Episode 93
When Doing the Right Thing Makes You the Bad Guy
Animal rescue isn't always about happy endings. Sometimes the hardest decisions are the ones we know won't make everyone happy.
In this episode of Animal Posse, we discuss real responses from rescuers about setting boundaries, saying no, spay-abort, euthanasia, burnout, and the emotional toll of saving animals.
Are we truly solving the problems in animal rescue, or just responding to one crisis after another?
Join us for an honest conversation about the difficult side of rescue that doesn't always get talked about.
Transcript
Welcome back to Animal Posse, where we talk about the issues affecting
Speaker:animals, the people trying to save them, and sometimes the uncomfortable truths
Speaker:that nobody really wants to talk about.
Speaker:Today, we're gonna have one of those conversations.
Speaker:And I want to warn you right up front, some of the things we're
Speaker:gonna discuss are difficult.
Speaker:We're gonna talk about euthanasia, spay abort, animal suffering, burnout,
Speaker:and the decisions that can leave rescuers questioning themselves long
Speaker:after the decision has been made.
Speaker:But I think these conversations are necessary and hopefully helpful
Speaker:because there's something about animal rescue that people on the
Speaker:outside don't always understand.
Speaker:Sometimes doing the right thing doesn't feel good.
Speaker:Sometimes it breaks your heart.
Speaker:Sometimes it makes people angry, and sometimes the very people
Speaker:who share your mission are the ones who criticize the most.
Speaker:A few days ago, I posted a question on Facebook, and I asked, "What's one
Speaker:decision you've had to make in rescue that you knew wouldn't make everyone happy
Speaker:but you knew was the right thing to do?"
Speaker:I wasn't necessarily looking for dramatic stories.
Speaker:I wanted to understand what other rescuers were experiencing, what decisions they
Speaker:were struggling with, what boundaries they were having to establish, and
Speaker:what were they being judged for.
Speaker:The responses were interesting.
Speaker:Some were heartbreaking, some were controversial, and a few really
Speaker:made me think about whether we, as a rescue community, are doing
Speaker:enough to support one another.
Speaker:So today, I wanna share some of those responses and talk about what
Speaker:they reveal about animal rescue because I think there's a much
Speaker:bigger conversation going on here.
Speaker:Let's start with something almost every rescuer struggles with,
Speaker:and that is simply saying no.
Speaker:So Rebecca M.
Speaker:responded to my question with one word that really stood out to me: guardrails.
Speaker:She talked about knowing what is within the scope of her rescue
Speaker:and what is outside of it.
Speaker:She mentioned having a TNR partner who wants her to take in medical cases.
Speaker:Now, at first glance, that might not sound like such a difficult decision,
Speaker:but anyone who's involved in rescue knows exactly what she's talking about.
Speaker:Someone calls you about a cat, it's injured, it's sick, it's
Speaker:pregnant, or maybe it's a litter of kittens that someone found
Speaker:under a house, and you wanna help.
Speaker:Of course you do.
Speaker:That's probably why you got involved in rescue in the first place.
Speaker:But what happens when helping that one animal means you no longer have
Speaker:the resources to properly care for the animals you've already committed to?
Speaker:What happens when you accept a medical case that requires thousands of dollars
Speaker:in treatment or weeks of intensive care or specialized veterinary services
Speaker:that you simply do not have access to?
Speaker:At what point does compassion become over-commitment?
Speaker:And here's the really uncomfortable question: Are we always helping
Speaker:animals when we say yes?
Speaker:Or are there times when saying yes actually creates more suffering?
Speaker:I think we have to be willing to ask ourselves that, because rescue isn't
Speaker:about how many animals you take in.
Speaker:It's about the quality of care you can provide once they're there, and
Speaker:sometimes that means setting boundaries that other peoples don't like.
Speaker:Sometimes that means saying, "I'm sorry, but I can't take this animal."
Speaker:And this is an incredibly difficult thing to say, but when
Speaker:you know an animal needs help…
Speaker:But here's something I wish more people understood.
Speaker:A rescue saying no doesn't automatically mean that a rescue doesn't care.
Speaker:It might mean they're being responsible.
Speaker:It might mean they're protecting the animals already in their care, and
Speaker:it might mean they're preventing a situation from becoming much worse.
Speaker:Now, does that mean we just walk away from animals in need?
Speaker:No, of course not.
Speaker:Sometimes we can help by sharing resources, contacting other organizations,
Speaker:arranging transportation, or help someone find veterinary care.
Speaker:But taking an animal into your rescue isn't the only way to help, and I
Speaker:think that's something that we need to remember And I'm gonna say it.
Speaker:Just today I had somebody contact me about taking in kittens, and I'm currently full.
Speaker:I have no available fosters.
Speaker:I am ab- absolutely maxed out at my limit, so I cannot take them in.
Speaker:It doesn't mean that I didn't want to.
Speaker:Of course I wanted to.
Speaker:I wanna help 'em.
Speaker:So what I try to get people on board with is actually fostering in place.
Speaker:I will tell people, "Hey, can you foster these kittens in place?
Speaker:And then when the kittens are old enough, we're gonna get 'em
Speaker:vaccinated, we're gonna get 'em spayed and neutered, and then I'm allowing
Speaker:you to come to the adoption events.
Speaker:So I'm gonna help you provide care to these animals.
Speaker:I am going to help you get them into the adoption event, and fingers
Speaker:crossed, they get adopted," because we all know how difficult that is.
Speaker:But that's what I can at least offer.
Speaker:And so I think that's always something that we can consider.
Speaker:There's always something that we can do if we cannot necessarily take them in.
Speaker:Contacting another organization, networking with people.
Speaker:There's more that you can do than just simply taking an animal in and
Speaker:we shouldn't feel guilty about it.
Speaker:So I wanna thank Rebecca for that comment because I do think that is a
Speaker:very important thing, and I do think a lot of people get criticized for that.
Speaker:So another response came from Melissa G.
Speaker:She said one of her hardest decisions is having to turn away an FeLV positive cat,
Speaker:so that's a feline leukemia positive cat, because her rescue is already at capacity.
Speaker:And I think this brings up an issue that deserves a much bigger
Speaker:conversation because feline leukemia positive cats already face additional
Speaker:challenges when it comes to placement.
Speaker:They need specialized care, appropriate housing arrangements, and adopters
Speaker:who understand their medical needs.
Speaker:So when someone says they can't take one in, the situation can
Speaker:feel especially heartbreaking.
Speaker:But again, we come back to capacity.
Speaker:What does being at capacity actually mean?
Speaker:Is it simply that every kennel is occupied, or does capacity include
Speaker:the number of volunteers available, the amount of money in the bank, the
Speaker:ability to provide veterinary care, the emotional and physical health of
Speaker:the people caring for the animals?
Speaker:Personally, I think capacity has to mean all of those things.
Speaker:You can have an empty room and still be at capacity.
Speaker:You can have an available kennel and still not have the
Speaker:resources to take another animal.
Speaker:And I think one of the biggest mistakes we make in rescue is measuring our
Speaker:ability to help by physical space alone.
Speaker:And I do think that's what the public considers, too.
Speaker:They see physical space.
Speaker:They don't see all the other stuff that's involved with it.
Speaker:Because every animal that comes through the door does represent a commitment,
Speaker:not just for today, but until that animal is adopted, transferred appropriately,
Speaker:or otherwise reaches a humane outcome.
Speaker:Sometimes that's a few weeks, sometimes that's months, and sometimes it's years.
Speaker:So when a rescuer says they're full, maybe instead of criticizing them, we
Speaker:should be asking what support they need.
Speaker:Could we help find a foster?
Speaker:Could we sponsor veterinary care?
Speaker:Could we help promote an animal already in their program?
Speaker:Because if we can help move one animal into a permanent home, we
Speaker:may be creating an opportunity for another animal to be saved.
Speaker:Maybe the question shouldn't always be, "Why won't you take this animal?"
Speaker:Maybe it should be, "What can I do to help create a solution?"
Speaker:Now we're gonna talk about something that tends to create a lot of
Speaker:disagreement in animal rescue, and we've actually covered it several times
Speaker:on this podcast, and it's spay/abort.
Speaker:So Cherie F.
Speaker:responded to my question with two words: spay/abort.
Speaker:And that response generated a discussion.
Speaker:One commenter pointed out to the already overwhelming pet overpopulation problem.
Speaker:Another emphasized how emotionally difficult these decisions can be,
Speaker:especially when the circumstances are the result of a human negligence.
Speaker:And I think that distinction matters because it's possible to
Speaker:understand why something is done and still find it heartbreaking.
Speaker:It's possible to believe in population control and still struggle
Speaker:emotionally with the decisions that sometimes come with it.
Speaker:And it's possible for people who genuinely care about animals to disagree
Speaker:about the ethical questions involved.
Speaker:But I wanna take a look at the bigger picture.
Speaker:We have an enormous problem with unwanted animals, especially
Speaker:in the South where I live.
Speaker:We have never-ending kitten season here.
Speaker:I-- It doesn't end.
Speaker:We might get one month off, and I'm absolutely serious.
Speaker:We have kittens all year long.
Speaker:I know other places don't, and they kinda find it hard to believe when they find
Speaker:out that this is really how it is here.
Speaker:But yes, kitten season never stops
Speaker:So again, we have shelters struggling with capacity, rescues are overwhelmed
Speaker:with requests, kittens are being born into environments where they may
Speaker:not survive, and people who continue allowing animals to reproduce without
Speaker:any realistic plan for their care.
Speaker:So here's my question: Why are rescuers constantly being placed
Speaker:in the position of having to make these decisions in the first place?
Speaker:Why does the burden fall on the people trying to clean up the problem?
Speaker:Why aren't we having more conversations about preventing unwanted
Speaker:litters before pregnancy occurs?
Speaker:And I know I'm preaching to the choir here.
Speaker:We have these discussions all of the time, but it's difficult to get people on board.
Speaker:It's difficult to get people to understand and to listen, and instead,
Speaker:when they create a problem, they're begging a rescue to help them.
Speaker:So why aren't we placing more responsibility on the people
Speaker:allowing the animals to reproduce?
Speaker:I believe prevention needs to be at the center of everything we do.
Speaker:Spay and neuter, education, accessible veterinary services, responsible
Speaker:ownership, and helping people understand the consequences of allowing
Speaker:animals to reproduce without a plan.
Speaker:Spay abort is a complicated issue.
Speaker:The medical circumstances, stage of pregnancy, animal's health, and
Speaker:ethical considerations all matter.
Speaker:These decisions should involve a veterinarian and informed
Speaker:consideration of the available options.
Speaker:But whatever someone's personal position is, I think we should be able to agree
Speaker:on one thing, is preventing unwanted pregnancies is better than repeatedly
Speaker:placing rescuers in situ- situations where every available choice is difficult.
Speaker:And if we really wanna change the future of animal rescue, that's where
Speaker:we need to focus our attention, not just on responding to the crisis,
Speaker:but on preventing the next one.
Speaker:One of the responses, too, that stood out came from Veronica B.
Speaker:Veronica's been on our show numerous times, and Veronica described a situation
Speaker:involving an animal in someone's backyard.
Speaker:She believed the animal was suffering and felt that waiting for authorities
Speaker:was not an acceptable option, so she described climbing a fence to intervene.
Speaker:Now, I wanna be careful here because here's an important difference between
Speaker:understanding someone's desperation to help an animal and saying that entering
Speaker:someone else's property without permission is the right way to handle a situation.
Speaker:There can be serious legal and safety consequences, and rescuers should use
Speaker:emergency reporting channels, animal control, and law enforcement when
Speaker:an animal is in immediate danger.
Speaker:But what I wanna talk about is the frustration behind her response
Speaker:because I think many rescuers have experienced that feeling.
Speaker:You see an animal suffering, you call for help, and you're told someone
Speaker:might come out later or tomorrow, or maybe nobody's available at all.
Speaker:And you're standing there thinking, "But this animal is suffering right now."
Speaker:What are you supposed to do with that?
Speaker:How do you balance your responsibility to an animal with your
Speaker:responsibility to follow the law?
Speaker:And what happens when the systems designed to protect animals
Speaker:aren't responding quickly enough?
Speaker:Those are legitimate questions, and I think we need to be able to discuss them
Speaker:without immediately attacking the people asking them because animal welfare laws
Speaker:are only as effective as the enforcement.
Speaker:And when people lose confidence in the systems that are supposed to be protecting
Speaker:animals, it's a serious problem.
Speaker:But I also believe that rescuers have to protect themselves because
Speaker:putting yourself in legal jeopardy can jeopardize your ability
Speaker:to help animals in the future.
Speaker:So perhaps the bigger conversation is about accountability.
Speaker:How do we make sure reports of serious animal suffering
Speaker:receive an appropriate response?
Speaker:How do we improve coordination between animal control, law enforcement,
Speaker:veterinarians, and rescue organizations?
Speaker:And how do we make sure rescuers know what legal options are available when
Speaker:an animal is in immediate danger?
Speaker:Those are the questions that I think we need to be asking.
Speaker:Now, the next topic is probably one of the most emotionally difficult in
Speaker:animal rescue, and that's euthanasia.
Speaker:So Martha D.
Speaker:talked about having to make the decision to euthanize a dog
Speaker:because of serious aggression.
Speaker:And Laura Z.
Speaker:also shared a deeply upsetting experience involving a foster
Speaker:animal who was dying and suffering.
Speaker:Laura said she had fostered approximately 300 animals over 35 years.
Speaker:She described waking up to find one of her fosters in severe distress.
Speaker:She contacted animal control but was told help would not be immediately available.
Speaker:She described making this decision to end the animal's suffering herself.
Speaker:I don't wanna make assumptions about the circumstances involved
Speaker:because we don't have those details.
Speaker:And I wanna emphasize that humane euthanasia should be performed by
Speaker:a veterinarian or another legally authorized, properly trained professional.
Speaker:But I do wanna acknowledge the emotional weight of what Laura described,
Speaker:because watching an animal suffer while desperately trying to find
Speaker:help is something no compassionate person wants to experience, and
Speaker:it raises another important issue.
Speaker:What happens when emergency veterinary care isn't accessible?
Speaker:What happens when someone doesn't have the money for an emergency hospital
Speaker:or transportation, or when services simply aren't available in their area?
Speaker:These are real animal welfare concerns, and we need better
Speaker:systems for helping people access humane, timely veterinary care.
Speaker:Now, Martha's comment brings up a different but equally difficult
situation:behavioral euthanasia.
situation:This is an issue that can divide the rescue community because when someone
situation:hears that a physically healthy dog was euthanized because of aggression,
situation:the immediate reaction is often anger.
situation:People ask why the dog couldn't be rehabilitated, why another
situation:rescue couldn't take it, why it couldn't be placed somewhere else,
situation:and those are fair questions.
situation:But we also have to acknowledge the serious aggression.
situation:We also have to acknowledge that serious aggression can create significant
situation:safety risk for people, for other animals, and sometimes the dog itself.
situation:Every case deserves an individualized assessment.
situation:Medical cases should be considered.
situation:Qualified behavioral expertise should be involved when possible, and
situation:reasonable treatment and management options should be eval- evaluated.
situation:But we also have to be willing to recognize that not every situation
situation:has a safe or humane solution.
situation:Sometimes the decision that - protects the greatest number of people and
situation:animals is also the decision that causes the greatest emotional pain.
situation:Compassion doesn't always mean prolonging life at any cost.
situation:Sometimes compassion means honestly evaluating suffering, safety, and the
situation:quality of life, and those decisions should never be made casually.
situation:But neither should we automatically condemn someone without
situation:understanding the circumstances.
situation:Now, I wanna talk about something that doesn't get nearly enough attention:
situation:the people doing the rescuing.
situation:Michelle C.
situation:responded to my question by talking about boundaries.
situation:She explained that she had to establish clear limits on
situation:access to herself and her staff.
situation:She doesn't want employees contacted when they're off work, and when she's on
situation:vacation, she wants her time respected.
situation:And you know what?
situation:I think that is completely reasonable.
situation:But it's interesting that in animal rescue, something as basic as taking
situation:time off can become controversial.
situation:Why?
situation:Why do we expect rescuers to be available 24 hours a day?
situation:Why do we expect volunteers to answer messages in the middle of the night?
situation:Why do we act as though someone who dedicates their time to
situation:animals has somehow fortified the right to a personal life?
situation:We have created an environment where people can feel guilty for taking a
situation:day off, guilty for not answering the phone, guilty for not spending time
situation:with their families, and guilty for saying they simply cannot do anymore.
situation:But here's what I want people to understand.
situation:You cannot build a sustainable rescue organization around the
situation:expectation that people will sacrifice their own well-being indefinitely.
situation:Eventually, people burn out.
situation:They leave rescue.
situation:They become overwhelmed.
situation:And sometimes organizations that were doing wonderful work fall
situation:apart because the people running them simply cannot continue.
situation:And then what happens?
situation:The animals lose another rescue.
situation:So respecting boundaries isn't selfish.
situation:It's part of keeping a rescue sustainable, and I think we need to normalize taking
situation:vacations, having days off, turning off the phone, and telling people that
situation:their emergency does not automatically become someone else's responsibility.
situation:That may sound harsh, but I think it's necessary because rescue should
situation:be a commitment to helping animals.
situation:It should not become a life sentence
situation:One of the longest and motion, and most, ugh.
situation:One of the longest and most emotional responses came from Kasha P.,
situation:and Kasha runs a bird rescue.
situation:She described experiencing homelessness while continuing to care for birds,
situation:many of them with special needs.
situation:She shared that she had been living in a van with her birds.
situation:She talked about losing her dog, Bella.
situation:She described the feeling by people in the animal rescue community, and
situation:she talked about her efforts to turn their van into a tiny home while
situation:continuing her educational outreach.
situation:There was one part of her response that really stayed with me.
situation:She said she felt completely abandoned by the very community
situation:she had been helping for 22 years.
situation:Think about that for a minute.
situation:Someone who has spent years helping animals is now describing a situation
situation:where she needs help herself
situation:And she feels that the community she has supported isn't there for her.
situation:Now, I don't know all of the circumstances surrounding Kaja's
situation:situation, and I don't think it's fair to make judgments about anyone involved
situation:based on a comment, but her response raises a very important question.
situation:Who takes care of the rescuers when they are the ones in crisis?
situation:We talk about saving animals, we organize fundraisers, we collect donations, we
situation:arrange transports, we find fosters.
situation:But what happens when a rescuer loses their home?
situation:What happens when someone becomes seriously ill or suffers a financial
situation:crisis or experiences a personal tragedy?
situation:Do we show that same level of compassion, or do we suddenly
situation:start questioning their decisions?
situation:I think that we have to be willing to look at how we treat one another
situation:because compassion shouldn't stop at the kennel door, and at the same time,
situation:animal welfare has to remain a priority.
situation:If someone is experiencing serious personal hardship while caring
situation:for animals, the answer shouldn't automatically be judgment.
situation:But it also shouldn't be ignoring whether the animal's needs can be met.
situation:The answer should be support, honest assessment, and practical solutions.
situation:Can we help with supplies?
situation:Can we arrange temporary foster care?
situation:Can we connect someone with housing or community resources?
situation:Can we stabilize a situation without creating more problems?
situation:And I think there's an opportunity for the rescue community to do better because
situation:if we wanna cr- create a compassionate world for animals, we should be willing
situation:to extend some of the compassion to the people trying to help them Another
situation:response came from Chelsea B, and I found this one particularly interesting.
situation:Chelsea said her difficult decision was simply asking questions.
situation:She explained that asking certain questions brought awareness to
situation:issues that needed attention.
situation:Now, I think this is something we really need to talk about because
situation:in rescue, asking questions can sometimes make people uncomfortable.
situation:Where are donations going?
situation:What are the adoption policies?
situation:How are the medical decisions being made?
situation:What happens to the animals that aren't adopted?
situation:Are we measuring outcomes?
situation:Are we actually reducing overpopulation, or are we just moving
situation:animals from one place to another?
situation:These are the questions that responsible organizations should
situation:be willing to discuss, and I wanna make something very clear.
situation:Accountability is not the enemy of rescue.
situation:Accountability is what helps make rescue better.
situation:Now, that doesn't mean every accusation on social medi-media is legitimate.
situation:It doesn't mean we should attack organizations based on rumors, and
situation:it certainly doesn't mean we should assume wrongdoing simply because
situation:someone disagrees with a decision.
situation:But legitimate questions deserve legitimate answers.
situation:We should be able to disagree without turning every disagreement
situation:into a personal attack.
situation:We should be able to examine our methods.
situation:We should be willing to change practices that aren't working
situation:because The ultimate goal should not be protecting anyone's ego.
situation:The ultimate goal should be improving the outcome for the animals, and
situation:sometimes improvement begins with someone asking an uncomfortable question
situation:One of the responses came from Destry H.
situation:Destry raised concerns about fundraising and whether money
situation:being collected for animals is always being used appropriately.
situation:The comment included serious accusations on how some
situation:organizations handle donations.
situation:And I wanna be very careful here because allegations of financial
situation:wrongdoing should never be treated as established facts without evidence.
situation:But I do think that the broader issue of public trust deserves attention.
situation:Animal rescue depends heavily on trust.
situation:People donate because they believe money is helping animals.
situation:They volunteer because they believe in an, an organization's mission.
situation:They foster because they trust that an organization will provide support.
situation:And when the trust is damaged, it affects more than one organization.
situation:It can affect the entire rescue community.
situation:So how do we protect the trust?
situation:Transparency, clear communication, accurate reporting, responsible
situation:financial management, and a willingness to answer reasonable questions.
situation:I think organizations should be proud to explain how their programs operate,
situation:what their goals are, and how donations support those goals, and what the
situation:results are they're actually achieving.
situation:Because rescue is not just about good intentions.
situation:Good intentions matter, but so do outcomes, and so does accountability.
situation:Now, I wanna bring all of these responses together because when I took a look
situation:at 'em, I see something bigger than a collection of difficult decisions.
situation:I see a rescue community that is constantly being forced to react
to problems:an injured animal, an unwanted litter, an owner surrender,
to problems:a medical emergency, an animal with a serious behavioral issue, a rescue at
to problems:capacity, a volunteer who's burned out.
to problems:And every time somebody has to make a decision, usually with limited
to problems:resources, usually under pressure, and often knowing that whatever they
to problems:decide, somebody is going to be unhappy.
to problems:But here's what I keep coming back to.
to problems:Why are we accepting this as the normal way animal rescue should operate?
to problems:Why are we constantly managing emergencies instead of investing
to problems:more heavily in prevention?
to problems:Why are we measuring success by the number of animals we pull rather
to problems:than the number of animals who never become homeless in the first place?
to problems:Why aren't we doing more to make spay and neuter accessible?
to problems:Why aren't we holding people more accountable for responsial-
to problems:responsible ownership?
to problems:And why do we sometimes make it easier to transfer responsibility
to problems:for an animal than to help someone keep that animal responsibly?
to problems:I believe animal rescue needs to be about more than responding to suffering.
to problems:It needs to be about reducing the conditions that create suffering,
to problems:and it requires a different way of thinkering, thinking, and it
to problems:requires a different way of thinking.
to problems:It requires education, prevention, community partnerships, veterinary access,
to problems:responsible ownership, and organizations that are willing to work together even
to problems:when they don't agree on everything because no one Because no rescue can solve
to problems:this problem alone, and no individual rescuer should be expected to carry the
to problems:weight of an entire community's failures.
to problems:So let's get back to the original question.
to problems:What's one decision that you've made in rescue that you knew would
to problems:make somebody unhappy, but you knew it was the right thing to do?
to problems:After reading these responses, I think there's a common thread.
to problems:Every one of these people was describing a moment when they had to make a
to problems:decision that challenged their emotions, their relationships, or their beliefs
to problems:For some, it was saying no.
to problems:For others, it was establishing boundaries.
to problems:For some, it involved an animal suffering.
to problems:For others, it meant asking questions that people didn't wanna hear.
to problems:And what struck me the most was these decisions weren't always about choosing
to problems:between something good and something bad.
to problems:Sometimes they were about choosing between two difficult options,
to problems:and I think that's what makes rescue so emotionally complicated.
to problems:There isn't always a perfect answer, there isn't always a happy ending,
to problems:and there isn't always a decision that everyone will agree with.
to problems:But I do believe there are principles that should guide us.
to problems:We should prioritize animal welfare We should be honest about our limitations.
to problems:We should act responsibly.
to problems:We should seek professional guidance when decisions involve medical
to problems:care, safety, or euthanasia.
to problems:We should hold ourselves accountable, and we should treat one another with respect
to problems:and compassion because disagreement doesn't have to mean disrespect, and
to problems:making a difficult decision doesn't automatically make somebody a bad person.
to problems:Before we wrap up, I wanna leave you with something to think about.
to problems:Animal rescue attracts people who care deeply, people who are willing
to problems:to give their time, their money, their homes, and sometimes more of themselves
to problems:that, than they probably should.
to problems:But caring deeply doesn't mean we're always going to agree, and
to problems:it doesn't mean every decision we make will be the right one.
to problems:We're human.
to problems:We make mistakes.
to problems:We learn, and hopefully we grow.
to problems:What matters is whether we're willing to examine our decisions and ask ourselves
to problems:if we're doing truly what's best for the animals, not what's the easiest, not what
to problems:makes us look good on social media, not what gets the most likes or donations, but
to problems:what's actually the best for the animals.
to problems:And I think we have to ask ourselves another question.
to problems:Are we creating a rescue community where people feel supported enough to make
to problems:responsible decisions, or are we creating an environment where people are so afraid
to problems:of being criticized that they keep saying yes long after they should've said no?
to problems:Because that is something worth thinking about.
to problems:I wanna thank everyone who responded to my Facebook question.
to problems:I appreciate your willingness to share your experiences that were obviously
to problems:difficult, and I hope this conversation encourages more people to talk openly
to problems:about the realities of rescue because we cannot improve what we're unwilling to
to problems:discuss, and we cannot solve a problem if we're only willing to talk about
to problems:the parts that makes us feel good.
to problems:So now I wanna ask you, our Animal Posse listeners, the same question.
to problems:What's one decision that you have made that you knew wouldn't make
to problems:everybody happy, but you thought it was the right thing to do?
to problems:And looking back, would you make that same decision again?
to problems:Did you learn from it?
to problems:I'd like to hear your thoughts because sometimes the most important
to problems:conversations are the ones that make us a little bit uncomfortable.
to problems:Thank you for joining me today on Animal Posse.
to problems:Until next time, keep asking questions, keep advocating for the animals,
to problems:and remember, doing what is right isn't always popular, but doing
to problems:what's popular isn't always right.
to problems:I'll see y'all next time.
to problems:Thanks.
