PETS: Rescues Share Their Experience

by | Lifestyle, Pets

Stuffed Artichoke Bottoms

What 3 Rescue Directors Learned Working in the Trenches.

Somebody save this dog!

It’s an everyday social media occurrence: People see pictures of sad looking puppies in shelter pics and comment, “Somebody save this dog,” and “Don’t let this baby die!”

Rescue directors everywhere WANT to save that dog. But the reality is most nonprofit rescues operate on limited donations and too few fosters.

Three local rescue directors – Suzy Blocker, Patricia Haynes, and Lisa Schauseil – can attest to just how hard running a rescue is. The women operated Carolina Big Hearts Big Barks from 2015 to 2022 before the rescue converted to a fund-raising foundation.

Patricia Haynes, Suzy Blocker, and Lisa Schauseil at a October 2020 fundraiser.

Our questions:

What Did Running a Rescue Teach you?

Suzy: The reality of how many dogs need help. And the behind-the-scenes hardships of running a rescue: the number of requests for rehoming dogs we get daily via social sites, calls, texts, and emails. It’s very taxing mentally when we have to say no, but it’s an ongoing struggle to ask the same group of people for help when they are volunteers with their own busy lives. And it’s tough to find fosters.

Patricia: The thing that shocked me most is how full all the shelters are and how many perfectly adoptable dogs are euthanized every day simply for lack of space.

Lisa: The CRITICAL importance of spay/neuter. If people would spay/neuter their dogs, shelter over population would substantially decrease. There are many resources out there: Low cost spay/neuter clinics, rescues, and community outreach programs that WANT to help people get their dogs spayed/neutered. People just have to ask.

What’s one thing you’d do differently?

Suzy: I don’t have any regrets. I poured my heart and soul into our rescue for seven years and did the absolute best I could. We all did, and we saved so many lives (approximately 1200) because of it.

Patricia: I don’t know that I’d do anything differently. It was a learning process, and we adapted as we went along. Nothing was black and white or set in stone for us, and that’s what I loved about our rescue.

Lisa: When we started the rescue, we vowed to be different, as every adopter and every dog have their own needs. I have no regrets in how we ran the rescue and made adoption decisions.

The one thing I might have done differently is try to better educate our volunteers that no matter how much we try, not all dogs can be saved. The majority of our volunteers understood when the rare occasion happened that a dog had to be euthanized for extreme behavior concerns, but we did lose a couple great volunteers, because they couldn’t accept that it was the right thing to do.

Patricia Haynes, Suzy Blocker, and Lisa Schauseil at Winter Ball 2022.

What advice would you give other directors or rescuers?

Suzy: Try not to get discouraged. Know that you are making a difference no matter how many you save. 

Patricia: Beware of burnout. Realize that you can only do so much. Do what you can but take time for yourself or you’ll get overwhelmed.

Lisa: Appreciate your fosters. They are so important for a rescue to be successful.

It’s also OK to close intake and take a break. Burnout is real. Take a break so you can continue to help and not get so exhausted you end up walking away all together.

What was your most rewarding moment in rescue?

Suzy: My most rewarding moments come from seeing all the adopters’ pictures and stories on our fur-ever homes Facebook page.

Pat: Our Facebook page for past adopters is a continual reminder of all the dogs we saved. Seeing them live their best lives and knowing I had a small part in that is very rewarding.

Lisa: For me, it was the time I went and got a dog that was dumped on the side of the road. He was staying in the same spot just waiting for his owner to come back.

When I first arrived, he barked and snarled like he was going to bite me, but I took the time to help him calm down. He ended up jumping in my car and gave me kisses all the way home. He is now living his best life at the beach. But had animal control picked him up, he would have been labeled dangerous and most likely euthanized.

Parvo Outbreak Affects Local Rescues

Kreitzer’s Critter Corral Puppy Rescue and Faith, Hope & Love Animal Rescue NC are both currently dealing with expensive vet bills from multiple rescue puppies with parvo virus, which is highly contagious and has been rampant in the area this summer. We at Big Hearts Big Barks Foundation encourage you to foster, adopt, or donate with either of these rescues.

Article and photos by Timina Stengel – Foster/Adopter/Rescue Advocate
Timina Stengel

Timina is the full time Personal Assistant/Mom to her rescue pitty Stella. She also has two human teenagers and works as a content strategist.

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