I’m a dreamer from way back.
I have an incredibly active, vivid fantasy world. It turns out the place I made up in my head is way better than anything in reality. It’s a great escape for me when life’s a little rough or my days are difficult.
Even when I was little, I’ve always been able to get away into my imagination, and it has served me well. It’s why I love reading and writing and watching movies. Those worlds are really great distractions for me.
Have you ever finished reading a book that you had really gotten into, and when you look around, the actual world looks funny? Almost like you forgot what reality was?
So fun.
I tell you all this not so you can look at me askance, although I’d certainly understand if you did, but to lay the groundwork and foundation for what I’m about to discuss.
I may be a dreamer and a lover of make-believe, but I also know that reality is a very serious fact of life that needs to be addressed from time to time.
Very few things frustrate us more at the animal shelter than when animals get adopted, only to get returned a short time later. Some of the reasons can be valid – when an animal really doesn’t fit well in the home, and there are serious concerns. We get that. But the frustration level is often multiplied when the reasons for returning the animal were the exact same cautions we told the people about in the first place.
Our animals at the shelter are all dear and sweet and deserving of a second chance, but a certain percentage of them come with issues. They can be energetic and excitable and tough to walk on a leash, and we try to be as upfront and candid with people as we can. We want a potential adopter to know what he or she may be facing down the road.
So when some of our more exuberant residents find a home and then come back a week later because they “don’t walk well on a leash,” and the people are mad at us because we adopted a dog to them who didn’t live up to their standards, our hackles tend to go up.
Can you imagine this? I’m not kidding. After spending a remarkable amount of time discussing the dog’s traits, we’re the ones who get blamed when he pulls too much on a leash and the people can’t handle it? Come on.
When did listening become such a chore? Or such an impossible request? When did people stop thinking about the future and making plans and instead start embracing instantaneous gratification and quick fixes when things go wrong?
When did people stop taking responsibility for, well, pretty much anything?
It’s frustrating – and especially when an innocent animal is involved.
None of our animals are going to be instantaneously perfect pets. Indeed, I’d go so far as to say such a creature doesn’t exist outside of a make-believe world.
With shelter animals in general, there will be an adjustment period while the pup or cat gets used to you and vice versa. Housetraining will take time and patience. Teaching a dog to walk on a leash will require some work.
Our shelter pets have seen a lot in their lives, and what they need is someone who understands, is willing to listen to the people who’ve come to know them, take the time and training necessary to help them become incredible four-legged friends and love them no matter what.
I enjoy the world of make-believe as much as the next rabid fan of Harry Potter or Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Supernatural or Narnia, but when it comes to the life of an animal, that’s the time to stop the dreaming and really start listening.
