Monday, September 3, 2012

starting to breathe -- I think

We went quiet on the Barn Blog for a spell, but are finally gulping to the surface for air. Seven compromised dogs from a longtime Texas pit bull rescuer who was forced to shut down (nearly 300 dogs confiscated) descended on our wee oasis and current crew of four at the same time that six out of town shelter staff visitors landed in Oakland for Pit Ed Camp at the same time we worked to piece together the thousand details of a spay/neuter event. Trying to breathe ... trying to breathe.

Jibboom went to live at Aunt Anita's house to give her a break from the chaos, which she appreciated very much. Willy had to stay put and complained by grumbling at the new boys in the group - their energy was just way too uncivilized. Gurdy ran in tight circles in response to the excitement. Diva sat very, very quietly and looked rather shocked. Elliot laid in a heap by the back gate - waiting for his invitation to get to work.

We didn't have the luxury of choosing the dog personalities from the group of 287. Evaluations done by others on-site were inconclusive and missed some important details, so we just sucked it up and said "Send whoever will fit in a van. (And can we please have at least two seniors?) We'll sort'em out later."

And sort we did. Some of the new dogs slept in outside kennels for a week or so while we evaled, sorted, shuffled and sorted some more - Thank goodness for the freakin' gorgeous California weather. We scrubbed kennels a hundred times, did a thousand loads of laundry, begged up bully sticks to keep the crew satiated, administered meds, puzzled over x-rays of broken dogs, negotiated their rusty manners, quelled the barking so all could rest, drank pots of coffee, ran errands in every direction and collapsed into a tired heap at the end of every day.

As gratifying as it's been helping the new kids, I won't lie. It was difficult to absorb the unscheduled task as well as the dogs' terrible backstory and I broke down in big hot tears about it all more than once. Some of the dogs have trickled out to foster care, and some still need to find foster care. Some are already on our Available Page and for some, the barn will be their final stop.

It's much calmer here now. But did I mention we still need foster homes? ;-)

I'm so grateful to Anna Rudman Santos and Anita Joe. Without their sensitive focus and long hours, this stretch would have been just plain impossible. Photo below of our oldest Texas refugee, Alma. She couldn't begin to understand why anyone would want to feel anything less than thrilled about the nation-wide response to one of the biggest pit bull rescue efforts in U.S history. Thanks for the reminders, Alma.


13 comments:

  1. Thank you for everything you are doing for these dogs! That case is heartbreaking on so many levels. Wish I lived closer so I could help out.

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  2. Big hugs and thumbs up for everything that you and all your volunteers do and hopefully these next few weeks will be much calmer! Alma's expression is priceless--I first saw the dog on the couch next to Tim and thought "That's a rather grumpy expression" and then I scrolled down and saw the rest of the picture and laughed out loud. I hope those beautiful pittie smiles will keep recharging your batteries even as the dogs attached keep draining them!

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  3. Every picture of Alma has been so joyful. It makes me want to gather her up and snuggle. As always, the work of BAD RAP is appreciated and admired. Thank you so much for your dedication and love of these amazing creatures. I hope when I grow up, I'll be just as happy as Alma.

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  4. The look of joy on Alma's face is worth a million bucks!!

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  5. Plenty of your east coast fans wish we could lend a hand to you right now. Thank you for stepping up for these sweeties and for the off site work you accomplish. Even with a full plate you still manage to get your amazing work done. You'll look back on these days at some point and have grins as big as Alma's!

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  6. All of you are so amazing! I don't know how you do it all, but am so happy you all exist. Jeannie and Amy

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  7. Thank you for all you do. So much of what you and the Barn Crew do goes on behind the scenes and we never know of it. We only have an inkling of the time and effort you spend each day bringing these dogs back from the brink. This was such an awful case to read about. Thank you for making these dogs get a happy ending to the story.

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  8. Thanks for the update. I so enjoyed Pit ed class and meeting part of the crew. (And Regallo the dog who "speaks German.") I've sent bully stix and flea meds your way. Let us know by the Amazon wish list what we can do to help. Your East Coast supporters are behind you all the way, just ask.

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  9. You people are amazing. Thanks for being there for these dogs. Thanks for keeping people up to date. Just thanks for everything you do. If we all could give you more money or volunteer if we lived closer, we would. Maybe someday. I just hope you know you have a lot of people who appreciate what you do for these dogs.

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  10. As you have taught me Donna....it's oh so important to take those moments to exhale. Once again, you are all doing such an amazing job. You know you have my support, just tell me when and where you need it. HUGS to all of you, and a huge WELCOME to the newest members of the barn.

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  11. You and Tim have done more for the pibbles than you can ever know (from the Vick case on) and you and Tim need major, long distance hugs and kisses from all of us who appreciate your loving these dogs, advocating for these dogs, having clinics for these dogs, and teaching these dogs and their owners about responsible ownership. I have so much respect for you, Tim and your organization and all you do for the pibbles and us, their owners! Thank you!

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  12. We really do feel your support. Thank you!

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Thanks for your comments, questions and feedback!