Fetch Dog Training Blog: Gratitude

I want to take a moment to express my appreciation for my friends, colleagues, peers, and community members who work to provide better lives for animals in the shelter/rescue/surrender-prevention community. There is a lot of heartbreak in this field. Sometimes it can be difficult to see the good in people, when one is repeatedly looking at the results of selfishness and carelessness.

I’m proud to see the effects of great people who come together to do phenomenal work in Minneapolis, St Paul, and beyond. None of us are an island, and none of us can create a city’s worth of change all alone. Despite a myriad of opinions and strategies that abound in shelter/rescue/surrender-prevention work, it is clear that we are still able to find common ground and to support each other so that we can succeed. I see these successes in the shelter dog that gets careful attention from volunteers, in the joyful rescue dog in my class, and in the beloved animal that never had to be surrendered because his family received help during a time of need.

So thank you, to all those who volunteer in any capacity, for continuing to be dedicated to alleviating suffering, and to creating better shelters, better rescues, better homes. Thank you to those who value the welfare of both the animal and the community. Thank you to those who put the success of our shared goal before personal gain. Thank you to those who speak with their actions. You make me this happy: