We remember miracles and take courage from them. Miracles often mark a turning point where things start to get better. That is because miracles disrupt defeatism -- they help us believe that obstacles can be overcome and that our loftiest goals are can be realized. How do miracles happen? Through prayers? Luck? Serendipity? The truth is that we can initiate a miracle just by caring. A single miracle inspires hope and helps us be alert to the moments when we can help shape patterns of change in a positive direction. 
In the Fall of 2018, a Collie/Newfoundland Mix dragged himself by his front paws along a road on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in Northern Minnesota. His obvious suffering moved one of the residents to ask for help from the Minnesota State Humane Agent, Gail Anderson. The dog was one of many that roamed free in the impoverished community-a familiar, friendly dog called Makwa, or "Bear" in Ojibwe.
Makwa's family didn't have the means to investigate or treat the sudden paralysis the dog seemed to be suffering. They loved him though, and they agreed to surrender him to Gail in the hope that she could get help for him. Gail took him to live on her porch until she could find a permanent situation for him, but with cold weather on its way, she knew there was no time to lose to find help for him.
Makwa as he was found by the State Humane Agent, in pain and unable to walk While Makwa didn't technically "belong" to anyone anymore, his radiant spirit inspired anyone who met him or heard his story to try to help as Gail reached out to the wider community and shared Makwa's story. For Makwa's sake, they all joined Gail in an urgent effort to find help for him, networking him far and wide on social media, securing a used dog wheelchair so he could get around, and raising money for his medical assessment. Though he was just 1 year old, poor Makwa was in rough shape: he had terrible trouble standing on his hind legs and poor circulation in the right hind leg. His vets warned he might never again walk on his own, and he would likely need close daily care to stay exercised, healthy, and clean. Makwa's supporters grew increasingly disheartened by his bleak prospects as they reached out to rescues and shelters across the state, only to be turned away. Many of the supporters had never before advocated for an animal; they'd never even thought about what can happen to a desperate dog or cat. Now that they had joined Makwa on his journey, they understood how precarious the lives of homeless animals can be. They also understood the difference their help could make, and they were determined to see him through to the future he deserved. Isn't it true that the most powerful thing we can do is care? That's where each of us, individually, has the power to influence what happens. Because we can have an effect and influence the outcome when the fate of a cat or dog like Makwa hangs in the balance, each one of us can make a difference, to set a new direction in motion. Even though his outlook was bleak -- a large black disabled dog-those who learned about him had opened a doorway to hope and possibility for Makwa to find his home for life. 
Pictured above left: Makwa is running and playing again!Pictured above right: It's not everyone who gets to give beautiful Ashley Judd a kiss! Makwa and Ashley meet at Home for Life's® 2019 Fall Gala!
After calling and being turned down by dozens of organizations around Minnesota, Gail called Home for Life.® She explained Makwa's situation, and we realized he had no chance in his condition, living in an unheated area, unable to walk and with no offers of help from shelters or rescues.
We didn't know what the future held for Makwa when we agreed to help, if he would ever walk again. Projecting the future, and the burden it would be to care for him, was daunting. It takes more than mercy and goodwill to restore the health of special animals like Makwa -- it takes a commitment of time, labor and funding for the lifetime of the animals, which can be 10 years, or more. Most importantly, it requires a renewed view of what is possible for an animal who has been turned away from other rescues or shelters for help, and to see them not as a problem to be solved but as an untapped treasure.
So we focused on restoring Makwa's health and all he could do and not his deficits. The great care he received at Home for Life®, from veterinary attention to high-quality nutrition to rehabilitation, which included medicine, water and laser therapy soon helped restore his vitality and strength. This loving and individual care that is integral to Home for Life® resulted in a miracle when Makwa regained the ability to walk again! Although he will always need attentive care to maintain his mobility and hygiene, he is able to enjoy playing and even running in his fashion with his new dog family.
News of Makwa's amazing recovery has also uplifted the community that first helped him. They can now see their own compassion and kindness, not just as concepts but as visible and practical facts in the world, embodied in one dog, Makwa, standing and even running! On his own four paws!
Animal Nation: Each animal's individual happiness and well-being is a victory for all animal welfare. Thinking about millions of animals who lose their lives each year is overwhelming. The estimate is that between 2-4 million cats and dogs are killed annually because no one wants them. Even people who care are challenged to understand how they can make a difference with a problem of this scale. When we look at animal homelessness and the vast numbers being killed each year through a wide scope, it's difficult to see the individuals. They become numbers and abstractions. If we operate only from this frame, we begin to lose the sense of our original mission and that's when dogs and cats like Makwa fail to find the help they so desperately need. Because they are only one animal, it is easy to turn away and ignore them or justify their death as if they are collateral damage. But the truth is, we're only able to understand the depth of a problem through an individual who is experiencing the problem firsthand and through their story.
I'm just overwhelmingly thankful that Makwa ended up with Home for Life.® He is a sincerely beautiful soul, as everyone he was/is in contact with will agree. Your organization does amazing work and doesn't shy away from disabilities as others do -- it's just not their mission, and I understand. However, there is a huge need to help these animals, and I will continue to support organizations strongly who do the very hard and costly work that you do. Sanctuaries are heaven on earth for the neediest souls. Makwa and all of your special residents are achieving real meaning to their lives, that they may never have known otherwise. I also believe you are setting standards of care for how animals with challenges can be redefined to achieve quality of life opportunities. Home for Life®, I hope others emulate your work. How fortunate our animals would be!" -- Gail Anderson, Minnesota Federated Humane Societies Agent The millions of suffering, lonely and unwanted animals are made up of individuals like Makwa. Whenever we disregard or devalue one of them, we place all animals in jeopardy, since any dog or cat can lose their home, become old, injured or ill and unwanted. What keeps animals safe and cherished is our attitude towards them, and our capacity to care. For animals who are vulnerable, everywhere, we can't turn away from tough cases like Makwa or consider their fate of negligible consequence. Saving an animal is more than a metaphor. It is meaningful because preserving the chance for one animal takes a stand for all animals in similar situations and makes visible and practical what is possible. In a system designed to handle problems on a mass scale, individuals can be overlooked. Yet behind every data point and every number is an individual, with a story and the need for someone to recognize all that makes them special.Home for Life's® focus on overlooked individuals has enabled us to spot gaps in the animal welfare system where cats or dogs are underserved and vulnerable, to identify where change needs to happen, and where there is opportunity for widespread improvement.
An internationally recognized care for life sanctuary, Home for Life®, offers a service to animals in need like no comparative organization. Many shelters and rescue organizations aspire to find a home for every animal and dream of the day when there will be no homeless animals. At Home for Life®, that's what we want too -- and that's what we provide -- for cats and dogs like Makwa who are overlooked for placement. Home for Life® has created a new idea, the care for life sanctuary -- a life-saving and life-affirming alternative for dogs and cats who have not been able to find a home or keep the home they had and for animals who have lifelong special care needs that most adopters cannot provide. We call our idea the "Third Door" in animal welfare, which gives at risk dogs and cats, animals who might have been passed over for adoption, a third chance and an alternative to an undeserved death. The dream of a home should be an opportunity that is available for all dogs and cats, and now with Home for Life®, and the innovative model we have created at our prototype sanctuary in Star Prairie, WI, it can be!
This summer we had a video produced about our Peace Creatures® programs -- innovative, cost-effective model programs that bring solace and joy to at-risk kids and adults in our community through healing pet therapy. This year our sanctuary animals, staff and volunteers will reach over 7000 vulnerable children and adults through the Peace Creatures® programs and provide nearly $900,000 worth of pet therapy benefits to those vulnerable people, many who are populations who often don't receive this service.These accomplishments would not be possible without our sanctuary. All that we accomplish starts with the belief that led to the founding of Home for Life® 22 years ago:Animals who need us are not a problem to be solved but an untapped treasure. We believe in the significance of every life we care for, and that the life of each cat and dog counts. That perspective is transformative, a premise that creates miracles-From establishing and taking new ground for the most vulnerable cats and dogs, to creating a safer world for all animals by showing what's possible, to reaching out to the community through our animals who serve as ambassadors for our mission and conviction that all life is valuable.
As a supporter said to me in an email message this year " Home for Life is a sanctuary for us too because you show that there is still kindness and compassion in the world." That message made 22 years of hard work, trials, and tribulations, worth it.
The theme song, "One" was written by the artist Tina Dico, who is from Iceland and she gave us permission to use it after watching this video. And after you watch, you'll understand why it fits so well: One animal matters, one sanctuary can change the direction of animal welfare and one person can make a difference. Let that one person be YOU!
Our thanks to Hold Tight Video of Minneapolis for producing this video for Home for Life and to Tina Dico for the use of her song.
"How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world." - William Shakespeare What is one life worth? We live in a society where market forces determine the value of everything,including living things. We talk about people in terms of their assets, how much they are worth, what they have to offer, or how they can sell themselves. The market mentality is so pervasive that it has also infected animal welfare to the extent that online rescues trying to find placement for cats and dogs now resemble online dating apps or websites. Sometimes we forget that there is another more important economy that binds our society together. It is an economy of good will, kindness, and empathy- qualities that cannot be bought or sold like commodities, but must be given. Home for Life® operates within this second economy, working to amplify its call to action on behalf of the animals and people in our community. Our sanctuary welcomes animals based on their need, not their marketability.
The following story reveals the power of the kindness economy, and the benefits that accrue when people care. It is the story of what happened to a plain, homeless black cat named Jonathan and how the kindness shown him has paid huge dividends!
The Story of Jonathan: A Black Cat Lost in the Crowd A feral cat colony had been living peacefully for several years at the site of a stalled construction project in Florida. Many of the cats were former pets, abandoned there. They were looked after by a kind woman, a caretaker, who was providing them regular food and water, reducing their numbers through trap-neuter-release, and generally monitoring their well-being. Then one day, the site owner let this woman know that construction at the site was about to start again. The cats had to go, he said, or he would have them sent to animal control. The caretaker scrambled to gather the colony and shepherd them into the rescue system. She managed to convince local rescues to accept all but one of the cats - Jonathan. Nobody would take him.Why was Jonathan the only cat rejected for placement? From a market perspective, he had several factors working against him: he was an adult, semi-feral, deaf cat. He might have stood a chance if he had unusual or interesting looks, but he was a short-haired all black cat whose only distinguishing mark was a ragged left ear. The situation was more dire for Jonathan than it first appeared, for his caretaker was ill with cancer. Though she was housing Jonathan on her porch in a large dog crate, she knew this set up could only be temporary as her cancer treatments would soon leave her too ill to continue caring for him.
Jonathan's caretaker needed help. Faced with her own health crisis, her last wish was to make sure that Jonathan,the vulnerable, deaf cat would be safe. After being turned away from dozens of adoption organizations, at last she reached out to Home for Life®. She hoped we would look beyond Jonathan's plain wrapping to the treasure within.
Home for Life's® sanctuary exists to form a loving community for the most desperate animals with nowhere else to turn. Our cats and dogs don't need curb appeal to deserve our help and welcome. At our sanctuary they find affirmation whether they are plain or old or disabled or dealing with a chronic health condition. We know that having a place to belong and a home for life changes everything for animals like Jonathan. Sanctuary residents who once faced repeated rejection and uncertainty are now enjoying a stable base and consistent care, the solid ground to flourish and reach new potential.
Who could imagine the result of one person caring? Who could foresee the potential of one cat, looking for a home and a place to belong? Who can doubt the magic of one sanctuary opening its doors to this cat? This is the power of one—a gift of kindness that grows!
Who could have predicted what the future held for Jonathan—a deaf, black cat who lived for years virtually on his own as a semi-wild feral when his caretaker was desperately searching for help for him? That he would evolve into a beloved therapy cat, with the care he received and the confidence he developed at Home for Life®? How incredible it is that this cat had the opportunity, because of your support of Home for Life to demonstrate how truly special he was, not just another plain black cat, but part of Home for Life's Peace Creatures® programs, which will touch the lives of nearly 7,000 at-risk kids and adults in our community this year! Now a Crowd Favorite A Black Cat Crossing Your Path Means that Animal is Going Somewhere — Groucho Marx 
Despite his disability, Jonathan is a friendly and fearless cat, who even loves the car rides involved to travel to our community partners—the nursing homes, prisons, and mental health facilities we visit. A black cat who's going somewhere, Jonathan reaches out to those who cross his path with friendship and attention, bringing solace and joy to those vulnerable people he meets through our Peace Creatures® programs. Like so many of our residents, Jonathan has blossomed. Once just another plain cat, indistinguishable from so many others in need, he is now who has delighted everyone including his longtime caretaker by becoming part of our therapy animal team working in our Peace Creatures® programs!Each year Peace Creatures volunteer nearly $900,000 worth of pet therapy* to non-profit and community partner organizations throughout the Twin Cities metro area that have scant funds for these much needed services. Last year, our therapy teams worked with more than 6,000 vulnerable children and adults in the Twin Cities area—people facing loneliness and despair in battered women's shelters, hospitals, mental health facilities and prisons. Home For Life is reaching out to these people and helping to connect them back into the embrace of community.
Jonathan didn't seem special or distinctive when he was being rated for his potential in the adoption market. Yet all that he has become was always inside of him, just looking for the space and opportunity to grow. Over the past 20 years, Home for Life® has provided a doorway to a new life for hundreds of cats and dogs, many of whom have participated in our Peace Creatures® programs. They serve as ambassadors for our mission and for our conviction that all life is valuable.*Based on a Twin Cities, Minnesota non-profit offering pet therapy to schools and other organizations. They charge $4,000 for a ten week session for a group of 10 people, a cost of $400 per person. We have always offered our outreach services free of charge. Last year, we allocated more than 27% of our annual budget to our outreach programs and our volunteers worked with 2200 kids and adults—a value of over $880,000 to the community. In 2019, we will be serving 7,000 people, to more than double the value and impact for our community, effectively and economically. Every dollar Home for Life® raises is leveraged to produce the most good for our animals we care for and for the community who supports us.
Moving toward a Caring Community and an Economy of Kindness. A sanctuary is not a holding facility or transition chute. Rather, it is a community asset, much like a library or playground, and the sanctuary's living residents are a dynamic resource, building benefit through each interaction. In creating this pioneering new model of animal welfare, Home for Life® is defining a new space in our society where animals and people celebrate and uplift one another. We are demonstrating how a sanctuary can be a huge asset to its community, helping to bind members together in affirming acts of kindness and empathy. Home for Life® has multiplied the initial kindness by Jonathan's caretaker, and we have made it pay huge dividends! Home for Life® has gained new ground for desperate animals like Jonathan and for Animal Welfare. Our sanctuary is a new model of rescue where homeless dogs and cats are not a problem to be solved, but an overlooked treasure with much to live for and much to give. THE POWER OF ONE
Three year old hound Caden, came to Home for Life® from the Anti Cruelty Society in Chicago in 2018. Caden is a Southern boy, born in Alabama, who traveled north to Chicago to try his luck to find a home, an opportunity that had eluded him in Alabama. Although such a young dog, Caden was very underweight when transferred to Chicago from the Alabama shelter, was positive for heart-worm and also had what appeared to be a dislocated left hip. He arrived at the Anti Cruelty Society facility in February of 2018. There the Society's veterinary staff treated his heart-worm and obtained x-rays of his left leg and hip. Caden became a staff favorite with his gentle face and humble demeanor.
Caden at Home for Life®, Late Summer, 2018 For months, Anti Cruelty personnel tried to find an adopter for Caden or a rescue to take him on. But no one was interested. Was he not distinctive enough? too big? too old? too young? a mixed breed hound? Was it the medical history? His photos that, when shared and networked, failed to convey what a good dog he was - a dog who would never have a chance as the months went by and NOT ONE individual or rescue group from around the country expressed any interest in him. It was crickets wherever the staff at Anti Cruelty turned to find him a place, whatever avenue they tried.Finally, the week came when those who must make the tough calls at the shelter told the rescue coordinators and staff that they would have to let go of Caden, and give up the hope that he could find rescue. He was to be euthanized and his date was scheduled, before the July 4 holiday when the shelter staff knew from experience they would see many new animals admitted and surrendered. Caden had been in the shelter kennels for months with no interest and other dogs needed to come in and have their chance too. It made logical sense but was a heartbreak for all those involved, to see Caden fall through the cracks despite their best efforts. The kennels of this inner city shelter, all enclosed, and with no access to the outdoors, were a hard place for a young dog to be month after month, designed as temporary holding for dogs who would be moving on to a home, to a rescue, not designed for long-term care.
The day before Caden was scheduled to be euthanized, a friend and colleague at Anti Cruelty reached out to Home for Life®, one last time, to plea for Caden's life. We had previously turned her down, believing that a three-year-old dog could be adopted. Right? But he had not been, and was not going to be alive next week if help wasn't offered and soon. Caden could be defined as "adoptable" and it had seemed as if he was, should be but how did that definition help him? It had no applicability to his life that now hung in the balance if no one wanted him, and no one would help him.The reality is an animal is NOT adoptable if no one wants him. Unwilling to stand by while this good dog, 3-year-old Caden's loss of life became another statistic. Home for Life® hastily put together a transport for him and welcomed him just a few days later, the week of Independence Day, fittingly. Two volunteers drove two legs of a transport on the July 4th holiday weekend to get him safely to Home for Life®.
"Rescued" in animal welfare is not the same thing as being saved. Look at Caden: he had been "rescued" twice: first by the Alabama shelter, then by the shelter in Chicago. Those are the rescues we know about. In addition, he had had at least two adoptive homes - all by the age of three.
But rescued animals are in transition. That transition to a destination, a hoped for home, is predicated upon the rescues' ability to market and turn over the dogs - the model is exactly premised on the retail market place where consumer goods are advertised, showcased and sold or turned over to make room for the next batch of inventory. The flaws with the model are revealed with cases like Caden who have traveled through the rescue circuit and yet had "rescue" elude them.
In over 20 years of Home for Life's® operation, it has been an interesting evolution to see more and more that it is the dogs and cats like Caden with nothing apparently "wrong" with them, who are in need of a care for life sanctuary whereas when we started the sanctuary, it was often the obviously disabled or animals with medical conditions who were in need of our help. Now there is often drama, high praise, money and recognition surrounding the "rescue" of these kinds of animals while other animals like Caden - and his friends in the video below - Home for Life's® Dagney, the St Bernard; Snowbelle, the shy shepherd mix; and Xerxes, the senior shepherd/wolf hybrid - twist in the wind, with no help or avenues for help available to them. Maybe it's social media and the need to have a visual impact with a very extreme case in order to be heard above the noise. Maybe with so many rescue organizations, competition is driving this circumstance - the more extreme and dramatic the "rescue," the more heart wrenching, the greater the leverage for donations: "look at us - we can help even this animal!" It was interesting that in the months that Caden was available yet overlooked by all rescues, there was an English Bulldog who came through the same Chicago shelter, with many health issues, yet who had organizations climbing over each other to "rescue" him - while Caden was completely ignored. Rescues compete to scoop up a particularly sympathetic case, knowing what that will mean for donor goodwill and ensuing financial support. The public assumes if a rescue can help the very extreme cases, then the average cat or dog is surely finding placement. But it is turning out that these "normal" ones ARE the animals that are in need of help, but not finding it with "rescue." And they are the ones, the invisible animals, who are being left with nowhere to turn, and often dying untimely deaths by euthanasia because they are passed up for help and "rescue."
Meet another dog who really needed a Home for Life®, the 3rd Door in animal welfare. You might imagine it's Mana, the 2-legged dog in the wheelchair. No, the dog who really needed sanctuary was her friend Pickles, the black lab/shepherd mix. At the age of 5 years, Pickles had exhausted options available to him in a rescue world predicated on adoption and based on a market place model First adopted out as a puppy with his sister Olive, Pickles lost his home when only age 4 when the family split up and lost their house. Pickles and Olive were fortunate to be accepted by the Minnesota organization Rescued Tails, who enrolled them in their innovative prison program at Lino Lakes Correctional Facility where dogs live with the inmates and received dog training and socialization to prepare them for placement. Both dogs did pretty well although they didn't like people in reflective vests. Rescued Tails was able to find the siblings a home together, and Olive remains in that home to this day. But Pickles had a more difficult adjustment, and was returned from his adoptive home after he was alleged to have leaped at a delivery man and grabbed a man while on leash on a walk. Although it wasn't a "bite," it was still a worrisome incident for Pickles' adoptive family and a situation they didn't want to deal with again. However, The rescue was full, so Pickles had to go to a foster home. There he stayed for the next several months, well and lovingly cared for, but crated for many hours a day with a foster who worked full time and with other dogs in the home who were dog aggressive. Although the rescue highlighted Pickles on their social media channels and on their website, stressing that he was in need of an urgent adoption, there were no takers - and no interest in him.So - there was Pickles, age 5 - not a young dog but not a senior either. Not ready for hospice care. He had been adopted twice, been in rescue and two foster homes (counting the prison) and now was without options. What was his fate? to reside in a crate in the home of his foster, for the rest of his life, hoping for the magical day when he might get adopted? As a middle aged, black, large and mixed breed dog, full of energy, his placement prospects were very bleak.
Pickles at Home for Life®, late fall 2018 It's often not the disabled or old or those that derive from dramatic circumstances like natural disasters or extreme abuse (for example the dog meat trade rescues) who desperately need sanctuary, the 3rd Door of animal welfare, but dogs and cats like Pickles - the regular animals who find themselves boxed out of the animal welfare discussion and without options. Dogs and cats like Pickles who have been through multiple placements and who lose their home(s) through no fault of their own are not unusual at Home for Life®.(https://homeforlifesanctuary.blogspot.com/2017/05/what-does-it-take-to-save-animal-tale.html)Pickles does so well at Home for Life® and we have seen none of the problem behaviors that he was accused of in his previous home. He IS a very energetic guy who loves to run and play and would probably find life hard to bear in a home without an opportunity for plenty of exercise and play. But at Home for Life®, with the chance to go in and out via a dog door from his townhouse whenever he wants, and friends like Mana to play with all day long, he is able to work off that exuberance through appropriate outlets. His foster worked with him and he is very responsive to all treats, always has a big smile on his face and a happy bark for us. He sits nicely for attention and pets, his tail wagging, in anticipation, at top speed like a cartoon dog.
Pickles is just one of the "invisible animals" of rescue who recycle through adoptions, fosters and shelters multiple times in their short lives, yet fail to find help in a system that is often unable to offer them any recourse.
To see Pickles and learn about his story shines a light on a widespread phenomena in animal welfare which leaves scores of cats and dogs just like him adrift with their lives at risk in the name of "rescue." It's real, rather than data. As a care-for-life sanctuary, standing at the end of the funnel, so to speak, we hear about cases like his that may escape the notice of the average animal lover with a passing acquaintance with "rescue." Read more about the invisible animals of rescue: https://homeforlifesanctuary.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-invisible-animals.html
When Home for Life began, our focus was helping cats and dogs who were not candidates for adoption - generally speaking, these animals were old, had disabilities or medical issues - sometimes all three together. They were the invisible animals of rescue, and in those days, held in the back at shelters and never offered for placement to the public due to their unique needs. Other animals had behavior issues as well that exempted them for placement, and these too often never saw the light of day on the adoption floor. No one of the public was the wiser because these animals were unseen at the shelters or rescue. The invisible animals. At the sanctuary, when asked by some of these rescues or shelters for help we did our best to assist as many as we could and gave them a loving home for life, as our name indicates. There were so few organizations doing what we did, and we had requests from all over the world for help.
Fast forward to today: we are still helping the animals with extraordinary medical needs, the older animals and those disabled, as well as animals with behavior concerns. We have several pending requests as we speak. Our cats and dogs still come to us from near and far: we have animals from China, Mexico, Taiwan , Japan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Tunisia, Thailand and India as well as most of the states of our country.
But, these days - something new is going on - we are finding a different sector of animals now desperate for help and being boxed out of rescue. These animals are dying in vast numbers.
Miss Kitty's profile from the impound cats Facebook page One week at Home for Life® - just one week in cat rescue at Home for Life®, illustrates the house of mirrors that has become animal rescue. First, it was the late fall in 2018 and the deadline for three cats at the humane society on their "partner placement" list was imminent. Partner placement means that cats and dogs that the humane society does not believe are candidates for adoption through their program are offered to rescues and sanctuaries, to see if they can possibly find placement through a different organization, rather than be euthanized. The three cats available were an 18-year-old named Baby Girl, an eight-year-old, Miss Kitty, who is a unique color for a female and who had been sassy when her back was petted ( turned out she had impacted anal glands), and two-year-old shy Jasmine, who had been bullied by another cat in her previous home and had occasionally failed to use the litter box. Which cat do you think needed Home for Life®? If you guessed the 18-year-old you would not be correct. This cat found placement with a rescue, but the deadline arrived without another organization among the 300 comprising the humane society's placement partners stepping up to help the younger cats. Guess which cats ended up at Home for Life®, in need of sanctuary? Are you surprised that the ones our sanctuary took in to spare their lives were: 2-year-old Jasmine and 8-year-old MIss Kitty?
Jasmine's profile from the impound cats Facebook pageLater, that same week, we received a call from some woman in Hudson, WI who claimed she had been feeding a stray black and white cat in her development for months. She had looked on her neighbor hood watch websites, called around to see if he belonged to someone - he was friendly but appeared to be an abandoned pet as he had been hanging around the subdivision for months. She and others in the development were feeding him but no one wanted to adopt him for their own. Now the weather was getting cold, and what was worse, he was limping and appeared to be injured on the front leg. She did not want to turn him into the humane society. We asked her to check with local rescues and see if someone could help what appeared to be an adoptable cat who needed help, living outside and with an injury. Of those she called, not one called back except one organization who stated they could not help because they were full on adult cats. She plead with us again to help the cat, and due to the colder weather and his injury, we did. And glad we did, Andy saw our vet the next day and turned out to be a neutered male, FIV+ and had been shot in the leg - he was limping because of the shrapnel pieces still visible on x-ray in his elbow joint. The injury was a couple of months old.
Now, here is where the story gets interesting - because also this same weekend, Home for Life® was asked to possibly help a 13-year-old blind cat who was at an impound and who was scheduled to be euthanized the next day. This was a cat you would think would really need the help of a sanctuary, but, it turned out, this senior blind cat found " rescue." And which organization do you think helped him? I bet you are as surprised as were to learn that it was the one rescue who did call the woman back but declined to help Andy, the injured cat from Hudson, because they were "full on adult cats." That's right, this organization instead took in a blind 13-year-old cat from an impound the next day. What?! Wouldn't this cat be considered a tougher case than the younger cat that was outside after all? Wasn't the cat from Hudson urgent and in need of rescue living outside and with an injury? Who needed a sanctuary - the 13-year-old-senior-blind ca t- or the young neutered black and white cat abandoned and now injured from being shot? Which cat was " rescued" - and which needed a Home for Life® or face a bitter winter outside with a hurt leg?
Andy At Home for Life®, January 2019 In animal rescue today, there are rescues specifically for old animals, rescues for blind animals, rescues for disabled animals. There are even animal rescues created specifically for dying animals who need hospice. But with all these organizations and programs, there are still many dogs and cats who are not finding help in rescue, and who end up losing their lives.Home for Life® was created to help at risk cats and dogs through responsive, cost effective model programs which are designed to react swiftly to the ever-changing landscape of unwanted animals, animals who cannot find help through conventional solutions offered by shelters and rescues. Home for Life® was created to help those animals who fall through the cracks.
It's become clear that the kind of animals who are falling through the cracks, who are unwanted and without options, has changed. The rescue to adoption model is not working for many deserving dogs and cats, and they are dying because of this inability or unwillingness of the animal welfare system, as it currently exists, to respond to their plight. Although Caden, Pickles, Miss Kitty, Jasmine and Andy seemed highly adoptable at points in their journey, that opportunity became closed to them, even while four of them were wards of animal welfare organizations with strong adoption programs , and recycling them through the rescue system yet again was pointless and detrimental, like putting groceries in a used box whose bottom is about to fall out. Insisting that these animals belong in the adoption "box" even as the bottom is about to fall out from under them, when they are passed by for rescue, results in a shocking loss of life of so many dogs and cats, more than caring people realize. For these animals, a new model is called for, rather than insisting that a one-size-fits-all option of rescue to adoption will work.
While Home for Life® celebrates adoption of dogs and cats who truly find their "forever" homes, as a care-for-life sanctuary, Home for Life® is uniquely able to help when all alternatives are closed to animals whose lives are at risk. The stories of Caden, Pickles, Miss Kitty, Jasmine and Andy - profiles of hope, redemption, and finally a path to a new life - would not have been possible without sanctuary, the Third Door, a Home for Life®. Care-for-Life sanctuary - the remedy for the gaps emerging in the animal welfare world that leaves so many vulnerable dogs and cats "rescued" but not saved.