Rescuers

Rescue Prayer

Now I lay me down to rest
I pray my soul can stand this test
Of watching critters lose their homes
While owners gripe and cry and moan

I long for strength of spirit that
They'll find a loving home again
Where they will know a loving heart
I can't do much, but it's a start..

And spare me from the owner's pleas
About the baby's allergies
Or how they're moving out of state
Or spitefulness 'tween cat and mate

Please keep me sane while dealing with
The woman who bought as a gift
A wriggling tiny ball of fluff
That now is playing way too rough

Remind me I should bite my lip
When confronted with "he grew too quick"
"I didn't know he'd get so large"
"He seems to think that he's in charge"

Protect my heart when I hear them say
"I think we'll breed our dog one day"
Sometimes I think it'll break in two;
Each day brings trials harsh and new

And if I die before I wake
I pray one hopeless soul you'll take
My tears are gone, my faith is bare
Lord, please hear my rescue prayer.

 

Rescue Angels

Tail tucked between your legs,
Confusion in your eyes -
I know it's hard to understand
That someone heard your cries.

When loneliness is all you know
And pain is all you feel
And no one can be trusted,
And hunger's all too real...

That's the time the Lord sees you
And lets you know He's there
That's when He sends His messengers
The hearts that love and care.

Yes, rescuers are angels
You cannot see their wings,
They keep them neatly folded
As they do their caring things.

The medicine to make you well
Good food to make you strong,
And finally to help you learn
That hugs are never wrong.

The perfect place then must be found
The home where you can live
Secure and safe and happy
With joy to get and give.

When you reach your Forever Home,
Your place to feel whole,
The Angels smile, and off they go
To save another soul

A Poem to My Foster Dog

I am the bridge Between what was and what can be. I am the pathway to a new life.

I am made of mush, Because my heart melted when I saw you, Matted and sore, limping, depressed, Lonely, unwanted, afraid to love.

For one little time you are mine. I will feed you with my own hand I will love you with my whole heart I will make you whole.

I am made of steel. Because when the time comes, When you are well, and sleek, When your eyes shine, And your tail wags with joy Then comes the hard part. I will let you go--not without a tear, But without a regret. For you are safe forever-- A new dog needs me now.

by Diane Morgan

Once I was a lonely dog, just looking for a home.
I had no place to go, no one to call my own.
I wandered up and down the streets, in rain, in heat and snow.
I ate whatever I could find, I was always on the go.

My skin would itch, my feet were sore, my body ached with pain.
And no one stopped to give a pat or to gently say my name.
I never saw a loving glance, I was always on the run.
For people thought that hurting me was really lots of fun.

And then one day I heard a voice...so gentle, kind and sweet,
And arms so soft reached down to me and took me off my feet.
"No one again will hurt you" was whispered in my ear.
"You'll have a home to call your own where you will know no fear."

"You will be dry, you will be warm, you'll have enough to eat.
And rest assured that when you sleep, your dreams will all be sweet."
I was afraid I must admit, I've lived so long in fear.
I can't remember when I let a human come so near.

And as she tended to my wounds and bathed and brushed my fur
She told me 'bout the rescue group and what it meant to her.
She said, "We are a circle, a line that never ends.
And in the center there is you protected by new friends."

"And all around you are the ones that check the pounds,
And those that share their home after you've been found."
"And all the other folk are searching near and far.
To find the perfect home for you, where you can be a star."

She said, "There is a family, that's waiting patiently,
and pretty soon we'll find them, just you wait and see."
"And then they'll join our circle they'll help to make it grow,
so there'll be room for more like you, who have no place to go."

I waited very patiently, the days they came and went.
Today's the day I thought, my family will be sent.
Then just when I began to think it wasn't meant to be,
there were people standing there, just gazing down at me.

I knew them in a heart beat, I could tell they felt it too.
They said, "We have been waiting for a special dog like you."
Now every night I say a prayer to all the gods that be.
"Thank you for the life I live and all you've given me.

But most of all protect the dogs in the pound and on the street.
And send a Rescue Person to lift them off their feet."

-- Arlene Pace (September 18, 1998)

The Reason

I would've died that day if not for you.
I would've given up on life if not for your kind eyes.
I would've used my teeth in fear if not for your gentle hands.
I would have left this life believing that all humans don't care.
Believing that there is no such thing as fur that isn't matted;
Skin that isn't flea bitten;
Good food and enough of it;
Beds to sleep on;
Someone to love me,
To show me that I deserve love, just because I exist.

Your kind eyes, your loving smile, your gentle hands, your big heart
saved me...
You saved me from the terror of the pound,
Soothing away memories of my old life.
You have taught me what it means to be loved.
I have seen you do the same for other dogs like me.
I have heard you ask yourself, in times of despair, why you do it.
When there is no more money, no more room, no more homes,
You open your heart a little bigger, stretch the money a little
tighter,
Make just a little more room... to save one more like me.

I tell you with the gratitude and love that shines in my eyes,
In the best way I know how,
Reminding you why you go on trying.
I am the reason;
The dogs before me were the reason;
As are the ones who come after.
Our lives would've been wasted,
Our love never given,
We would die if not for you

Author Unknown

Rainbow Bridge for Strays

Unlike most days at the Rainbow Bridge , this day dawned cold and gray, damp as a swamp and as dismal as could be imagined.

All of the recent arrivals had no idea what to think, as they had never experienced a day like this before.

But the animals who had been waiting for their beloved people know exactly what was going on and started to gather at the pathway leading to The Bridge to watch.

It wasn't long before an elderly animal came into view, head hung low and tail dragging.

 

The other animals, the ones who had been there for a while, knew what his story was right away, for they had seen this happen far too often.

He approached slowly, obviously in great emotional pain, but with no sign of injury or illness.

Unlike all of the other animals waiting at The Bridge, this animal had not been restored to youth and made healthy and vigorous again.

As he walked toward The Bridge, he watched all of the other animals watching him.

 

He knew he was out of place here and the sooner he could cross over, the happier he would be.

But, alas, as he approached The Bridge, his way was barred by the appearance of an Angel who apologized, but told him that he would not be able to pass.

Only those animals who were with their people could pass over Rainbow Bridge .

 

With no place else to turn, the elderly animal turned towards the fields before The Bridge and saw a group of other animals like himself, also elderly and infirm.

 

They weren't playing, but rather simply lying on the green grass, forlornly staring out at the pathway leading to The Bridge.

 

And so, he took his place among them, watching the pathway and waiting.

 

One of the newest arrivals at The Bridge didn't understand what he had just witnessed and asked one of the animals that had been there for a while to explain it to him.

 

"You see, that poor animal was a rescue. He was turned in to the rescue just as you see him now, an older animal with his fur graying and his eyes clouding.

He never made it out of the rescue and passed on with only the love of his rescuer to comfort him as he left his earthly existence.

Because he had no family to give his love to, he has no one to escort him across The Bridge."

 

The first animal thought about this for a minute and then asked, "So what will happen now?"

As he was about to receive his answer, the clouds suddenly parted and the gloom lifted.

 

Approaching The Bridge could be seen a single person and among the older animals, a whole group was suddenly bathed in a golden light and they were all young and healthy again, just as they were in the prime of life.

"Watch, and see," said the second animal.

 

A second group of animals from those waiting came to the pathway and bowed low as the person neared. At each bowed head, the person offered a pat on the head or a scratch behind the ears.

The newly restored animals fell into line and followed her towards The Bridge. They all crossed The Bridge together.

"What happened?"

"That was a rescuer. The animals you saw bowing in respect were those who found new homes because of her work. They will cross when their new families arrive.

Those you saw restored were those who never found homes. When a rescuer arrives,

they are allowed to perform one, final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort those

poor animals that they couldn't place on earth across The Rainbow Bridge."

 

Anonymous