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WE ARE NOT
HEROES
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by ASTC Rescue Chair Loree Levy-Schwartz
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Recently I did a
rescue that saved 21
shih tzu. Most were
purebred and some
were mixes. These
dogs came from a
hoarder in Anytown,
CA. The dogs' ages
ranged from 3 days
to 8 years.
I've taken 1 to 2
shih tzu a week from
our local shelters
or from owners
surrendering their
pets. The reason for
surrender is
sometimes valid but
most of the time a
convenience to the
owner to not have
their shih tzu any
longer. Keep in mind
I am stating what I
take in, this does
not include the good
work of other
rescuers and their
numbers. And yes,
most are rescuing
shih tzu.
Renee and Terri and
umpteen more of us
rescue and our task
is ongoing. We have
the dogs
spayed/neutered,
vaccinated,
microchipped and
groomed. We then
have the dogs in
foster care until
their new forever
home comes along. We
get dogs from days
old to old old.
So someone recently
called me a hero. I
thought about that
and I feel nothing
further from that. I
replied that "I am
not a hero, I'm a
rescuer."
For those who have
never done rescue I
want to share that
there is some
insanity within us
that compels us to
start and then to
continue. I figure
that we are natural
caretakers,
nurturers, with just
a dash of crazy! The
bottom line is most
of us love what we
do because we can
see the dog who is
so matted that you
can't even determine
the gender get
groomed and feel so
much better.
We see the shy dog
who retreats and
distrusts and after
love and care
blossoms. We see the
happy faces of the
people who were kind
and smart enough to
adopt a rescue dog
who sometimes comes
with baggage either
psychologically or
medically, but take
home these dogs and
commit to giving
them their forever
homes.
In a way I think we
are sort of selfish.
We get gratification
from what we do. We
don't "enjoy" it but
we do it. I can
speak for most of
us, we would love to
be put out of
business. You can
help ... spay and
neuter ... limit
your breeding ...
donate and more,
just use your
imagination!
So our thanks for
those of you who
think we are heroes.
We aren't, we are
just rescuers.
LOREE
LEVY-SCHWARTZ
TOY BREED RESCUE
BAY AREA SHIH TZU
RESCUE
SAN JOSE, CA
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