Random Rescue Friday

 "The Morse One Animal at a Time Pet Rescue."


The internet is full of Rescues. There are so many dogs and cats and goats and horses, lizards, pigs birds and fish in need of homes that it boggles the mind. I'm new to the world of Animal rescue. I spent nearly three decades rescuing people, and the need there is nearly insurmountable. But the big difference between rescuing people and rescuing animals is this: people for the most part are capable of rescuing themselves. The safety net for people in need is immense, and obtainable with just a little effort. We are not euthanizing 74,000 people every day.

But we are killing 74,000 dogs and cats. Every day.

We have two cats, had two dogs until three years ago when we had to say goodbye, now we have another one. We are not on the internet, we're not an official "Pet Rescue," we don't foster, advertise or go to pet adoption events. Most people don't. But most people would be willing to adopt a pet if their circumstances allowed.

Until we adopted Mr. Wilson, there was absolutely no way our circumstances allowed. Two cats were enough, and the pain felt upon the passing of Zimba and Lakota after 12 years of companionship was simply something I never wanted to endure again.Or so I thought.

Enter "The Morse One Animal at a Time Pet Rescue."

Since adopting Mr. Wilson through Petfinder, FOHA RI and Alpha Dog Pet Transport we cannot imagine life without him. He has become an integral part of our home, and any future pain we may feel pales in comparison to the joy we feel every time we wake and know he is near. He is part of our clan, he herds the cats, and they swipe at him, but lie next to him, he keeps an eye on us, and frowns when we fight, and laughs when we do, which is far more often than we did before he came along.

There are a lot of people just like us out there, people who need a little boost in their routine, a little something extra to make life sweeter, and taking a chance an a homeless pet is a great way to begin exploring all of the possibilities that exist for us during our time here on earth. I once thought that my days of befriending a member of the animal kingdom were over, but how foolish was I?

Life is for living. There is a beginning, and an end. I plan on getting in as many licks as I can while I'm in the middle.

And Mr. Wilson's got a lot of licks in him.


Between all of the Pet Rescues and available pets, and the over half of pet-less homes, I think there a lot of people who are missing out. We just have to figure out how to let them know what they are missing.

U.S. pet-ownership estimates from the APPA for 2012

Dogs

• 83.3 million—Number of owned dogs
• 47 percent—Percentage of households that own at least one dog
• 70 percent—Percentage of owners with one dog
• 20 percent—Percentage of owners with two dogs
• 10 percent—Percentage of owners with three or more dogs
• 1.47—Average number of owned dogs per household
• 20 percent—Percentage of owned dogs who were adopted from animal shelters
• $231—Average annual amount spent by dog owners on routine veterinary visits
• 83 percent—Percentage of owned dogs who are spayed or neutered
• Even—Proportion of male to female owned dogs

Cats

• 95.6 million—Number of owned cats
• 46 percent—Percentage of owners with one cat
• 31 percent—Percentage of owners with two cats
• 24 percent—Percentage of owners with three or more cats
• 2.11—Average number of owned cats per household
• 26 percent—Percentage of owned cats who were adopted from an animal shelter
• $193—Average annual amount spent by cat owners on routine veterinary visits
• 91 percent—Percentage of owned cats who are spayed or neutered
• 73 percent vs. 62 percent—The difference in number of owned female cats and owned male cats, respectively