Animal Rescue

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" ~Gandhi (1869-1948)

I am a huge fan of animal rescue.  All of my pets are rescues and have been since I was 20 years old.  I think people who do rescue are the angels of the world, watching after creatures who are abused and forgotten.  Their work is without end, can be heartbreaking and is often without recognition or understanding.  It makes me furious and sad whenever I read some foolish person comment about someone caring for non-human animals more than people.  As if humans are the only animal worthy.  

So my recent experience has left me not only baffled, but cautious.  

When my pet painting business exploded with requests, I felt like I needed to give back.  For me, that was by donating to rescue, since most rescue groups are entirely volunteer and usually need every bit of monetary help they can get.  Volunteers are usually not hard to find, but money is.  So I created a calendar and donated proceeds from the sales to a group called BARK.  I also choose a special case each year to help - usually an animal that needs surgery and if saved, will have a chance at a normal life.  I've also donated portions of some of my sales to various groups if they sponsor an event in which I am participating and I've donated countless paintings for auction benefits over the years. I don't do this for accolades or attention, so most people don't (until now) even know about my chosen philanthropy.  All I've ever asked for is acknowledgment my donation was received and sometimes I ask how funds are used or how much a painting brought at auction.  This helps me gauge which group to continue giving to and for business reasons, how my work is valued. 

I learned in February of a dog that needed surgery and a rescue group needed funds to pay for it.  The email arrived from a friend, so I trusted it.   Perfect.  Exactly the kind of project I try to support.  I emailed the contact and was put in touch with the president of the rescue organization.  I then made arrangements to pay the balance of the medical fee. My check was mailed in March.  By May, my check had not been cashed so I contacted the president to see if my check had been received.  I thought it was lost and I'd need to stop the check and reissue a new one.  But the president did not return my email, or phone call, or any subsequent attempt to reach her.  By June, I had attempted to find out what happened on numerous occasions, but still no contact.  I was being ignored. Or this person is rude.   Or maybe too busy, or maybe in over her head.  I have no clue.  But I began to worry less about the cause and more about my check floating around out there. 

I could not find anyone connected with this rescue group other than the president.  No board members, no national affiliation, no other phone numbers, and apparently all emails went to this one person.  The website is completely void of identifying information.  This caused all of my alarms to go off and I began to think I'd been scammed. I found the name of the person who originated the email asking for help and this person did respond to me right away.  As a matter of fact, she was able to get through to the person I'd been trying to reach very quickly and I was assured that my check had been received, but not yet cashed.  Hmmmm....so what is going on? Was the kind person originating the email being scammed, too?  Why would a rescue group not cash a donation check? Was there even a "group," or is this just one person? Will my check be used to pay a salary?  Will it be used fraudulently? Will they steal my account number and make a fake account?   Why is this president avoiding me, since we've never met and all I have requested is some acknowledgement that my check is, or is not, in her possession?  I don't know any rescue group that has enough income that they can afford to let donations sit around on a desk. I have no way of knowing what is happening. 

As you probably figured out,  I gave up.  For the first time ever, I went to my bank and reluctantly put a stop to my check.  I will donate the equivalent in funds to another group.  If the president of that group is indeed all about rescue, she should rethink how she responds to generous donors and how she is running her organization.  Her reluctance to answer a simple question has led me to have serious doubts.  A rescue organization can ill afford to have potential donors questioning its validity.  I've been assured that the little dog received surgery and is in a good home.  I don't even know for sure if the little dog ever existed.  

I will be much more cautious about all organizations that purport to be in rescue for the good of the animals, before I donate a single penny.