"People ask me how I ended up starting an animal rescue group."

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).

"Listen Lara, you’re going to have to sit down with Dan and make a decision about these stray dogs," said Curtis Hennessey, my veterinarian. "You keep bringing strays to me. I can’t keep them all here. If you are going to work with strays, then you and Dan need to talk about keeping them at your house."

"Dan will never do it," I told Dr. Hennessey. "There is absolutely no way that he will agree to keeping a stray dog at our house. It’s a miracle that he even let us adopt Winchester, our third dog. There is just no way he’ll let us keep a stray at home. I’ll talk to him, but I already know the answer."

Within 90 days, my jalopy of a Chrysler LeBaron convertible and Dan’s new Xterra SUV were moved out onto the driveway while our three-car garage was converted into an animal shelter for up to 10 dogs. Kennels were purchased, extra large bags of Iams food were bought, and bowls, towels, chains, leashes, medicines, shampoos, and pet ID tags took over the old locations of tools, a lawnmower, nails, screws, a wheelbarrow and other typical garage toys.

Dr. Hennessey’s wife gave me the next little talk.

"I think it would be a good idea if you come up with a name for all the stray dogs you bring in here," said Lynnette Hennessey of Plantation Animal Hospital on Hilton Head Island, SC. "It would be easier with our computer system if you had a name to file all of the strays under."

Within 24 hours, Miracle Animal Rescue was born. Miracle was the first dog I helped rescue, and Dan’s and my lives are now full of friendly, furry, funny, fun, and fluffy dogs!

Tyson, Mandy, Sammie, Duley, Dixie, Annabelle, Kumara, Adina, Angel, Biscuit, Mendhelson, Egraine, Bear, Brownie, Faith, Caleb, Freedom, Danny, and more have passed through our hearts and doors.

Miracles, miracles, miracles. Every single one of them. Dogs that were abused. Dogs that were neglected. Dogs that ran stray. Dogs with heartworm, fleas, sores, tics, cuts, scrapes, bruises, wounded souls, sweet spirits, fear, attitude, love, gratitude, and on and on have entered our souls and prayers.

People ask me how I ended up starting an animal rescue group. I can only say that it was a natural unfolding of a plan that I never had, a dream I never imagined, and a life I never expected.

I grew up virtually hating dogs. I was scared of them and turned off by their love and affection. As a sexual abuse survivor, I didn’t want anyone or anything anywhere near me. My dear, sweet, Samoyed Bingo never received from me the love and attention she deserved. I neglected her, and I let my mother do all of the work. I whined, I complained, and, when Bingo had to be put to sleep, I did nothing. Absolutely nothing. I did not come home from college. The night I received the news, I went out drinking. I just didn’t have the tolerance or affection for dogs.

By the time my heart began to thaw in the early years of my recovery from alcoholism, my eating disorder, and the sexual abuse, I became mildly attracted to the idea of dogs. Once in a while, I might pet one. Once in a while, I might enjoy walking a dog. Once in a while.

On my second date with Dan, he brought his dog to my apartment. I was horrified. Ike the dog was no more than five pounds, and I knew that no normal, cool, fun man would have a small dog.

I ended up falling in love with Ike, marrying Dan, and convincing Dan to let us adopt a second and a third dog.

I was a changed woman. Over the next few years, I began to talk to dogs, listen to them, sit down on sidewalks to keep them company, pray with them, pray for them, pray to them, love them, sleep with them, play and cuddle with them, walk them, care for them, and, ultimately, begin to rescue them.

A few years into my recovery, I needed to begin to make amends for times in my past when I had not acted in the interest of God and my highest self. Included in these amends were the changes I needed to make in my relationships with animals. I began to make these changes, but not once did I suppose that I might actually enjoy these relationships.

Recently, I stood in line at a gas station chatting with a few people about animal rescue work. The woman next to me whipped out a 20-dollar bill and handed it to me.

"Thanks for all the work you do," she told me. "This is for your animal rescue work."

I didn’t want to accept the money at first, but then I remembered that my husband and I could use the help in financing our animal rescue work. Vet bills, even with discounts, can cost us hundreds of dollars weekly. Add to that dog food, leashes, collars, shampoos, pet ID’s, etc.

We have also begun a pilot program called the Simmonsville Road Project, which offers a special incentive package to encourage low-income families to spay and neuter their pets. Some say as many as 4 million pets were euthanized in shelters last year in large part due to lack of spaying and neutering. The Simmonsville Road Project offers a free spay/neuter, rabies shot, flea bath, leash, and collar, one dog at a time.

Several weeks ago, I was featured on the front page of our local newspaper wearing a shirt that reads, "I Love My Dog." I was surrounded by puppies in the picture.

Today, I not only love my dog. I love my dogs. And I love my miracles.

Thank you God. Amen.

If you are interested in learning more about Miracle Animal Rescue, please contact the author at llbeara@aol.com.

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