Thursday, August 11, 2011

What attracts us to rescue?

On nights like tonight, I wonder what ever compelled me to enter the world of rescuing animals. It certainly wasn't a conscious decision. I remember carrying home near dead pigeons as a child, praying over them as they passed away, begging God to breathe life back into them.

I grew up with a schnauzer, Schnuppy. She was my dog. She was by my side as Girl is today, as soulful as a soulmate could ever be. This was way back during the 60's. I knew nothing about animals other than my own instinct, perhaps knowing then more than I do now. Then I communicated with my simple child's mind with them, one on one.

It's sad for me to remember Schnuppy. I remember she was lost once, seemingly for about a month. I recall the day I found her. I could see her way down the street nearly two blocks away. I screeched her name as loud as I could and she beat a path to my arms faster than a lightning streak. I wish I could hold her right now. That was one of those best moments I ever experienced in my life. That was as good as it would ever get.

All that time, she'd only been a couple of blocks away and we had no idea. My mother was always drunk and/or on some sort of medication as fifties women were. My sister and I were left on our own most of the time. I was about fourteen during this period in my life. We moved away mid school year. I do not know what happened to Schnuppy. I blame myself for this. I do not know what happened to her.

Did my mother give her away? I pushed the feelings down and refused to think about it for a long long time. I only take out this memory on nights like this when I'm questioning why things happen to us and to the animals we love.

I don't even have a photograph of her. That is another story.

Willis
Willis is one of the rescue dogs. He came from Sonoma County. He is a beautiful chocolaty red boy. He was boarded with Cyndi where all the California dogs are. He had a good time there. She is all about the dogs, much more than I could ever be. She never meets a bad dog.

He was adopted to a young man in San Francisco. I happened to write the other day to check on Willis and received an email saying Willis had either run away or had been stolen. The guy didn't want to contact me, because he thought Willis might return.

I am terrified. So is Cyndi. We've had four animal communicators on it, two of which believe he is at a park and near water. The other two believe he is with some homeless people in an encampment. He's communicated most with Patti. She believes he is at Golden Gate Park. A Craigslist posting claimed to have seen a boy looking much like Willis at the park yesterday.

Cyndi drove all the way from Lodi in the middle of the night to look for him, but couldn't get him to wake up. We were all tired and Patti began to doubt herself. I could see it in her emails. Finally, Cyndi had to turn around and return home empty handed.

We are all sad. Mostly, we are so fearful of Willis winding up in the wrong hands. I've contacted every dogwalker I could find to be on the lookout, posted on Craigslist over and over, announced on every single Facebook page I can find...I just don't know what else to do to find Willis.

I can only hope and know there is a greater power than me at work here, a power that is responsible for the dogs and all animals everywhere. I can only hope and try to think positively.