Jessie’s Heavenly Gotcha Day
I'm always thinking about Jessie…
It's pretty much nonstop. I have reminders of her everywhere. Her picture is on my phone wallpaper, her framed picture and ashes have a permanent place on my bedroom dresser (she always slept in my bed), I have several walls dedicated to her portraits in my office, and her metal cutout and wind chime greet me as soon as I walk outside in my backyard. I even kept her name as my Instagram handle and Facebook page as a tribute.
I have made various tributes and donations in her name, and last year for her “Gotcha Day” I purchased a memorial brick that permanently sits in front of Miss Winkles Adoption Center. Jessie was adopted from Miss Winkles on 2-12-2012. That day is memorialized on the brick as well as in her book GOTCHA. There is some local Clovis history behind the new adoption center location, and the story is a permanent fixture in the lobby of the adoption center along with a sculpture of Miss Winkles, the adoption center’s namesake. Jessie was actually adopted from the old location which existed before this new adoption center was even built. The old space currently holds new intakes and surrenders until they are cleared for the adoption center.
I always thought of animal shelters as a place where dogs and cats were euthanized, and I used to be very afraid to visit them. However, more and more animal shelters are moving to become no-kill shelters. So, kill shelters and no-kill shelters do exist, but for obvious reasons, they choose not to include that fact in their names. I feel very comfortable asking if a shelter is considered no-kill or not. Many happen to be a combination of both. Shelters who consider themselves no-kill may still have those rare instances that the animal needs to humanely be put down. The sad side of animal rescue is that harsh reality. I think we would all like to forget the fact that there are so many more animals in shelters than there are potential adopters. That is why there is such a need for education on how to avoid this. Spaying and neutering are by far the easiest ways to help the pet overpopulation, and many shelters are now offering spay and neuter clinics. Another problem is backyard breeders. These are people who choose to breed and sell dogs that are not proven pure bred by a pedigree or papers. Even dogs who are purebreds and up in shelters likely because the owner did not research the breed and the dog is too much work or has too much energy. Whatever the reason, lots and lots of dogs and cats end up in shelters and our shelters often get overcrowded.
This year I decided it is time for me to get back into volunteering at the animal shelter. I filled out an application online and completed a video tour of the facility. I passed several quizzes after watching the video and reading through the volunteer handbook. All of this was fairly simple and all of it was online. Now, I have to purchase a volunteer t-shirt and then I can sign up for shifts on an online calendar. Seems easy enough. Even for a retired teacher like me.
When I adopted Jessie, she instantly became my dog. I wondered if anyone else felt the connection to their dog as I felt for her. I literally would do anything (similar to a child) for her. So, honoring her legacy by volunteering at a shelter is the least I can do. I can hang out with like minded people, share her story and hopefully make a small impact on a large problem. I have to admit that spending time with the dogs will be my favorite part of volunteering, but I also understand that to make a shelter work, there are many other things that need to be done. I will post updates on social media as I go, so make sure you are following me on Instagram @jessiethepitmix! Wish me luck!
