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Recently while I was driving, a song came on the radio that is one of my favorites. It is that song, “Everybody’s Free (to wear sunscreen)”; you know that one that starts off, “Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of 1997” and then delves into a long list of good advice, and ends with “Don’t forget to wear sunscreen”. I believe it became the big graduation song of that year and was played at commencement ceremonies everywhere. One piece of advice that stands out to me in that song is: “Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.” As someone who grew up in New York state, and now lives in Northern California, I cannot agree with that sentiment more. But it also parallels something similar in the animal field. Having worked at many animal control facilities, and being in charge of the euthanasia of unwanted animals, I can tell you that working in that environment for too long can be very damaging to the psyche. While you are there because you love animals, you are also the one that is taking their lives. I have seen many colleagues turn to drugs and/or alcohol to cope, and several who have finally taken their own lives. After some time working at the shelter in the capacity of a euthanasia technician, I finally had enough and left. At that point I was chronically depressed, and had an overall disdain for the general public after spending time cleaning up their mess. After spending some time managing a veterinary hospital, I took a job as General Manager for a luxury pet hotel. By luxury, I mean just that; luxury.The dogs had suites with flat screen TV’s and beds. They could spend time in our spa for pawdicures, facials, or massages. Or, if they were feeling a little on the warm side, they could go for a refreshing dip in our indoor pool. And the clients that we saw at this facility were nothing but those who spoiled their dogs rotten. Yes, some may say that this sounds a little absurd; but let me tell you, after spending years at a shelter where I saw nothing but people take their pets for granted, turning over their dog of 5 years simply because they did not want it anymore, or giving us a litter of puppies to put to sleep because the owners were “going on vacation and couldn’t care for them while away”, this was a welcome experience. It renewed my faith in people and helped me to see that not all pet owners are the types that I saw at the shelter. But before too long, I found myself getting out of touch with the realities that I knew to be true from shelter life, and so I left to go back to advocacy. Nonetheless, I needed that time at the hotel to balance me out from what I had become at the shelter. So the moral of this story, and my advice to fledgling advocates, is this; work at a shelter, but leave before it makes you hard. And work somewhere that offers nothing but happy endings for animals, but leave before it makes you soft. Oh yeah…and don’t forget to wear sunscreen.
If I didn't know better I would swear you were hired
Bless you for caring so much for those that cannot take care of themselves.
- Greg
Good post! I really enjoyed it. I remember the song and being so annoyed by it at the time, but now, when I hear it, I think, wow, that makes sense.