No rescuer is an island. If you’re going to make this rescue gig a success, you’re going to need help. And I don’t mean just the occasional goodwill of a random passerby. No, you’re going to need support you can count on, from people who care—about you, sure, but also (mostly) about the dog—and who know what they’re doing.
In other words, you’re going to need a pack.
Vet team
What’s the first thing you do when you (finally) have your fresh-from-the-street rescue in the car?
You go to the vet. Which one, though?
One you trust. One who keeps careful, methodic medical histories. One who’s familiar with the health issues associated with living in the street—and in your particular area. (Example: vets who move to Curaçao from Holland have never heard of tick fever—a leading cause of canine death here.) One who will give it to you straight; in rescue, sweetening the pill doesn’t help anyone, least of all the dog. And one who’ll be willing to consult with a colleague (or three) when the issue stumps him/her. (Which is why most rescue organizations work with a veterinary team rather than a single individual.)
You go to the vet. Which one, though?
One you trust. One who keeps careful, methodic medical histories. One who’s familiar with the health issues associated with living in the street—and in your particular area. (Example: vets who move to Curaçao from Holland have never heard of tick fever—a leading cause of canine death here.) One who will give it to you straight; in rescue, sweetening the pill doesn’t help anyone, least of all the dog. And one who’ll be willing to consult with a colleague (or three) when the issue stumps him/her. (Which is why most rescue organizations work with a veterinary team rather than a single individual.)
Fellow rescuers
There is nothing more frustrating than trying to catch a dog, especially a skittish or fearful one, on your own. Sometimes you’ll be part of a rescue team, but sometimes it’ll be just you—and for those times it’d be oh-so-nice if you had a friend or two on speed-dial whom you can count on to help you. They don’t need to be experienced rescuers; they don’t even need to like dogs (but it helps, mostly for their sake). They just need to be there. Maybe hand you a leash, or play Bad Cop to your Good Cop in a chase.
Behaviorist
No one is as full of creative and out-of-the-box ideas than a dog behaviorist. (They’re the ones that inspired that “Out of the box? What box?” thing.) And when it comes to difficult rescues, nothing beats having a behaviorist’s resourceful thinking on your side. Careful with abusing this privilege, though. Pick up the phone only when you really need to.
One Eternal Optimist
At least one. Rescue takes a lot out of you, emotionally, so you'll want to have someone on hand that keeps your spirits up, someone who's always willing to Look On The Bright Side of Life ;) (Thank you, DoggieCaperz, for the suggestion to add this most valuable of resources to the list!)
One Eternal Optimist
At least one. Rescue takes a lot out of you, emotionally, so you'll want to have someone on hand that keeps your spirits up, someone who's always willing to Look On The Bright Side of Life ;) (Thank you, DoggieCaperz, for the suggestion to add this most valuable of resources to the list!)
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Who else—barring Cesar Millán—can you think of? What sort of company do you think would come handy in a rescue? Of your immediate circle, who's the most likely to join your rescue pack?
Thanks for coming by!
P.S.—We have a FAQ session coming up on Wednesday, for Q. If you have any questions, feel free to include them in a comment and I'll do my best to get you an answer. And, if I can't get it by Wednesday, I'll post about it as soon as I do—'cause it's bound to be something interesting :)