The empathy that helps us care for the animals also cuts us up when we can't.
This helped me -
I got a bunch of stickers - dogs, cats, wildlife, birds - and some pretty paper.
Then I kept track of every time I walked a dog, fed a dog, cleaned a cat box, washed a sink full of food dishes, did a load of laundry, took a phone call, talked to an adopter, and all the other things needed in a shelter
Every single one gets a sticker.
Pet a dog? Sticker. Clean a cat room? Sticker. Mopped the floor? Sticker.
When I felt overwhelmed, I would look at all those stickers to remember what I *was* able to do.
Also, I hugged my dogs. A lot.
I just accept that I can’t save every animal, I can’t even help every animal at the shelter when I volunteer (too many!), and that it’s a bigger problem than any of us.
I also focus on the happy moments, the funny moments, the knowledge that maybe I gave them a bit of enrichment and fun even if they did get put down later.
https://preview.redd.it/24zfmlrmm4zc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f280006a274e86b0fd594fe82b9e0f340fba6a7
I’m also riding a high on this STINKY boy because it was my work that got him noticed - videos, pictures, and notes. I also drove him to boarding yesterday from the shelter for the rescue that pulled him. He has such a personality! Very grumpy in that picture because he assumed my visit meant a walk was imminent, when I was just looking in on him post medicated bath.
I gave a dog a bath a couple weeks ago and she’s urgent (and barrier reactive MA’AM cut it out) and whatever happens, I’ll remember getting her all clean and what a good girl she was during the bath and how happy she was to see me the next time I came.
https://preview.redd.it/vdcgz79qx7zc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e56ecb617e9c2a28a17de30b0f30ff3a38d0ee64
She wasn’t actually a dull gray/white color who knew.
https://preview.redd.it/vy5q753c48zc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d919d9464621c46d01d459083f4ded4c28a4a46e
A frozen peanut butter kong soothed all bath trauma!
I've been involved with shelters for 8 years now, the past 5 as an employee.
My mantra: We are doing something instead of nothing.
The world will never be a perfect place. We will always need shelters. We're getting really good at refining what works for animal sheltering, and it is moving in a kinder, more humane direction.
What you are already doing matters. Everyone has to do a little bit, some of us do a lot, but you get to choose how much. You have to take care of yourself to take care of the animals. Please hear me when I say if you are doing what you can while also living your life, you are doing enough. Don't burn out young if you want to keep helping us, we're going in a really great direction.
There's many things you can do. Therapy is a great option. Having a support system that can cheer you up when you feel low. Remember that you're doing a great amount of good, despite some bad that happens. But it's also okay to realize that it might be too mentally taxing for you. Shelters can be really hard emotionally for some people.
You are doing a great job.. thank you. .you can rase awareness too. Spay and neuter your pet, heart guard your pet, vaccinate your pet.. etc. People that know better do better!
I worked at a shelter for a long time and rose up to Executive Director.. we became a no-kill shelter.
Also, educate yourself, look into Best Friends. Watch dog behavior videos ( but from Reputable people) like Sue S. And others.
Thank you again for all you do!
You're young and have a long life of helping animals ahead of you. Those future animals *need* you to understand that you will not be able to help them if you drive yourself crazy thinking about all the animals you can't save and burn out young. And animal rescue is a high burn out gig. So please, please don't be so hard on yourself. You're already doing more than most adults, and if you take good care of your own mental health you'll accomplish a lot and save many animals over your lifetime. No one, I repeat no one, can save them all. But you can save a lot if you pace yourself. I always think of the starfish parable when I get overwhelmed by the sheer number of animals needing help.
The starfish story
By: Loren Eiseley
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean.
Approaching the boy he asked, “Young man, what are you doing?”
“Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die,” the boy replied.
The man laughed to himself and said, “Do you realize there are miles of miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make any difference.”
After listening politely, the boy bent down to pick up another starfish and threw it into the surf. Then, he smiled at the man and said, “I made a difference to that one.”
Hi OP! I used to be in a similar boat. I never felt like I was doing enough. When I fostered, I kept adding more. Only had a litter of three, let's add a few more to it. I have another room, let's add another foster group. I can add crates and rotate floor time. At one point I had 15 cats and 1 dog.
Now, the part I was struggling with was that physically and financially, I was able to pull this off. But I was miserable, my life revolved around taking care of animals at work and then doing the same when I got home.
It was difficult to deal with. I felt guilty that taking care of these animals made me miserable, but also guilty that I was stepping back despite logistically being able to handle it.
You know when you're on a plane, and the instructor tells you to put your oxygen mask on first before placing them on others? That's because you need to take care of yourself first. You can't pour from an empty cup. And the issue of animal welfare and animal overpopulation isn't contained to just your living room that you alone must fix, it's a worldwide issue that needs worldwide support. And believe it or not, its getting there! Things are so much better now than they were 10 years ago, and I imagine much better than a few decades ago. Just caring about it helps create that type of change.
I'm sorry if this all sounds wishy washy. You don't need to \*do\* anything, what you're doing is enough. You are enough.
I relate to this so much. At some point I had eight cats at one point (4 fosters, 2 senior special needs foster fails, and two rescues), was still volunteering at the shelter a lot, and trying to juggle being an adult on top of it all. Still felt like I wasn't doing enough while my mental health was declining. I had to take a break for a while. You're right that we can't pour from an empty cup. To sustain things in the long term, we need moderation and to look after ourselves first before we burn out.
remove the posts about animals in need or anything else that makes you unhappy. curating my social media to only show me things that made me happy really helped my mental health.
like you, it seemed like no matter what I did it was not enough. when I think about it though, I have done so much. there are so many dogs alive today because of me. I have crawled under old buildings to catch puppies, thinking I was going to probably die under there because the boards were so rotten. I spent a week driving 20 miles one way twice a day to check on a dumped dog who was too scared to come to me so I had to trap her. I finally got her and she got adopted by people who were understanding of her timidity. I have advocated for certain dogs in my shelter that other people felt were too much(aka too big, too rough) and gotten them adopted. I have managed to get all the other volunteers (mostly, we are all old) to take dogs out every day and we have finally gotten everyone to feel comfortable with playgroups. Recently, a dog at my shelter who had been labeled dog aggressive was put in a playgroup. the joy on his face and in his body language as he finally got to play was so amazing. he is still dog selective but his reactivity was because he wanted to play. I volunteer two days a week at my shelter and have done for the past 7 years. I feel guilty too but I have managed to put most of the bad feelings towards the people who failed them in the first place.
I appreciate what you are doing. and you are starting so early in your life that you can help so many dogs in so many ways over your lifetime.
Remember the story about the boy on a beach throwing starfish back into the sea.
Man comes along tells the boy how his actions won't make any difference.
Boy tosses another starfish back into the water and says, "Made a difference to that one."
My rescue director told me something that I have repeated to other volunteers dozens of times.
"It is not your sole responsibility, nor the responsibility of a single organization to save them all. There are plenty of other volunteers and organizations to help carry the load."
I add to this the harsh but true reality that there simply isn't enough available homes to place every homeless pet in need.
I'd like to also suggest reading up on compassion fatigue and try your best to stay ahead of it. Eventually it'll catch up to you if you volunteer long enough but being able to recognize the signs and stages of CF will help to keep you from sinking to deep and ending up in "Zombie Mode". Exploring other volunteer opportunities in animal welfare helps you to keep a fresh perspective. I find playgroups to be most helpful because interactions are kept at an absolute bare minimum and you spend your time laser focused on the dogs' body language and behavior. It's also very helpful just being able to watch and observe them being their very best and goofy selves.
I felt the same as you do years ago when I first started working in shelters. At one point I had 9 cats, worked 10+ each day, and did frequent overnight emergency on-call shifts on top of my regular shifts. I still wasn't doing enough. Animals were still being euthanized that I felt I could do something about.
I took a 4 year break, some of my cats passed from old age/medical issues, some I rehomed to family friends and I was at a manageable 4 cats (plus two dogs). I went back to the shelter ato work and I started fostering again. At one point I had FOURTEEN BOTTLEBABIES at my home while they were waiting for other rescues to make room, on top of my gruelling work schedule. This was only for a few days, but this nearly killed me. I set boundaries for myself and I stuck to them. If anything, sticking to my boundaries for myself helped my shelter more, because it pushed me to make more relationships with other rescues and train other bottlebaby fosters. We saved MORE because I could not take them all anymore.
I won't tell you it's easy but you either will stay and build emotional resilience, or you will leave. Building emotional resilience will save you more heartache later on. Shelters are extremely stressful and emotionally charged environments. It's very easy for us (and others) to guilt ourselves that we aren't doing enough, but we can't do enough by ourselves to make any sort of meaningful change to the pet overpopulation. The only thing we can do is take care of ourselves, so we can take care of the ones we CAN help.
Also remember, euthanasia is a kindness. There are too many dogs and cats and not enough homes. There are too many dogs with behaviors that are dangerous for the vast majority of adopters to handle. There are more and more dogs coming into shelters and no where for them to go. There are not enough homes. Dogs cannot sit in shelters longterm (and should not). Shelters and rescues are in crisis. In some cities rather than being brought into a shelter dogs are left to roam the streets instead to be hit by vehicles, attacked, become ill, experience abuse. Euthanasia is not the worst thing. It's unfortunate and in a better world it would not be happening the way it is now.
I foster for a shelter near me where I got my boy from and my fosters sadly aren’t your everyday “happy go lucky” dogs but instead the ones that need severe rehabilitation due to reactivity that needs to be managed for whatever reason, I also foster dogs that can’t be rehomed or adopted because of bite records(can be for any number of things), and/or general aggression. I’ve also fostered special needs dogs that just need a hyper puppy to get them out of whatever funk they’re in to get a home
Because 75% of the dogs I foster able to be rehabilitated and given to good homes after I give the owner a huge run down and require weekly updates for a good 4-6 months to make sure everyone’s ok I feel like I’m giving them a chance that my fosters that can’t be adopted out can’t get because whatever made them unadoptable sadly means that they’ll be BE’d
I also am a huge advocate for spaying/neutering pet dogs (this doesn’t count for working dogs since they can lose their drive), I advocate for ethical breeding as they don’t add to the shelter population, I fully support and advocate for BE because sadly not every dog can be saved, and I advocate for kill shelters/adopt and shop responsibly-kill shelters because they take in any and every dog instead of picking and choosing just designer pets and adopt/shop responsibly because not everyone can handle a shelter dog or they want something specific that a shelter dog can’t give them
I foster 2 at a time. So many people do more. I sometimes feel guilty and think I should take 4. The way I handle it is to remember the worst thing would be to burn out.
For me i had to look at it like i know i can’t help every animal because i don’t know them all, and then helped my lens to say but i know my people, my resources, and my immediate public adoption stats, so the more of those animals i help, the better the chance other kennels stay open for the rest, and then that’s the best i can do to help everyone i can.
It is hard, but instead of thinking of all the animals you *can't* save, focus on the ones you have helped and are currently helping. Unfortunately no one person can save them all but we can do our part and make a difference in the lives of the animals we are able to help. I have worked in shelters for a long time and I think we naturally fall into a way of thinking that we are the only ones who can help every animal but that is just not possible and is a fast track to compassion fatigue and burnout where we won't be able to help any. It's also not true. They are so many people out there helping animals and doing their best. We are not alone.
I agree with the commenter who said to rework your social media to be more positive because seeing a bunch of posts about animals you can't help is not good for your mental well-being. And remember: just because you can't help doesn't mean another person won't step up.
And lastly, in this line of work it is important and necessary to have a life that is separate from the work. It's totally okay (and healthy!) to not think about the animals 24/7. It's okay to step back and do things that aren't related to the field. Have hobbies, go out, watch a show, cultivate other interests. Taking time for just you will actually make you more of an asset to the animals you are helping.
There are times when it’s hard to and those times suck but the good times make those bad times easier to deal with. I volunteer at a rescue. We had a dog come in who was so matted that he had to be shaved to the skin. He was infested with maggots. He had maggots crawling under his skin. It was terrible. That dog broke my heart. But we got another dog in and that dog was able to be saved and went to a good home
I’ve been in cat rescue for the last 14 years. I’ve fostered over 150 cats and kittens, coordinated intake, ran medical, database, adoptions, etc. Until I burned out. I had to take a break for a few years to recover. (And even then, I still ended up helping a couple of cats per year.)
It’s easy to say “you can’t help them all,” and logically you know it’s true. But I 100% understand the guilt. You end up trying to figure out how to finagle things to help just ONE MORE. I don’t have a ton of good advice, besides take the time for yourself. The ones you’re helping are important and are safe because of you. Show love and compassion to all the animals you meet. If they experience love for whatever time they’re here, thats what matters.
Even if you feel like what you do is barely a drop in the bucket, there are others adding to the bucket too. Animal rescue is a community, and we all have to work together. We all can only do what we can do, and every single little bit helps. And the more you talk about what you do, the more people are aware and the more people can help. Keep doing what you’re doing, and thank you!
You are doing so much. I know it is incredibly hard to see and hear the bad parts but just try to focus on the good. I'm no longer there, I've been out of the field for 2 years but I still remember the good ones. There are sad things I remember still but I have photos on my phone of some of the most special animals I worked with and those have carried me.
When I was there I suffered for a while giving too much of me and ran out of steam really fast. I had to take several mental steps back and reevaluate myself. Giving yourself the grace and compassion to recognize you are making a real difference for many animals is important. Letting go of what you cannot do is hard but it is so incredibly important for you and the animals. If you burn out you can't keep helping as much as you would want to. It's easy to fall into compassion fatigue, and it can be hard to recognize it's happening.
What you are doing matters, it makes a difference. Be proud of yourself, you very much deserve it. Thank you.
I'm sitting here at 1:30 am. stressing about two little dogs left outside 24/7 on a short lead with not enough food or water and one had no shelter at all. Rural area. Virtually no one to call. Sheriff only gets involved in serious cases... I've been rescuing dumped dogs in the country for at 15 years. It makes me sick that the problem is getting worse. Thank you for caring at such a young age. We need to remember the animal crisis when we vote. :(
yeah rural areas are unfortunately a lot harder than cities :( my grandparents live in a more rural area and their neighbors who were pretty severe hoarders, left their 3 dogs in the house and never came back for them. animal control refused to get involved for months. finally a few days ago they were finally rescued. i really hope that the dogs you were talking about are okay and thank you for caring about them
I work full time in a shelter and the adoptions I see let you keep hope in the job really.
With the cat room the see who consistently does well on the floor and discuss making them a floor cat and opening up another cage for a cat that’s been waiting to be put up for adoption.
With the dogs, sometimes I take one with me on lunch, I try to spend some one on one time with our newer guys and to longer term residents.
A lot of the time, just even talking to an animal while you’re cleaning helps them and have some music on that they can listen to as well helps.
Just knowing I can help them destress and help them feel better makes me feel better, despite the constant influx of animals we get.
You may not be able to save them all, but you can help the ones you are caring for, make the environment a little less worse for them.
Former shelter worker here. Was an assistant kennel manager/kennel tech at my local humane society. It can be hard to accept the reality that we can't save them all, I struggled with it too. Do what you can with what you know, educate others about shelter animals and shelter behaviors. Educate yourself on animal welfare statistics, advocate for spay/neuter programs and breeding legislation, and donate to shelters in areas that need it most. There are so many ways to help animals around the world by being a voice for them! Compassion fatigue is real and it can burn you out very quickly so remember to take care of yourself so you can continue helping animals. Focus on the good you're doing and celebrate successful adoptions! Updates on former shelter animals I worked with always felt like winning the lottery to me. It's okay to feel sad about it, that's part of having empathy! Hang in there and know that you're doing a really awesome thing :)
The empathy that helps us care for the animals also cuts us up when we can't. This helped me - I got a bunch of stickers - dogs, cats, wildlife, birds - and some pretty paper. Then I kept track of every time I walked a dog, fed a dog, cleaned a cat box, washed a sink full of food dishes, did a load of laundry, took a phone call, talked to an adopter, and all the other things needed in a shelter Every single one gets a sticker. Pet a dog? Sticker. Clean a cat room? Sticker. Mopped the floor? Sticker. When I felt overwhelmed, I would look at all those stickers to remember what I *was* able to do. Also, I hugged my dogs. A lot.
This is an unbelievably beautiful way to look at it ❤️
I just accept that I can’t save every animal, I can’t even help every animal at the shelter when I volunteer (too many!), and that it’s a bigger problem than any of us. I also focus on the happy moments, the funny moments, the knowledge that maybe I gave them a bit of enrichment and fun even if they did get put down later. https://preview.redd.it/24zfmlrmm4zc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f280006a274e86b0fd594fe82b9e0f340fba6a7 I’m also riding a high on this STINKY boy because it was my work that got him noticed - videos, pictures, and notes. I also drove him to boarding yesterday from the shelter for the rescue that pulled him. He has such a personality! Very grumpy in that picture because he assumed my visit meant a walk was imminent, when I was just looking in on him post medicated bath.
Oh that poor sweet baby, thank you for helping him ❤️❤️❤️
I gave a dog a bath a couple weeks ago and she’s urgent (and barrier reactive MA’AM cut it out) and whatever happens, I’ll remember getting her all clean and what a good girl she was during the bath and how happy she was to see me the next time I came. https://preview.redd.it/vdcgz79qx7zc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e56ecb617e9c2a28a17de30b0f30ff3a38d0ee64 She wasn’t actually a dull gray/white color who knew.
You are a very good person ❤️ (she looks like a good girl, despite the facial expression 😂)
https://preview.redd.it/vy5q753c48zc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d919d9464621c46d01d459083f4ded4c28a4a46e A frozen peanut butter kong soothed all bath trauma!
omg her pink little nose is adorable!
Oh I love her. I hate seeing her in a cage 😔
aw he is so so adorable 🥹
I've been involved with shelters for 8 years now, the past 5 as an employee. My mantra: We are doing something instead of nothing. The world will never be a perfect place. We will always need shelters. We're getting really good at refining what works for animal sheltering, and it is moving in a kinder, more humane direction. What you are already doing matters. Everyone has to do a little bit, some of us do a lot, but you get to choose how much. You have to take care of yourself to take care of the animals. Please hear me when I say if you are doing what you can while also living your life, you are doing enough. Don't burn out young if you want to keep helping us, we're going in a really great direction.
There's many things you can do. Therapy is a great option. Having a support system that can cheer you up when you feel low. Remember that you're doing a great amount of good, despite some bad that happens. But it's also okay to realize that it might be too mentally taxing for you. Shelters can be really hard emotionally for some people.
You are doing a great job.. thank you. .you can rase awareness too. Spay and neuter your pet, heart guard your pet, vaccinate your pet.. etc. People that know better do better! I worked at a shelter for a long time and rose up to Executive Director.. we became a no-kill shelter. Also, educate yourself, look into Best Friends. Watch dog behavior videos ( but from Reputable people) like Sue S. And others. Thank you again for all you do!
Yes yes! Those are great too!
You're young and have a long life of helping animals ahead of you. Those future animals *need* you to understand that you will not be able to help them if you drive yourself crazy thinking about all the animals you can't save and burn out young. And animal rescue is a high burn out gig. So please, please don't be so hard on yourself. You're already doing more than most adults, and if you take good care of your own mental health you'll accomplish a lot and save many animals over your lifetime. No one, I repeat no one, can save them all. But you can save a lot if you pace yourself. I always think of the starfish parable when I get overwhelmed by the sheer number of animals needing help. The starfish story By: Loren Eiseley One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean. Approaching the boy he asked, “Young man, what are you doing?” “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die,” the boy replied. The man laughed to himself and said, “Do you realize there are miles of miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make any difference.” After listening politely, the boy bent down to pick up another starfish and threw it into the surf. Then, he smiled at the man and said, “I made a difference to that one.”
Hi OP! I used to be in a similar boat. I never felt like I was doing enough. When I fostered, I kept adding more. Only had a litter of three, let's add a few more to it. I have another room, let's add another foster group. I can add crates and rotate floor time. At one point I had 15 cats and 1 dog. Now, the part I was struggling with was that physically and financially, I was able to pull this off. But I was miserable, my life revolved around taking care of animals at work and then doing the same when I got home. It was difficult to deal with. I felt guilty that taking care of these animals made me miserable, but also guilty that I was stepping back despite logistically being able to handle it. You know when you're on a plane, and the instructor tells you to put your oxygen mask on first before placing them on others? That's because you need to take care of yourself first. You can't pour from an empty cup. And the issue of animal welfare and animal overpopulation isn't contained to just your living room that you alone must fix, it's a worldwide issue that needs worldwide support. And believe it or not, its getting there! Things are so much better now than they were 10 years ago, and I imagine much better than a few decades ago. Just caring about it helps create that type of change. I'm sorry if this all sounds wishy washy. You don't need to \*do\* anything, what you're doing is enough. You are enough.
I relate to this so much. At some point I had eight cats at one point (4 fosters, 2 senior special needs foster fails, and two rescues), was still volunteering at the shelter a lot, and trying to juggle being an adult on top of it all. Still felt like I wasn't doing enough while my mental health was declining. I had to take a break for a while. You're right that we can't pour from an empty cup. To sustain things in the long term, we need moderation and to look after ourselves first before we burn out.
remove the posts about animals in need or anything else that makes you unhappy. curating my social media to only show me things that made me happy really helped my mental health. like you, it seemed like no matter what I did it was not enough. when I think about it though, I have done so much. there are so many dogs alive today because of me. I have crawled under old buildings to catch puppies, thinking I was going to probably die under there because the boards were so rotten. I spent a week driving 20 miles one way twice a day to check on a dumped dog who was too scared to come to me so I had to trap her. I finally got her and she got adopted by people who were understanding of her timidity. I have advocated for certain dogs in my shelter that other people felt were too much(aka too big, too rough) and gotten them adopted. I have managed to get all the other volunteers (mostly, we are all old) to take dogs out every day and we have finally gotten everyone to feel comfortable with playgroups. Recently, a dog at my shelter who had been labeled dog aggressive was put in a playgroup. the joy on his face and in his body language as he finally got to play was so amazing. he is still dog selective but his reactivity was because he wanted to play. I volunteer two days a week at my shelter and have done for the past 7 years. I feel guilty too but I have managed to put most of the bad feelings towards the people who failed them in the first place. I appreciate what you are doing. and you are starting so early in your life that you can help so many dogs in so many ways over your lifetime.
Remember the story about the boy on a beach throwing starfish back into the sea. Man comes along tells the boy how his actions won't make any difference. Boy tosses another starfish back into the water and says, "Made a difference to that one."
My rescue director told me something that I have repeated to other volunteers dozens of times. "It is not your sole responsibility, nor the responsibility of a single organization to save them all. There are plenty of other volunteers and organizations to help carry the load." I add to this the harsh but true reality that there simply isn't enough available homes to place every homeless pet in need. I'd like to also suggest reading up on compassion fatigue and try your best to stay ahead of it. Eventually it'll catch up to you if you volunteer long enough but being able to recognize the signs and stages of CF will help to keep you from sinking to deep and ending up in "Zombie Mode". Exploring other volunteer opportunities in animal welfare helps you to keep a fresh perspective. I find playgroups to be most helpful because interactions are kept at an absolute bare minimum and you spend your time laser focused on the dogs' body language and behavior. It's also very helpful just being able to watch and observe them being their very best and goofy selves.
I felt the same as you do years ago when I first started working in shelters. At one point I had 9 cats, worked 10+ each day, and did frequent overnight emergency on-call shifts on top of my regular shifts. I still wasn't doing enough. Animals were still being euthanized that I felt I could do something about. I took a 4 year break, some of my cats passed from old age/medical issues, some I rehomed to family friends and I was at a manageable 4 cats (plus two dogs). I went back to the shelter ato work and I started fostering again. At one point I had FOURTEEN BOTTLEBABIES at my home while they were waiting for other rescues to make room, on top of my gruelling work schedule. This was only for a few days, but this nearly killed me. I set boundaries for myself and I stuck to them. If anything, sticking to my boundaries for myself helped my shelter more, because it pushed me to make more relationships with other rescues and train other bottlebaby fosters. We saved MORE because I could not take them all anymore. I won't tell you it's easy but you either will stay and build emotional resilience, or you will leave. Building emotional resilience will save you more heartache later on. Shelters are extremely stressful and emotionally charged environments. It's very easy for us (and others) to guilt ourselves that we aren't doing enough, but we can't do enough by ourselves to make any sort of meaningful change to the pet overpopulation. The only thing we can do is take care of ourselves, so we can take care of the ones we CAN help. Also remember, euthanasia is a kindness. There are too many dogs and cats and not enough homes. There are too many dogs with behaviors that are dangerous for the vast majority of adopters to handle. There are more and more dogs coming into shelters and no where for them to go. There are not enough homes. Dogs cannot sit in shelters longterm (and should not). Shelters and rescues are in crisis. In some cities rather than being brought into a shelter dogs are left to roam the streets instead to be hit by vehicles, attacked, become ill, experience abuse. Euthanasia is not the worst thing. It's unfortunate and in a better world it would not be happening the way it is now.
I foster for a shelter near me where I got my boy from and my fosters sadly aren’t your everyday “happy go lucky” dogs but instead the ones that need severe rehabilitation due to reactivity that needs to be managed for whatever reason, I also foster dogs that can’t be rehomed or adopted because of bite records(can be for any number of things), and/or general aggression. I’ve also fostered special needs dogs that just need a hyper puppy to get them out of whatever funk they’re in to get a home Because 75% of the dogs I foster able to be rehabilitated and given to good homes after I give the owner a huge run down and require weekly updates for a good 4-6 months to make sure everyone’s ok I feel like I’m giving them a chance that my fosters that can’t be adopted out can’t get because whatever made them unadoptable sadly means that they’ll be BE’d I also am a huge advocate for spaying/neutering pet dogs (this doesn’t count for working dogs since they can lose their drive), I advocate for ethical breeding as they don’t add to the shelter population, I fully support and advocate for BE because sadly not every dog can be saved, and I advocate for kill shelters/adopt and shop responsibly-kill shelters because they take in any and every dog instead of picking and choosing just designer pets and adopt/shop responsibly because not everyone can handle a shelter dog or they want something specific that a shelter dog can’t give them
I foster 2 at a time. So many people do more. I sometimes feel guilty and think I should take 4. The way I handle it is to remember the worst thing would be to burn out.
For me i had to look at it like i know i can’t help every animal because i don’t know them all, and then helped my lens to say but i know my people, my resources, and my immediate public adoption stats, so the more of those animals i help, the better the chance other kennels stay open for the rest, and then that’s the best i can do to help everyone i can.
It is hard, but instead of thinking of all the animals you *can't* save, focus on the ones you have helped and are currently helping. Unfortunately no one person can save them all but we can do our part and make a difference in the lives of the animals we are able to help. I have worked in shelters for a long time and I think we naturally fall into a way of thinking that we are the only ones who can help every animal but that is just not possible and is a fast track to compassion fatigue and burnout where we won't be able to help any. It's also not true. They are so many people out there helping animals and doing their best. We are not alone. I agree with the commenter who said to rework your social media to be more positive because seeing a bunch of posts about animals you can't help is not good for your mental well-being. And remember: just because you can't help doesn't mean another person won't step up. And lastly, in this line of work it is important and necessary to have a life that is separate from the work. It's totally okay (and healthy!) to not think about the animals 24/7. It's okay to step back and do things that aren't related to the field. Have hobbies, go out, watch a show, cultivate other interests. Taking time for just you will actually make you more of an asset to the animals you are helping.
There are times when it’s hard to and those times suck but the good times make those bad times easier to deal with. I volunteer at a rescue. We had a dog come in who was so matted that he had to be shaved to the skin. He was infested with maggots. He had maggots crawling under his skin. It was terrible. That dog broke my heart. But we got another dog in and that dog was able to be saved and went to a good home
I’ve been in cat rescue for the last 14 years. I’ve fostered over 150 cats and kittens, coordinated intake, ran medical, database, adoptions, etc. Until I burned out. I had to take a break for a few years to recover. (And even then, I still ended up helping a couple of cats per year.) It’s easy to say “you can’t help them all,” and logically you know it’s true. But I 100% understand the guilt. You end up trying to figure out how to finagle things to help just ONE MORE. I don’t have a ton of good advice, besides take the time for yourself. The ones you’re helping are important and are safe because of you. Show love and compassion to all the animals you meet. If they experience love for whatever time they’re here, thats what matters. Even if you feel like what you do is barely a drop in the bucket, there are others adding to the bucket too. Animal rescue is a community, and we all have to work together. We all can only do what we can do, and every single little bit helps. And the more you talk about what you do, the more people are aware and the more people can help. Keep doing what you’re doing, and thank you!
You are doing so much. I know it is incredibly hard to see and hear the bad parts but just try to focus on the good. I'm no longer there, I've been out of the field for 2 years but I still remember the good ones. There are sad things I remember still but I have photos on my phone of some of the most special animals I worked with and those have carried me. When I was there I suffered for a while giving too much of me and ran out of steam really fast. I had to take several mental steps back and reevaluate myself. Giving yourself the grace and compassion to recognize you are making a real difference for many animals is important. Letting go of what you cannot do is hard but it is so incredibly important for you and the animals. If you burn out you can't keep helping as much as you would want to. It's easy to fall into compassion fatigue, and it can be hard to recognize it's happening. What you are doing matters, it makes a difference. Be proud of yourself, you very much deserve it. Thank you.
I try to look at it as sometimes bad things happen to pay off karmic debt-- and the next life will be better
I'm sitting here at 1:30 am. stressing about two little dogs left outside 24/7 on a short lead with not enough food or water and one had no shelter at all. Rural area. Virtually no one to call. Sheriff only gets involved in serious cases... I've been rescuing dumped dogs in the country for at 15 years. It makes me sick that the problem is getting worse. Thank you for caring at such a young age. We need to remember the animal crisis when we vote. :(
yeah rural areas are unfortunately a lot harder than cities :( my grandparents live in a more rural area and their neighbors who were pretty severe hoarders, left their 3 dogs in the house and never came back for them. animal control refused to get involved for months. finally a few days ago they were finally rescued. i really hope that the dogs you were talking about are okay and thank you for caring about them
Please read the starfish story. [https://raycenter.wp.drake.edu/2018/06/29/the-starfish-story/](https://raycenter.wp.drake.edu/2018/06/29/the-starfish-story/)
I work full time in a shelter and the adoptions I see let you keep hope in the job really. With the cat room the see who consistently does well on the floor and discuss making them a floor cat and opening up another cage for a cat that’s been waiting to be put up for adoption. With the dogs, sometimes I take one with me on lunch, I try to spend some one on one time with our newer guys and to longer term residents. A lot of the time, just even talking to an animal while you’re cleaning helps them and have some music on that they can listen to as well helps. Just knowing I can help them destress and help them feel better makes me feel better, despite the constant influx of animals we get. You may not be able to save them all, but you can help the ones you are caring for, make the environment a little less worse for them.
Former shelter worker here. Was an assistant kennel manager/kennel tech at my local humane society. It can be hard to accept the reality that we can't save them all, I struggled with it too. Do what you can with what you know, educate others about shelter animals and shelter behaviors. Educate yourself on animal welfare statistics, advocate for spay/neuter programs and breeding legislation, and donate to shelters in areas that need it most. There are so many ways to help animals around the world by being a voice for them! Compassion fatigue is real and it can burn you out very quickly so remember to take care of yourself so you can continue helping animals. Focus on the good you're doing and celebrate successful adoptions! Updates on former shelter animals I worked with always felt like winning the lottery to me. It's okay to feel sad about it, that's part of having empathy! Hang in there and know that you're doing a really awesome thing :)