Author: Jessica Kooistra
-
Winter
Suddenly I realize my hands are getting numb and release the grip on the steering wheel just a little. Breathe. A car swerves in front of me, and I tap the brakes a few times slowing down as I can feel the tires slide slightly. Not only is this careless idiot squeezing himself into the…
-
Priorities
You scroll through social media and see a post about a dog rescue desperately asking people to adopt. Another is asking people to consider fostering. Yet another is seeking donations to stay afloat. Behind all of these posts are countless dedicated humans who spend hours, days and years of their lives saving as many animals…
-
The thing about cats
They’re tearing around the basement, scaling the cat tree with sharp claws and batting the noisy ball around. A wrestling match ensues and the smaller one squeals as she tries to regain the upper hand. Then canned food is put out and both dive into the bowls face first. Humans domesticated cats about 10,000 years…
-
At The End.
You come home from work and your dog is excited to see you as if you left a year ago. You get home from vacation and your cat acts as if they thought you left them for good. Pets are part of our life, but to them we are their whole life. Humans have families.…
-
The Myth About No-Kill Shelters
You find a lost dog in your neighborhood and ask friends for advice on what to do next. One person tells you to bring it to the animal shelter, another tells you absolutely not, they ‘will just kill it’. You contact a local rescue that is known to take dogs and are told they are…
-
Adopt don’t Shop
Everyone has likely heard this phrase before. Everyone seems to have an opinion about this topic. A call has me checking on a property where the complainant claims the people are breeding dogs and believe it to be a puppy mill. Once making contact with the owner I find that he does in fact have…
-
When Change Changes You.
Change: verb change (verb) · changes (third person present) · changed (past tense) · changed (past participle) · changing (present participle) We all experience change. Some change is good. Some change is bad. Some change changes you. When I started working in the animal welfare field, I was a kennel attendant in the shelter building. The old shelter building we still worked in, while…
-
Pause
Mentally shutting it all off. Recharging ones own battery by physically removing yourself from the daily grind, stress and demands of work and life for a while. A necessity in my opinion. Many see a vacation as a luxury. Taking a break as a missed opportunity to make money. We have been programmed to believe…
-
Living in Color
I’m walking up to a house where a complaint was made regarding an aggressive dog from this address seen loose often. I carry my catch pole in one hand and my notepad in the other as I make my way up to the front door. The house appears to be in disrepair. The driveway is…