Helping People Through Helping Animals

I remember approaching a leader in local healthcare, asking if they'd want to donate on behalf of their organization in a fundraising drive for The Marshmallow Foundation, an animal shelter in Detroit Lakes, MN.  She said that they focused on human causes when deciding where to give their money, so sorry.  I launched into ways that companion animals enrich the lives of humans, making them healthier and happier (in other words, I wore her down), and she wrote out a check.

Since then, I've thought often of this conversation, and seen so many examples of where rescues in the area are helping humans as much as dogs and cats.  The time volunteering at a surrender event at White Earth reservation, where a family came in with a young dog.  They couldn't afford to spay the dog, nor ongoing medical care.  All of the volunteers were in tears as the children wailed while the mother held them close, trying to explain that they were doing the best thing for Fido.  A few phone calls later by the sponsoring rescue, and the family was given a list of low cost or free resources to use.  That family left that day with a dog and very happy children.

There's a single person rescue in Brainerd that is making a huge difference.  She has found funding and resources countless times to spay/neuter a dog or cat, get emergency medical treatment, or simply to rescue an animal from an untenable situation.  She served the low income and homeless communities, allowing them to keep their companion animal.  All this in spite of the fact that her family lives below the poverty level themselves.  Her children will grow up, not rich in things, but rich in experiences and  compassion.

The autistic child whose beloved cat has died, and a rescue is able to match him with the perfect kitten.  The elderly lady who is lonely and wants a cat, but the one she chose gets under her feet when she uses a walker.  She needs a sedate lap cat, and the rescue is able to set her up.

Help an animal, and you're helping a human.

 

You’re Killing Our Democracy

Every time you share a meme on Facebook that's designed to inspire rage, you're helping kill our democracy.  Let me explain.

No matter your political/moral/social views, you will be angry when you see and share a meme made to inspire a particular point of view.  Here's an example.  I recently saw a meme that purported to show a homeless vet living in a car.  The text said something to the effect that our government should help homeless vets before helping refugees.  "Share if you agree" is usually a part of these inflammatory posts.

If we agree with the meme, it means that we're against refugees.  If we disagree, we're against homeless vets.  Either way, you're pitting human being against human being and working to split us apart in a very real way.  That's exactly what the Russian troll farms intended to do, and we have all fallen into the trap.

If you must express your opinion, how about writing it yourself and not sharing a meme or article that shares your view?  If you believe that homeless vets need more help, volunteer.  Or cite statistics (real ones) that show what and where the problem is.  Start a conversation.

Otherwise I'm simply going to believe you've fallen under the thrall of an entity determined to hurt us.

 

New Year, New Goals, Give Back

It's a new year, and many of you might have written resolutions for 2017, like lose weight, pay off bills, or get in shape.  Here's a thought for you.  How about adding some volunteering to that list?  The only thing it costs you is your time, and what it gives back is absolutely priceless.

If you're parents, what a great gift to give your kids.  If they're old enough, they can volunteer too, and learn a lifetime of lessons.  Just an hour a week playing with the cats (we call it socializing), means that we have information to give a prospective adopter, like does it get along with other cats?  Is it a lap cat?  Playful, or a 'sit in the sun' kind of cat?

At  The Marshmallow Foundation in Detroit Lakes, our volunteer needs are many.  There always seem to be folks that want to work with the dogs, but the cats struggle, as they do in shelters all over the country.  There's the manual labor of cleaning the kennels of course, but there is so much more needed.  For example, we need a list of foster parents, who are willing to take a kitty home with them that otherwise won't survive in a shelter environment.  Someone that we can teach to administer fluids if necessary, syringe feed, or just give love and warmth.  When we get a cat that has been injured or is obviously sick, we seek out a rescue to take them, and have transported as far as Wisconsin to get them the necessary care.  But this time of year, the rescues are as full as we are, and sometimes have to say no.

Maybe you want to help, but are afraid of getting attached, or have an allergy.  Another volunteer opportunity that we struggle with is grant writing.  We miss out on thousands of dollars simply because we don't have the time to research the available grants and apply for them.

Maybe you're a sales person - how about helping us fund raise?  We are ALWAYS raising funds.  It might be as simple as selling raffle tickets or calendars, or more involved like organizing one of our fundraisers or putting together our annual calendar for 2018.

Are you creative?  We'd love to sell t-shirts, but again, who has the time?  I took a stab at designing one, using the Bonfire.com service.  I KNOW you can do better than I can!

Now see, I just gave you a bunch of great New Year's resolutions, and none of them cost a cent.  If you're in the Detroit Lakes area, please check out the website for The Marshmallow Foundation, and fill out a volunteer application.  Call or Facebook us to set up a time to have a tour of the facility, or talk about volunteer opportunities.  We'd love to have you on the team!

Trap Neuter Release (TNR)

If you watch My Cat From Hell, you've probably seen Jackson Galaxy rave about the local programs that will trap feral cats, neuter them, and then release them.  It's a great idea, and more communities should participate to help control the feral cat population.

Because if a cat is truly feral, it has little chance of ever becoming someone's pet.  Let me say that again - these cats cannot be socialized and adopted out to loving families.  Instead, they end up in a shelter like The Marshmallow Foundation, and after giving it our best try, are euthanized.  Before you express your shock and horror that we are not a "no-kill" shelter, but instead a "low-kill" shelter, let me give you some facts.

There is no sponsored TNR program in the Detroit Lakes area.  There are no Veterinary practices willing to donate their time, and no organization that has set up the funds to make a TNR program viable.  And yet, citizens, thinking that they are acting in the best interest of the cat, will trap them and bring them to us with a self-satisfied look on their face that says, "I did my part".  Well sorry buddy, but all you did was make it our problem now.

So if you spot a feral cat in your neighborhood, what should you do?  Well, that depends.  Can you afford to have that animal neutered and brought up to date on their shots?  Yes?  Whoo hoo!  Then do it - trap them, neuter them, and release them, and bang, you've got your own TNR program.  If you can't afford to do it yourself, please don't think that your local shelter can either; we're busting at the seams already with cats we can't find homes for.

If you want middle ground, set up a recurring monthly donation to the shelter of your choice.  It doesn't have to be much, but it sure will help.

 

#GivingTuesday is for the Birds (and the Cats, Dogs...)

Today is Giving Tuesday, a new holiday apparently, where we put our money where our mouth is.  Last Thursday, Thanksgiving, we gave thanks for all of our blessings.  Today, we give thanks and pass it forward.

I'm thankful for Leo and Maggie this morning, both of whom still fit nicely in my lap together, and are helping me with this post.  I adopted them both as kittens from The Marshmallow Foundation in Detroit Lakes after my cat Gracie died at the ripe old age of 20.  They have already provided endless hours of laughter, snuggles, and warmth, and I'm sure will continue to do so for many years to come.

If you want to do your part on #GivingTuesday, but don't know who to give to, won't you consider an animal shelter?  Right now at Marshmallow, an upper respiratory infection is going around the cat room, which means lots of visits to veterinary clinics and lots of medical bills.  Cats Cradle in Fargo is another good option - they take the cats that would otherwise be euthanized and give them the care they need in order to find their "furever" homes.

If you don't want to give cash, there are lots of other ways to give.  Smile, an Amazon.com program, allows you to designate a charity of your choice, and every time you shop, a percentage of the money spent is donated to that charity.

Volunteering your time can make an enormous difference, where that time is spent transporting animals, helping keep the kennels clean, or fundraising.

Donating gently used blankets to a shelter means that a dog or cat has a warm comfy bed for the night.  Even better, if you have mad knot or crochet skills, make some soft mats out of that stash of yarn you have in the spare room!  Mats for Cats will give you some ideas on projects and ways to help.

So today, count your blessings, then count your pennies to see how many you can spare to help.  Every bit counts.