It's amazing to me how personal and defensive people get whenever change is proposed or someone relates their opinion regarding a "situation" such as ways to improve rescue, especially when those people claim to have a common interest such as the protection and preservation of the Siberian husky. It's not about "rescue VERSUS breeders"..It's not about "show vs rescue".. It's not about "breeders vs non breeders"... It's not about "responsible vs irresponsible"... It's not about "pet vs show/racing/etc"... Rescue SHOULD be about the people who claim to love the breed and who want to "protect and preserve" that breed by putting aside their personal differences, putting aside petty "office" politics, putting aside geographic differences...it should be about doing what's right for the dogs and not about personal gain or fame.... It should not be about pointing fingers but rather high fives and coming together to figure out how to make a proposal work, not rip it apart... It should not make anyone defensive, but rather should make them want to go on the offensive to find solutions to the problems...to work with others, and not against them, who claim to have the same basic goals regarding rescue...the protection and preservation of the breed. Here's a proposal....that all people who claim to love the Siberian husky breed.. Whether it be show, pet, racing, rescue, whatever...get rid of the petty "office" politics..get rid of the "geographic" mentality...to get rid of ego... To make the commitment to rescue the breed anywhere, anytime, under any circumstances, at any cost... To take back control of the breed by the people who love the breed, to increase educational efforts everywhere at every opportunity about the trials and tribulations as well as the joys and triumphs of being owned by a Siberian husky and not just once a year at a show...to make the "protection and preservation" of the breed truly a national endeavor. There is the saying.. "If you breed... Rescue"... Forget that.. IF YOU LOVE THE SIBERIAN HUSKY...RESCUE It's that simple...regardless of whether you're able to commit to one hour a month or a week, or it's a full time commitment.. Regardless of whether you can foster one dog or 10...Regardless of whether you can donate $5 a month or $500...The point is to make the commitment to utilize all our resources to the best of our abilities... There are working examples among other breeds.. Gordon Setters and Bichon Frise to name but two. It can be done IF the lovers of the breed put aside their differences and concentrate on working together for a solution. While I'm sure someone can find faults about either organization, it's hard to argue with a rescue (Small Paws ... http://www.smallpawsrescue.org/ ) which spent $429,227.10 on vet bills in 2004. Now that's commitment and dedication to the breed they love..they have made that commitment to anytime, anywhere, any circumstances, any cost. They've come a long way in 5 years... But it's amazing what people can accomplish when they set ego aside and concentrate on solving the problem before them in order to "protect and preserve" the breed they love. From the Small Paws History Page: "Now Small Paws® Rescue has over 800 volunteers and over 5000 supporters making us the largest rescue organization for Bichons (and Bichon Mixes) regardless of age or health conditions, in the country. We are growing at a rate of about 20-30 new Bichon lovers a day." Now wouldn't it be fantastic if we could say the same about Siberian Husky Rescue in 5 yrs? What could Siberian Husky Rescue do with 5000 supporters who donate $2, $3, or even $5 a month to be used solely for rescue efforts with the mentality of anytime, anywhere, any circumstances, any cost? Do other breed lovers care more for their breed than Siberian husky lovers? According to AKC Registration Statistics for 2004 (see http://www.akc.org/reg/dogreg_stats.cfm ) , Siberian Huskies are ranked 24th.. Bichon Frise are ranked 26th... According to these statistics, Siberians are more popular... So shouldn't we be able to accomplish the same results with regards to Rescue at the very least? Shouldn't we be able to come together and save as many dogs, spend as much money, have as many volunteers and supporters, have a network which puts the dogs first and ego last? To work together rather than tear apart? To find commonality amongst ourselves rather than focus on the differences among us? Anytime, Anywhere, Any Circumstances, Any Cost... Think about it.. Commit to it.. Make it a reality rather than an ideal... Others have and it works...why not us? Jim Sheerin MOSHR http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/MO268.html Store: http://www.cafepress.com/MOSHR |
| A great common Sense article pertaining to the handling of Siberian Husky Rescue. |