Plain Janes in rescue

It isn't that I'm not happy that certain breeds of animals are easy to place. Thank God some are sure fired easy placements. We need those! 



. .Many purebred animals and many unique, flashy mixes end up in horrific situations and OFTEN NEED rescue. 

Abuse and Neglect never discriminates on how an animal looks. Never. 

But when it comes to the good folks, the adopters, the rescuers. . .we do! 

It wears hard on one's soul to know how many loving animals die because they are black or non-descriptive. I wish I could pick up the black beagle/coon hound/terrier mix on the road and know a home will be found in a week flat . . .but homes usually aren't coming for such dogs. Heaven forbid we have a mousy colored horse without any white markings that is 14.1hh.

We know if we take certain animals - no adopter will ever come. What happens then? That is the place we are put too often as rescuers.

Hey, who am I to point a finger? While I have had my fair share of black cats, hound type black mutt dogs through the years and picked a plain Chestnut Quarter/Arab type for my first horse years ago. . . I have had and currently have my fair share of flashy pets and horses, too. Sure, every dog on my place was a rescue, was in need.. . .but 3 of the 5 are purebreds and neither of the well loved mutts are plain. It wasn't well thought out . . .pre-planned . . . but here they are. Pretty. Unique, at least.

We so often pick what catches the eye. . .in our home, in our vehicles, clothing, and in our pets.

I know that with breeds like the Golden Retriever from tonight, people are often looking for breed personality, too, but I have rarely met a black, hound mix mutt that wasn't friendly and loving. . .as much so as any Golden I've met. . .

But even I wondered if I wasn't petting the little Golden creature in my lap longer . .SURELY longer because she was special. . .she was a puppy 100 people emailed me for in a few hours promising a home of love and care forever. . .A Puppy I knew was going to find a home. She was a definite save.

While I share black puppies and brown dogs and black kittens in shelters that will die there with hardy a batting of the eye. . .I could place 1,000 Golden Puppies with little effort in a month.

While Chestnut Quarter Type horses with little white that are safe and sound could go unnoticed for months here in rescue, a Dappled Quarter Type comes through and whether sane or not, I'm flooded with inquiries.

I'm happy for the Dappled whatever, but I'm just sad for the bay plain jane.

I'm not writing this to point fingers any further than myself. . .

I know I do it, too. . .

I am a rescuer - I know WHAT people will adopt. I do not want it to be that way, but it simply is what it is.

I've listed nondescript cats and dogs and horses on petfinder. . .some have been on there for several years with never a single inquiry - through no fault of their own. . . they weren't pretty or unique enough. . . they were plain.

I don't expect this to change. And an animal in need is an animal in need - period. It isn't that I wish the flashy types weren't so easy to place, I just wish so many plain types could make it out safely or not wait for what seems like forever because everyone it waiting on the dappled, spotted, pointed, stripped, blue eyed whatchamacallit, including myself, folks. . .including myself here.

Comments