Heroes Behind the Scenes
I would very much like everyone to take 10 minutes off from your busy lives to read this article and contemplate on it. Taking care of animals is never an easy job because it requires tremendous effort and compassion to sustain one’s good work… but for animal lovers, taking care of animals is an integral part of their lives. These incredibly compassionate people do what they do because they feel tremendous pain when seeing an animal suffer, and great joy when they can care for and ease the suffering of an animal in need.
I am not referring to those who keep pets in a regular household, e.g. when one keeps one or two dogs as companions (and even in such cases I have seen people neglecting their furry friends). What I am referring to is the sheer amount of stress and disappointment that compassionate animal rescuers who care for tens or even hundreds of dogs on a daily basis have to endure, and their struggles to provide the best for these dogs while finding them a good home.
I can only imagine how traumatic it must be for these animal rescuers who have to make difficult decisions on a daily basis, such as turning away new-born puppies due to overcrowding, not treating sick dogs due to a lack of funds, or even euthanising dogs that cannot be rehabilitated or rehomed. Although it is every animal shelter’s wish to be a ‘no kill’ shelter, funds and space have always been issues plaguing animal welfare activities.
I have always wanted to start an animal sanctuary in Kechara, but due to a number of issues including a lack of funds, space, and committed and qualified people to spearhead this project, I have not been able to do so yet. A few of my students who are genuine animals lovers do take neglected and abused dogs into their own homes and spend most of their stipends providing for these dogs… I thank them very much for their care and compassion.
I have a very special place in my heart for people who take good care of animals and spend time making sure that they are fine. Animals can’t talk, therefore they can’t say ‘thank you’. People who are willing to help animals and don’t ask for anything in return really inspire me, because this is exactly how our minds should be, kind and selfless. I thank these wonderful and selfless human beings residing in every corner of the world for their dedication in providing these precious creatures a second chance to live and to be loved.
Please encourage everyone you know to adopt a pet from an animal shelter instead of buying from a pet shop. Please also donate to your local animal shelter to relieve some of their financial burdens… not only will it give the animals a second chance in life, it is also a form of encouragement for the compassionate animal caregivers who have dedicated their lives to this noble cause.
Tsem Rinpoche
The Fatal Epidemic Of Animal Care Workers That No One Is Talking About
To honor those animal care workers who suffer from compassion fatigue, all of the animals pictured in this article are available for adoption.
In September of 2014, 48-year-old veterinary behaviorist and best-selling author Dr. Sophia Yin died of suicide. Dr. Yin was a trailblazer in the dog training community. She wrote books, created instructional videos, and developed tools for positive reinforcement training.
In the Huffington Post, Anna Jane Grossman writes that it is impossible to understate Dr. Yin’s contribution to the world.
It is, perhaps, this overwhelming dedication to animals that led her to take her own life. According to those closest to her, Dr. Yin likely suffered from compassion fatigue.
Charles Figely, Ph.D., Director of the Tulane Traumatology Institute, defines compassion fatigue as:
“Emotional exhaustion, caused by the stress of caring for traumatized or suffering animals or people.”
Compassion fatigue is also known as “secondary-traumatic stress disorder” (STSD). The symptoms of STSD are similar to PTSD. As with PTSD, compassion fatigue can lead to depression and thoughts of suicide.
STSD is not rare and Dr. Yin’s suffering was not unusual.
The first ever mental health survey for veterinarians revealed that one in six of them have contemplated suicide. A recent study by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reveals that animal rescue workers have a suicide rate of 5.3 in 1 million workers. This is the highest suicide rate among American workers; a rate shared only by firefighters and police officers. The national suicide average for American workers is 1.5 per 1 million.
Jessica Dolce, a Certified Compassion Fatigue Educator, says,
“Compassion fatigue is an occupational hazard of our work with animals, whether you are an animal control officer or kennel attendant in a small town or an internationally recognized veterinarian. Our work requires that we compassionately and effectively respond to the constant demand to be helping those who are suffering and in need.”
Yet, no one is discussing this very real and very prevalent epidemic. Perhaps that is because we think of animal care as more practical than emotional.
Justina Calgiano, Director of Public Relations and Special Events at the Delaware County SPCA, a private lifesaving animal welfare organization just outside of Philadelphia, spoke to us about this, saying:
“Setting personal limits is hard in animal welfare, because it’s not ‘just a job’ – it’s like a religion.”
This means that even success stories leave their own scars. In fact, according to Colleen Mehelich of CompassionFatigue.org, STSD is only minimally related to euthanasia.
Calgiano remembers a particularly difficult case involving a Pit-Bull named Precious whom repair workers found locked in a flooded basement.
“She was found amidst a flood of water, steam, and an outbreak of fleas. She weighed a devastating 17 pounds. She couldn’t even lift her head, let alone walk. We had workers come to the shelter in shifts around the clock to spoon feed her and flip her body to prevent bed sores. After investigation, it was discovered that her mom, Angel, died in the basement from starvation – the same fate Precious would have suffered.”
Now Precious lives a joyful life with a loving family of both humans and other dogs. Still, the trauma of witnessing Precious’s struggle will never leave Calgiano.
Success stories are not always possible. This is often due to medical reasons, behavioral issues, or most tragically for rescue workers, a lack of space.
The Delco SPCA once functioned as more of an animal control facility than a haven. In 2009, 2,325 animals were euthanized, while 1,845 were adopted.
Thanks to the help of their Executive Director, Richard Matelsky, Delco SPCA is now a no-kill shelter. Euthanasia only occurs for medical or extreme behavioral reasons. The shelter is now listed as one of the best in the country.
Not every shelter has the opportunity to go from “high-kill” to “haven.” The mental and physical stressors in those environments can be debilitating to the people who work there.
While it’s easy to suggest to these workers to take time for themselves and practice self-care and stress management, it’s not as easy to put those techniques into practice. The majority of rescue workers are volunteers with separate careers.
On top of that, finding foster homes for animals in need is a difficult task, leaving rescue workers and veterinarians to take as many animals as possible into their own homes. Many of these pets have severe behavioral and/or medical issues due to the way they have been treated in the past.
The nature of the work is not the only thing impacting the mental health of animal welfare workers. The nature of the workers is also at play here.
Molly Sumner, a QPR trained Gatekeeper who helps people during times of crisis, notes that those with a deep compassion for animals take a considerable amount of weight on their shoulders. Because animals cannot speak for themselves, rescuers feel they must break their own personal limits to give a voice to those in need.
Psychotherapist J. Eric Gentry tells the Sacramento Bee:
“Animal care professionals are some of the most pain-saturated people I have ever worked with. The very thing that makes them great at their work, their empathy and dedication and love for animals, makes them vulnerable.”
With little time to care for themselves, it’s important that animal workers connect with support programs.
People like Elizabeth Strand, Founding Director of Veterinary Social Work at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (UTK), are taking steps to increase access to support services. Veterinary social workers receive training similar to that of regular social workers, but they also learn how to address the specific needs of animal care workers.
Veterinarian Kate Knutson tells SocialWorkers.org:
“We learn the technical and scientific skills, but what we’re not getting enough of is communication and relationship skills. Veterinarians desperately need better communication skills.”
UTK has also launched S.A.V.E., Suicide Awareness in Veterinary Education, which provides mental health information to veterinary students.
In the United Kingdom, the Royal College of Veterinary Services launched the Mind Matters Initiative in December 2014. The program’s main focus is to reduce stigma, raise awareness and identify risk factors. The program also funnels funding to the Vet Helpline, which offers services for people in immediate crisis.
In addition to these services, many in the field advise that realism is one of the best method of staving off crisis.
Mehelich feels that it is important to experience and accept feelings of sadness and loss. Avoiding them lets them fester and build up.
Dolce agrees:
“When we recognize that it’s perfectly normal to be affected by our work, we can more easily take steps to better manage the impact of compassion fatigue on our lives. Start by educating yourself and your staff. We can’t address what we don’t understand. Read a book, take a class or webinar.”
Calgiano adds that setting small boundaries is helpful. Something as simple as not checking your email for a few hours on the weekend may give your emotions time to recharge.
Nearly all animal care workers agree that your first line of defense against compassion fatigue is to accept the reality that you cannot save everyone. Take things one day at a time and do not underestimate the importance of saving one life. That one act makes a world of difference to that animal and to the humans who will love them.
Source: http://barkpost.com/compassion-fatigue-animal-workers/
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Running an animal shelter is very challenging and not easy,could imagine the hours and time taking care of animals. Not only one but many…they are at times stressful, tire and dedicate their life too.
Dr Yin was one sad case ,she suffered from compassion fatigue. It’s important that animal workers get supports from professional as they have little time to care for themselves.
Animal care professionals are great at their work,dedication and love for animals, makes them vulnerable.They are heroes and compassionate ones.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.
I was about to say taking care of animals are harder than taking care of people but I don’t think that is true. To care for anything or anyone be it animals or human, including ourselves can be challenging. The challenges are different and does not need to be compared.
I think it is important for anyone who choose to act upon their conscience and care for others to also come to terms that no every men, women or animals can be saved. There are times that one needs to let it go and be okay with it.
There is no nobility in guilt, one of the perspective of guilt could even be selfishness. What happened to Dr Yin is tragic. The unsung heroes among us, the people who work tirelessly for others, they too have their demons to face. Mother Teresa for example still did what she did till the very end but also doubted her faith in God. I wonder if she was a happy person inside.
If Dr Yin did not dedicate her life to animals would she have lived a happier life and not committed suicide? I guess we will never know. Perhaps one way or another her life would have ended exactly the same way but in this scenario she left an impact in making lives better for animals. Like it or not, we are in this world right here, right now. End destination is death. In between, anything goes. So it is up to us how we want to spend the time in between, to be of some benefits or just existing.
Reading about this, just like people who counsel people sometimes even such counselors they need others to help them talk things out. Hope the animal carers and givers professionals will have support for their colleagues so what happened to Dr Yin could be prevented.
I really needed to read this tonight. There are rare opportunities when someone takes the time to just say “thank you.” Those two words mean the world to animal care workers because they are rarely spoken…
Dear Rinpoche,
This post made me see a different side of animal lovers, and people who run animal shelters and wish to help animals. Through this post, my respect for them has deepened ten-fold. And it makes me sad to see that these people struggle so much to be compassionate and beautiful, and go though so much disappointment. These people don’t deserve to feel disappointment, yet they do; everyday.
I hope that upon seeing this post, more people will now take their time to spend time with their pets and donate to the nearest animal shelter they see; me included. There are some times where I, too, neglect my family’s dogs. I will do my best to spend more time bonding snd understanding them, and less time on the computer. 🙂
Thank you for posting this, Rinpoche.
Your humble student,
Keng Hwa.
Dear Rinpoche, I totally agree that running an animal shelter is very challenging . To be a run a shelter is not an easy task . One needs to have the time , love , energy and funds. Most important is to be able to make rational decision . Having volunteered at animal shelters and having rescuer friends I have seen many various scenarios . It is so true that they will have to make painful decisions to turn away some animals as the shelter runs out of space.
The most painful of all is to make the dreaded decision on euthanasia.
When a shelter or rescue home has an animal with life threatening virus they have to make decisions based on logical thinking and not let emotions run over.
It may deem cruel sometimes but if one can see things from a wider aspects than only can they understand why sometimes such decision need to be executed.
Let’s picture a scenario that happens frequently at shelters and rescue centres.
Let’s say a shelter XYZ has 500 dogs and cats. They are running out of space and funds. Then one dog has pravo virus or distemper. Now these virus is highly contagious and life threatening not only to 1 animal but to all that is at the home. Should they spend the funds to try to save this dog that has a low chance of survival or do they make the choice of euthanasia. This is not a time to cry and sob out “I will do anything to cure this dog” . This is the time to be rational. Some shelters will euthanize and save the possibility of the other animals being infected . The funds collected to save one single animal that might even die after treatment can be utilised to feed the other animals . Yes very painful decision .
Than there are times when shelter gets so crowded they some times need to turn away those brought in. Is it what they want? Of course not but they sometimes are left with no choice. There are even people that just dump these poor animals at the doors of these shelter home when the shelter is not open.
To add to all the challenges shelter faced daily is the critics . Yes no matter what decision one makes they will faced critics from all sorts of people. Sigh :(.
I have a tremendous respect for the people that go through all the heartbreak, struggles and pain in the efforts to save and help others like animals. These people, which I have known a few of, give up a lot of their lives to raise many animals in their own shelter and they need a lot of help and it is difficult for them. These people truly have hearts to push away everything for others and they truly know the value of life too because of how they want to help other lives instead of their own.
These people that are genuine do have to go through many struggles financially or when they have to make choices to put down animals or reject them because of lack of resources. These things really hurt these saviors. They have the most heart and the best wishes and yet they cannot bring all of it into reality. They could use more help from others and the government for example.
If the world had more people to save animals, the people that do not mind being in the shadows or in the background doing the best things in the world and for others and not getting any attention or credit, that is the best world. One where we are not selfish. We need to help and be more like these heroes in the background and truly see how to live. Help them and help the animals too. They are lives too.
How traumatic it must be for those animal rescuers who have to make difficult decisions on a daily basis, to turn away new-born puppies due to overcrowding, not able to treat sick dogs due to lack of funds, or even euthanising dogs that cannot be rehabilated or rehomed. Although all animal shelter’s wish is to be a “no-kill” shelter, but due to lack of funds and space, have always been the plaguing animal welfare activities and delima. Rinpoche very much wanted to start an animal santuary in Kechara since he first came, but due mainly to lack of funds, space, deeply qualified and commited animal-care expert, Rinpoche is not able to do so yet as said. As an animal lover, Rinpoche said, “For animal lovers, taking care of animals is an integral part of their lives. These incredible compassionate people do feel tremendous pain when seeing an animal suffers, and great joy when they can care for and ease the suffering of an animal in need.” Rinpoche is not refering to those who keeps pets in regular household – but those compassionate rescuers who cares for tens or even hundreds of dogs on a daily basis, where they have to struggle to provide the best for these dogs while finding them a good home. May Rinpoche be blessed with a healthy long life to continously focusing his desire to benefitting all beings, especially animals. Om Mani Padmi Hung.
Rescuing animals in need of help is indeed a very stressful and traumatic job where the life or death of the animal being rescued lays in one’s hands and it is hard to imagine how when that animal we have been trying to save passes on, it is a really sad moment and he fact that it passed away under a vet’s care, it could lead to the particular vet to feel guilty and question themselves why didn’t they think of other ways to help the dog when in fact they had already done the best they could.
It is easy to see why the suicide rates for veterinarians is very high despite the fact that it isn’t a job that has high risks involved.
What Calgiano advised is really true that we can’t save every being under our care and we have to learn to accept the deaths of the animals that have passed on.
A simple change of mindset and our thoughts can help to prevent vets form compassion fatigue shows how powerful our mind is and how it can easily manipulate us to think negatively of ourselves and our actions.
Thank you Rinpoche for posting up this meaningful article . I personally love animals I have been adopting cats and dogs since last year no doubt is a very difficult jobs to take of all these animals but I enjoy what I’m doing now because it give me a sense of achievement especially when I see them happy , I hope more and more people can have more awareness about these abandon animlas who need our human help.
It is also very necessary that these compassionate animal care professionals (and for that matter, all who are involved in animal rescue and care) have a support group behind them.
Thank you Rinpoche. My heart goes out to all the heroes behind the scenes, the caregivers and rescuers of animals. These heroes take on so much of the pain and suffering of the animals themselves. There comes a point where things cannot be seen in perspective- it becomes skewed towards wanting to give all of oneself to the animals in their suffering, and more.
Thus it is most important to have a reality check on oneself – to remind oneself that one can take on so much and no more.Save one animal at a time.At least, the ones we managed to save are enjoying the happiness of being loved and cared for by their ‘adopted’ family .
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this.
I feel sorry for Dr. Yin who suffered from compassion fatigue, I understand how the mental disease coming from, and it’s a pity for Dr .Yin couldn’t overcome it.
Taking care of animals is really really not an easy job at all. I am glad that there are getting more people doing these as like what Rinpoche says, animals cannot say thank you and rescuers are not getting anything in return, but they help and speak for those who can’t.
My boyfriend Khoo and I started to rescue injured street animals in a small scale years ago. I can say that every rescued animal is pushing our limit to learn more, do more and care more. We learn how to take care of open wounds, maggot wounds, broken bones, skin problems, canine distemper disease etc, and there are still much much more to learn.
I am taking care of a half body paralysed dog now who ran over by a speeding vehicle. The rescuers were considering to put her to sleep because it is just too much works to take care of her. As a Buddhist, I understand that putting a suffering animal to sleep doesn’t help because he/she still have to suffer in the next life because the negative karma yet to be purified. I promise them that I will take care of this paralysed dog, Lucky.
It has been around 2 weeks I taking care of Lucky, I can say that I fail to give her a good care because I am not well trained. One of her leg is dislocated because she was stucked in between some racks when I was not at home, and she pulled out the tube that doctor put on her for the pee. Every day and night I need to clean the mess because she try to escape from what I gave her. Lucky is pushing me to my limit again just like any other injured animals.
I am still sending Lucky to vet back and forth, trying different way that is good for her, and raising fund for the expenses that she needs. I will keep trying until I know the best way to take care of her, because it will help me to take care of more animals in the future.
I am still a “zero” as compare to all the hero of animal rescuers, I need to work hard to be like them in a healthy way. Like what the article says, “Take things one day at a time and do not underestimate the importance of saving one life. That one act makes a world of difference to that animal and to the humans who will love them.”
Thanks Rinpoche for the article, it encourages me a lot.