Volunteering at the Austin Humane Shelter

[lylemcd]

Part 1

I'm going to ask forum members a favor. I know I've been a bit snippy lately but if you feel that you get anything from this forum, please help me to spread this article series as much as possible. Facebook, other forums, whatever means you can to help. This is tremendously important to me for reasons that you'll understand by end week. Thank you

[lylemcd]

Part 2

[Underhanded]

I've posted this on a few other forums I frequent. Very good article series thus far.

[tayjeremy]

"who dislikes everybody and everything (that’s untrue by the way, I simply dislike 97% of everybody and everything)".

I teared when i read this. It made me read on.

I can see it now... " All proceeds from sales of my books will go to the shelter " and "Personal training is free of charge for those in Austin who become BBs" (lol).

Teasing aside, I helped start and run an animal shelter where I live. We had no vets, no donations, no real local community support and no real funding at all.
Context: I live in a Muslim country, so the idea of sheltering animals (Dogs), was against the grain. To sell things in an organized way requires very procedures and when we said :we take in and take care of animals. We were quickly shuffled away.

In general animals and pets are seen as a cancerous here which is very sad. There is no real "Vet" business here as well, so whenever we needed help we had to dig deep into our pockets or funds we made through sales of various things.

Anyway, we were shut down in the end but the main solution the government uses here for strays is one of "the final solution".

I don't want to say "keep at it" cause we already know you will. But remember, we need that crazy super training/nutrition ultimate program for all eternity to come out in our "lifting" life time yeah.

[lylemcd]

Part 3

[lylemcd]

Part 4

[Onefiver]

I'm not sure I will get past part 1. When you promise I am going to cry, it brings back memories of crying whilst reading "Where the Red Fern Grows" as a kid, as well as welling up whilst reading the pet section at P&B many moons ago. And that one movie with Skip in the title....and the story about the dog from Afghanistan. And, my boy Tip...

There's something about boys and their dogs.

Can't do it.

Won't!

Hell, I'm getting all chokey writing this! Not kidding.

EDIT: I will be reading it, but at the right time...

[leviatahan]

This dog-series is good.

Not something I like talk about but I've had PTSD and been severly depressed. It is all behind me now I hope - several years back. I still get moods, but I've not dropped into the well for a long time.

Getting a dog and caring for it was one of the things that helped me onto the right track. I've spent quite alot of time thinking about what it was that changed. My conclusion, perhaps wrong was that the dog forced me to focus outside of myself. Paying less attention to myself and caring for the dog allowed my mind to become better.

It's like being "forced" to love something made me put myself in the second priority, which in turn made me open to stimulus that in the end made me better.

Sounds corny when I write it out. In any case now I have kids and a dog and I love them to death, and I am pretty sure I will never have the time to allow myself to get into that hole again. Now and then I can feel a bit down, because I have so little time to do what *I* want to do - but nowdays it is just normal mood fluctuations. (at least so far.. )

Mind you; I am not saying you are like me. That's the tricky thing with the mind. We all work differently.

A whole bunch of respect to you for opening up like this.

[lylemcd]

You shouldn't love anything to death; it's not healthy.

[tayjeremy]

I LOVE YOu. I LOVE YOU DOG I LOVE YOU *hugs it to death* ala Lenny in "Of Mice and Men"