life. She has to wear a cone and boots most of the time. This is the only way to prevent her scratching herself until she's bleeding. When I was there, she showed admirable self-control when it came to scratching, but sometimes she just couldn't help herself and was trying to relieve her discomfort by rubbing against the furniture or the floor. Imagine how hard it must be for a dog to resist when we humans sometimes can't.
