Friday March 29th, 2024 1:07AM

On being #LockedUpForGood for a second time

First things first, I’d like to thank everyone who gave any amount to bail me out of “dog jail” as part of the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia’s annual Adoption Angel Lock In. Essentially, I sat in a dog kennel all day, with a dog, while I tried to raise “bail money” to “get out.”

My goal was $1,000 and at last check I raised $1,005. It felt pretty lofty this year and I kept asking myself, “What were you thinking? $1,000 is a lot of money. Even if everyone donated only $5, that would be 200 people. That’s still a lot of people.”

But as I woke up last Thursday morning, nervous about meeting my goal and letting myself and several dogs down, I saw that others were already up and putting coins in my purse. As I checked in on the Morning Edition with Bill Maine, posted to social media and texted with family and friends, the numbers suddenly started getting higher.

As the numbers rolled, I got to know my penmate, Murphy, a little better. He is still looking for his fur-ever home. A big boy but a real sweetie who just wanted to play, and probably didn’t know just how big and strong he is. But most of the day, he spent laying down on my blanket with me while I worked or chilling out while I interviewed people in our kennel. He enjoyed a rubber Kong toy filled with peanut butter and could sit for the treats I was provided.

I took all of my interviews in the dog kennel to give our readers a taste of what it was like: loud. I sat on a blanket on the floor (with Murph), had a water bottle and only brought the equipment I needed to make my videos and postings as my “toys.” Murphy lives in number 15, has a pail of water and a food tray, a blanket and a cot-style bed, so I tried to limit my personal affects to what he had. I took bathroom breaks only when Murphy was taken outside by a volunteer, but did allow myself a break for lunch. In actuality, I could come and go from the kennel whenever I pleased, I was just trying to match Murphy’s experience.

Was it so bad? No, not really. For one day though. But what about every day? What about the cycle of excitement every day when someone walked into the room and looked in each kennel, riling up each dog because HUMAN ALERT, only for it to quickly pass and slowly die down?

Right as I was scheduled to leave, I checked my totals and discovered I had, in fact, reached my goal. I gave Murphy the last few treats I had, rolled up my blanket and only allowed myself to look back once.

It never gets easier. No matter how many animals I have worked with – as a pet owner, as a veterinarian’s kennel worker, as a rescue group volunteer, as a fundraiser in a strange dog’s kennel – it never gets easier to walk away. No matter how many dogs and cats you have space for in your home, no matter how much training you work on with your own pets, it never gets easier to close the crate and go to work, or the store, or a party. No matter how much money you can raise or how many times you sit on the concrete floor with a dog you likely will never see again, it will never get easier to walk away without looking back to see them watching you with those sad eyes. You won’t turn into a pillar of dog biscuits, but your heart might crack, just a little, for the dog who is just looking for a home, and it’s unfortunately not yours.

While fundraisers like this are quirky and fun and raise a good amount of money, I would also say the event can be a sobering experience. If you’ve never crawled in a dog pen, or volunteered at a rescue, or have never walked someone else’s dog, try it. If you can’t, skip your Starbucks for just a day and donate. A little goes a long way in these cases.

So, uh, if you’re looking for a dog… I know something that will go an even longer way. His name is Murphy.

  • Associated Tags: Reigning Cats and Dogs
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