April is an Excellent Time to Help Animals in Need

This post by Gayle M. Irwin

The month of April is special to me, both as an advocate for animals and as a staff member of a non-profit organization. April is noted as Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and as Volunteer Appreciation Month, therefore, both recognitions are important to me.

Animal Cruelty Awareness

I have been an advocate for animals nearly all my life. I’ve worked at animal shelters and volunteered for pet rescue organizations, something I still do. I support several local, regional, and national animal welfare groups, including the Casper Humane Society, Black Dog Animal Rescue, Best Friends Animal Society, and American Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). I transport and have done home visits for rescue groups in my region, including English Springer Spaniel Rescue, Big Dogs Huge Paws, and MidAmerica Boston Terrier Rescue. Pets are my passion, and I help these groups in various ways, including education about animal cruelty.

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is an educational campaign sponsored by the ASPCA and other animal welfare groups. From dog fighting and puppy mills to acts of violence and neglect, the ASPCA, Humane Society of the United States, and other animal organizations across the country bring about awareness to the various issues that harm animals. Experts contend that animal abuse often escalates to violence against people, including domestic violence, homicide, and mass murder. Therefore, combating animal cruelty not only saves animal lives but can also help people affected, who would be affected, by violence.

According to the ASPCA, every 60 seconds an animal is abused. Animal cruelty doesn’t just happen “elsewhere.” Recently cases in my state and region have made headlines in community and national media. From a dog named Diamond in South Carolina to a cat named Sage in Utah, animal abuse, sadly, is alive and well, and happening all around us.

Here are five ways you can help combat cruelty to animals:

1. Don’t buy pets from a pet store and encourage people you know to also not purchase from pet stores. Many animals sold at stores come from puppy mills, which keep dogs, cats, and other companion animals in horrid, unsafe, and unhealthy conditions. Boycott buying – adopt instead.
2. Visit your local animal rescue or shelter to find your next furry friend. Adopt a homeless pet and save two lives: the one you adopt and the one waiting next in line.
3. Educate family members and friends about cruelty and be vigilant in your community.
4. If you see an animal being abused or mistreated, report that incident to local authorities. The only way to truly prevent pain and suffering is to report the cruelty to law enforcement and/or animal welfare.
5. Donate money and/or time. Help combat animal cruelty, neglect, and abandonment by donating to the rescue organization or purchasing needed supplies, such as pet food and household cleaners. You can also donate funds to help an abused animal as well as donate your time by serving as a volunteer for an animal welfare group in your area. 

Animal Welfare Volunteers Needed

From local shelters and rescues to larger, nation-wide organizations, each depends upon volunteers. In fact, many rescue organizations are strictly volunteer-based. If not for the dedication of volunteers and their love for pets, most companion animal groups would not function well or even exist.

Volunteers help pets in need in many ways. Whether walking dogs, brushing and socializing cats, or assisting with transports and fundraisers, volunteers are vital to the health, welfare, and adoption of pets. Here are five ways in which you can help animal rescue organizations as a volunteer:

1. Donate time to walk and play with dogs or to brush and play with cats.
2. Serve as a foster parent, providing a temporary home to injured or orphaned animals, those awaiting a new home, or mothers with very young kittens or puppies.
3. Transport pets going to new homes or into rescue.
4. Assist with fundraising and other special events.
5. Serve as a board member or organize a group clean-up crew (which can include landscaping, painting, or cleaning inside the building).

Additionally, donations of money and supplies are always welcome.

During this month, remember that assisting shelters and rescues in various ways to help bring about greater awareness is vital. Consider being an advocate for animals this month and continue that good work all throughout the year.

Gayle M. Irwin writes inspirational pet stories for children and adults. She is the author of several books, a contributing writer to six Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and has a story published in last year's Memories from Maple Street U.S.A.: Pawprints on My Heart from Sundown Press. She regularly volunteers and contributes to various animal rescue organizations, and donates part of her book royalties to such groups. Currently, Gayle is working on three books, including a dog rescue story for children and another children's book about her newest rescue dog Mary, who is trained as a therapy dog. Learn more at www.gaylemirwin.com.

Finding Purpose Through Pet Adoption

This post by Gayle M. Irwin

A little more than a year ago, my husband and I lost our nearly 18-year-old cocker spaniel named Cody. We had adopted him in March 2008 when he was almost 10 years of age. He had been used as a stud dog for a breeder and then basically tossed away like trash. When we discovered him at our local humane society, his sad spaniel eyes ignited my heart. Even though he likely wouldn’t be with us but a few years, we determined to give him the best couple of years of his life. Two years turned into three, into five, into seven. At 17 ¾ years of age, Cody crossed the Rainbow Bridge, having been loved, adored, and pampered to the very end.

Mary (left) and Cody often slept next to each other.

Last week my husband and I celebrated the 4^th anniversary of bringing Mary into our hearts and home. She is a springer-cocker mix we adopted from English Springer Spaniel Rescue. She was nearly seven when she came to live with us, and we credit Mary with helping keep Cody going as long as he did. They shared walks in the woods with us, trips to the dog park, and travels in the car, as well as cuddles on the couch and snuggles in bed. Their friendship was very special, especially considering they were not raised together.

Mary turns 11 next week. We’ve considered adopting another dog since losing Cody as Mary was raised with a smaller pup prior to her going into rescue at the death of her special person. One day we will adopt again, but we’re holding off for awhile as we also have elderly cats, and to bring in another animal with three senior pets, especially cats, is tricky – we were fortunate with Mary, as she was also raised with felines, so we must be picky about the next dog that comes to share our home.

My blind dog Sage inspired many with her courage.

The first dog my husband and I adopted together was Sage, a purebred springer spaniel who became blind about a year after she came to live with us. The disease that stole her sight was Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), a genetic condition we did not know about until our vet diagnosed it a few weeks after adoption. Sage was part of a litter from a Montana breeder, who has since stopped breeding dogs. Although one never knows exactly how a shelter dog or cat will turn out, many times that’s also the case with breeders, and since millions of animals are still killed every year in animal shelters and millions of others await new loving homes, I choose to adopt. And, I support animal rescues and shelters through various means, including monetarily.

Animal rescue and pet adoption are my passions. I’ve adopted several pets over the course of my life, and I’ve worked with two different animal shelters during my career. Today I fulfill much of that passion via my writing. Whether blogs, pet columns, articles, or books, I find purpose in my passions: pets and writing.

I was blessed to be part of Sundown’s 2016 release Memories from Maple Street USA: Pawprints on My Heart. I wrote about Sage and Cody and the lessons I believe people can learn from pets. Although neither dog walks this earth with me anymore, they still fill my heart, and people can be inspired by the stories I write about them. Sage has been featured in three Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and children can read about her in some of my authored works. Cody, too, has his own children’s story, and one day I intend to create a book about Mary. This year, I’m working on two books about dog rescue, one for children with the main character a Great Pyrenees named Jazmine; the story is based on a real dog that I helped transport several years ago for a rescue called Big Dogs Huge Paws. My other work in progress is a romance about a woman who is involved in pet rescue. Through both endeavors, I seek to teach people what pet rescue is and how they can help.

My desire is to use my writing to inspire and to educate as well as to entertain. My passion for pet adoption is woven into my writing purpose and the goals I have for my works and words. How about you? What are some of your passions, and do you intertwine them into your writing (or into the books you enjoy reading)?

Gayle M. Irwin is a freelance writer and book author. She writes for magazines, newspapers, and other publications and she is the author of several inspirational pet stories for children and adults. She assists animal shelters and pets rescues by donating part of her book sales to such groups, helping at events, and transporting pets in need of new homes. Learn more about Gayle and her works at www.gaylemirwin.com.