"Not only did I want to rescue the dog, I wanted to rescue all the dogs in all the shelters in the country. And I wanted to do this today."

Larissa Kaye Batten (llbeara@aol.com) writes "Soul Food," a weekly column for SpiritSite.com.  

Larissa is a prolific writer whose work has been featured in several publications.  

You can visit Lara's web site at www.miracleanimalrescue.com (site will open in a new window).

I am the type of person who wants to change the world all at once.

"Rome wasn’t built in a day" is an expression meant for other people.

Just this morning, I was devastated to hear that a Chesapeake dog would be euthanized because his shelter was at full capacity.

Not only did I want to rescue the dog, I wanted to rescue all the dogs in all the shelters in the country. And I wanted to do this today. I guess I have made progress, because I didn’t think of saving the dogs in other countries – yet.

"What do I do?" I asked my friend Windi, who spends an unbelievable amount of time helping animals. "I am so upset about this. I have been on the verge of tears almost all day."

"I wish that no animals had to be euthanized," she said, "but unfortunately it is a fact of life. Some people don’t take the responsibility of spaying and neutering or keeping their pets safe."

Animal shelters say that spaying and neutering is strongly recommended to curb the ever-rising overpopulation of dogs and reduce the resulting numbers of strays that are often neglected and prone to be hit by cars.

"I have cried many, many times because I could not prevent an animal at the local shelter here from being euthanized," Windi said.

Meanwhile, Windi does everything in her power to keep animals from being euthanized.

She runs a website to facilitate the process of adopting animals. She transports them to their new homes, and rescues others.

At the shelter where I volunteer, one dog was found in the woods tied to a tree with nobody around.

A bunch of puppies were found crossing the highway.

Other puppies were found in the dumpster.

So what is the answer?

Can’t I change the world now?

"It can't be changed over night," Windi reminded me, "but we just all have to try to make a dent somewhere, one at a time."

I have heard these words before, yet I clearly have not paid enough attention to them.

"We have to try to help these dogs one dog at a time," the manager of a local animal shelter told me recently.

Still, I did not want to listen.

I want to rescue every animal in sight immediately.

But I can become paralyzed with thoughts like this. I can become so immersed in my emotions that I do not have the clarity to see where I can effect a small change.

Windi has worked with animals long enough to know that starting small does induce change.

"Sometimes an animal shelter needs a dog to be fostered short term until space frees up."

My husband Dan has a better understanding of the concept of starting slowly. He has more patience than I might know in my lifetime.

"Honey," Dan told me earlier today, "You know I want to help. But let’s do this slowly. We can’t help every dog, but we can help one dog at a time."

On Independence Day, we rescued a dog off of a local highway and brought it home to foster it.

"What do you want to name the dog?" I asked Dan as we drove the sweet yellow Labrador home.

Dan paused for a while.

"Let’s name him Freedom," he suggested.

"I love that!" I agreed.

Now Freedom resides in his own garage with a pile of blankets, Iams dog food, water, and plenty of love. When God sees fit, Freedom will find a permanent home.

In the meantime, we are helping one dog at a time.

If the truth be told, I understand fully why it is better to start with a single dog.

For most of today, my life and feelings felt overwhelming. It is impossible to save the animal kingdom in a single day.

But it is not impossible to take one small step in the right direction.

I am still so incredibly sad to know that animals are being euthanized at this very moment because they do not have homes.

"Maybe you can help people become aware of the problem," my friend Ramona suggested.

"You’re right," I responded. "I’m a writer. I can help people to know."

I wonder how many people know how many animals are dying because the shelters are so full right now.

I wonder how many people know that spaying and neutering might be the only way to bring the dog and cat world down to a more manageable size so these sweet creatures of God are not euthanized for lack of resources.

I did not know so much of this until recently.

And once I learned about how many animals are being euthanized, I decided to build Rome in a day.

Compassion is a precious gift, but impatience and desperation will not lead me down a compassionate path.

It is one thing to be a compassionate being.

It is another thing entirely to put that compassion into action.

I need to walk slowly down the path of compassion, slow and patient enough to take the steps that will make a difference.

I am learning now not to rush my opportunities to be of service.

I need God to lead the way, and I need to walk at a pace that allows me to hear God’s directions.

I pray that more people will become aware of how many dogs and cats are being euthanized daily, and I pray that we will put our compassion into action.

One step at a time.
One dog at a time.
One cat at a time.
One day at a time.
In the name of compassion.
In the name of animals.
In the name of Nature.
In the name of our Earth.
In the name of Love.
Amen.

If you are interested in helping to prevent the euthanization of animals at shelters, please contact a shelter that euthanizes animals and ask how you can help prevent them. You can also contact the author of this article at llbeara@aol.com for more information.

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