The Reality of Rescue

I am a volunteer for Heart of Texas Lab Rescue. I am the editor of the newsletter, and obviously, the HOTLR blogger. I have also fostered. You might see me at some community rescue events, usually showing off one of my own adopted HOTLR dogs, or you might find me at the vet clinic helping out with some new dogs just brought into the program. Occasionally, you might see me at a Meet 'n Greet.

I have discovered that volunteering for a rescue group is very rewarding. I remember thinking long and hard before I sent in my volunteer application, because I wanted to make sure I was really committed to the cause before I spent a good deal of my spare time working for it. Once I made the decision to push the "Enter" key, there was no turning back.

I am here to tell you that volunteering for Heart of Texas Lab Rescue has changed my life. First and foremost, I have met some amazing people that live and breath Labradors. These people are truly dedicated to rescuing and rehoming as many of these wonderful creatures as they can. I have learned so much about animal rescue and the blood, sweat and tears it takes to make a rescue work.

And then there are the dogs.....how many of these beautiful resilient dogs I have had the pleasure to meet, I cannot tell you. I want to take all of them home and have tried. I welcomed two of the most precious canine souls around into my home thanks to HOTLR, not to mention the sweet dogs that I happily fostered. I also visit animal shelters on occasion and have the honor of helping to choose the dogs that come into the program.

At this moment, HOTLR currently has around 20 dogs in our program. That's actually a lower number for us because we just had a massively successful Meet 'n Greet a few weekends ago where 5 lucky Labs got chosen by their forever families.

We are constantly bombarded with requests via email, Facebook, phone calls, etc. about dogs that need help. Most dogs come and go in a relatively short period of time from our program depending on medical or training issues that need to first be addressed before they meet families. However, currently, there are 3 dogs in our program we've had for over a year. Ruth is another one of our "long-timers" although she's been with us just 5 months. There were no medical issues with Ruth, she did not need much training. We don't know why she is still with us unless it is her age. But at nearly 9 years of age, she is, in my opinion, as sweet as a hot fudge sundae on a warm summer day and would make a perfect addition to any family. She is happy girl whose only wish in life is to be loved. She continues to patiently wait to be chosen by a loving family. (Please read Ruth's story on our Labs Available for Adoption page. She is one sweet girl that you will never regret giving a home, I promise. )

The reality is that for HOTLR to continue to exist, we have to take in dogs that are adoptable. The 3 dogs that we've had for over year are theoretically holding up space for approximately 36 other dogs that may have been rescued (if you consider 1 healthy dog per month for 12 months times 3 spots) if those dogs were not here. The money we take in for adoption fees helps us to maintain operations, mainly treating dogs for their medical problems and paying our bill at the kennel each month for those dogs that we do not have available foster families. That means that we sometimes have to leave dogs behind at shelters that are as deserving as the other dogs that we choose, so that we can be sure there are enough available dogs in the program that will easily adopt. Sounds cold-hearted, right? But it is reality. We have limited funds, limited foster families and limited space. So, yes, sometimes we have to leave an old, blind, deaf, heartworm positive dog behind because in the long run, we know that the opportunity for him to adopt is quite small, and the amount of time that we will have him keeps us from giving his space to other more easily adoptable dogs.

Believe me, as a person who has to look into his eyes, put him back into the cage, and leave him behind.....it really, really stinks. As a veterinary technician, a rescue volunteer, and a proud owner of a 13 year old Lab, every cell in my body screams for me to turn back, but I have to move forward to the next dog we can help.
Some people may not understand why we do not take "mixed breed" dogs. This one is also a "toughy" that can leave you teary-eyed at a shelter. When you walk aisle after aisle of beautiful, deserving dogs and look into those pleading eyes, it can be heartbreaking. Heart of Texas Lab Rescue has been around for 12 years. We have a certain reputation in the community as well as certain expectations that we seriously strive to meet. When someone comes to HOTLR for a Lab....that's what we try to give them. It's what we know best. That goofy energetic, fun-loving, people-oriented crowd pleaser that makes the Labrador Retriever the most popular dog in the United States. That's what we hope each family that comes to HOTLR gets. It's not that we try to discriminate against other breeds, it's just we know how Labs are supposed to behave. We know what to expect from them. Once they become mixed with other dog breeds, it's harder to predict their tendencies and behaviors, because we are not experts on those other breeds. To try to illustrate this point, it would be like going to buy a Ford at a Toyota dealership. Toyota knows Toyota, but they don't know Fords...

Lastly, the issue of strays comes up. When someone contacts us about a dog they have found, the very best thing they can do is take pictures. (A headshot and a side body shot work best.) Then, take the dog to their local shelter. Ask the shelter to notify us and also email us to let us know where the dog is and send us the pictures. The complicated Texas property laws keep us from simply picking up dogs that are found on the street and taking them into the program. They have to be legally released from their current ownership and that's most easily done by having the shelters transfer ownership to HOTLR after the dog spends the required amount of time in the shelter for the legal transfer of ownership to occur. Can you imagine how heart wrenching it would be if a dog has been placed in a family, but had not been legally transferred to HOTLR, and then we had to remove the dog from the adoptive family and give it back to its rightful owner? Not a situation we'd ever want to face.

I hope this clears up some of the mystery surrounding why some dogs make it into our program and others do not. We try the best we can to meet the expectations placed on us by the community while at the same time helping as many deserving Labs as we can. So when you volunteer for a rescue group that rescues the most popular breed in the US, the reality is that some Labs get left behind. That is the heartbreaking reality of rescue. So, I try to focus on the many Labs we've saved, and the many that will come in the future. It's hard, but we won't give up and the fight goes on. We are dedicated to placing as many Labs as we can into loving forever homes and giving these dogs the second chance they so deserve. We know we couldn't save as many Labs as we do without our volunteers and supporters, so thank you for helping us do what we can.