One of the things I fear more than anything else with my cat facility is fire. My little facility is in a wood barn that is perhaps sixty years old or more. They are on the second floor, with one interior stairwell.
The agony, danger and heartbreak of fire has been experienced by a number of shelters and rescues over the decades, but most recently the Mason County Animal Welfare League experienced a fire that seemed especially cruel. They were installing a long-awaited heating system. It should have been a day of celebratation. But an explosion caused a fire that killed some of the dogs, most of the cats, has left the humane society homeless, and some dogs are still missing.
Incredibly, the fire was caught on film by a TV crew that was on-site filming the installation of the heating system. I wondered for a few days if I should post this link and decided that I should. If you have a very soft heart, you should not watch this. However, the sight of unprotected people running into black smoke to rescue animals bears witness to the dedication of shelter workers.
The news report and video is here.
If you have an extra few bucks this holiday season, please remember the Mason County Animal Welfare League, and/or your local humane society (since so many of them are operating in shelters that are in increasingly poor condition). And please remember the people who staff them. Consider delivering your donation, no matter how small, in person, leave some additional token of thanks (a plate of cookies, toys for the pets) a smile, and a heartfelt "thank you."
2 comments:
I sent them a donation. It wasn't a lot of money as our money's a bit tight right now (it's tough being self-employed :p), but I hated the thought of everyone at the shelter being cold. Cold and snow will get me every time.
Thanks, leigh-ann. A small donation purchases a whole lot of goodwill. Watching that video, I think they need to know as many people are thinking of them as possible.
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