This is Susie Lee of the CLOSED (and disbanded) Ferret & Dove
Sanctuary, Inc., and I have a few words of praise and sympathy for all
Shelter care-persons whether they-or-you are still hanging in there or
have had to give it up like I did (in my case, I quit after I had to
make a choice to either keep my house or fix the car, so I kept the
house, let the car get sold for scrap and sent away the last of the
ferrets to other care-persons and shelters and the last doves to a
retired avian veterinarian. Sure it was a tough decision, and I
sorely miss all the fur-kids, but I would not treat any fur-person
irresponsibly, especially after preaching responsibility to all and
sundry for 15 years :)

But I sure do know what it's like to give up your own life for the
sakes of others and THIS is what I want to recognise all of you
shelter-folks for!, that daily personal sacrifice!

I spent most of the last 14 years(from last November on-back) "giving
up" all sorts of hours, too often 24 hours per, for furkids and
feathered-kids.

Days and nights would simply run right into one another with my
sleepless-self un-knowing except for looking up what dates to put on
the intake-sheets or adoption forms for those who were coming and
going. I sure do know what it's like to wish you could stay in bed
for just a FEW more minutes of much needed rest but having your own
conscience jab you up-and-out to go and take care of someone who is
small and helpless and cannot speak for themselves except mutely with
their pleas only in their eyes.

I just had a visit, yesterday from an older lady-friend who had looked
on and genuinely thought I had been right st death's door my own self
from going so many hours, days, even weeks (during and in aftermaths of
the hurricanes...couldn't sleep for constantly worrying and fussing for
all the fur-kids but we didn't lose a SINGLE small soul during or in
the aftermaths of any of our local hurricane-hits and was sometimes
really punch-drunk super-tired...man I was like a "walking dead"! )
without sleep trying to spread precious moments of care for so
many...often over an hundred small, non-human little souls at a time.
I often nearly gave my very life for them all. Not sorry, not for a
single moment of it. But i AM saying that i DO know what it's like.
What you're doing is really much MORE for the furkids' sakes than your
own, dear hearts. That's exactly why it is such a worthwhile employment
of your precious time. And some day, if and when you decide it's time
for you to pass along your care-torches, you AND ALL OF US will know
that there was not a single wasted moment and never a wasted tear shed
for having given so much of comfort to so many deserving little souls.

(these pages are for anyone needing info as I am still providing that
small service for anyone who calls me)
http://ferretanddovesanctuary.petfinder.com
http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/ferret_rescuer/index.html

[Posted in FML 7278]