08/21/2026
I know we are supposed to be āprofessional.ā
Rescuers are supposed to take on all of the hard stuff with a smile on our faces. Weāre supposed to absorb the sadness, the anger, the returns, the heartbreak, the frustrationāand never say a word. Because the second we show an actual human emotion, suddenly weāre āunprofessional,ā weāre a ābitch,ā or we need to āget off our soapbox.ā
But you know what?
Sometimes we are fu***ng angry.
It is heartbreaking and infuriating to bring a puppy or dog into rescue, give them a safe place to land, a warm bed, food, medical care, training, structure, boundaries, love and every opportunity to succeedāand then trust someone else to continue that work.
And then they donāt.
They donāt provide training.
They donāt provide boundaries.
They donāt provide structure.
They ignore the warning signs.
They excuse the behavior.
They do nothing when the dog is struggling.
And then that dog escalates.
The dog has bitten multiple people.
The dog has gone after other dogs in the home.
The dog has begun resource guarding āout of nowhereā
And still, no meaningful action was taken.
And now the dog pays the ultimate price for someone elseās ignorance, negligence and irresponsibility.
That is the part that absolutely breaks me.
Because the dog didnāt ask for this. The dog didnāt choose to be untrained. The dog didnāt choose to be ignored. The dog didnāt choose to be put in situations they werenāt equipped to handle.
And yet the dog is the one who loses their life.
Then, when rescuers speak up about itāwhen we say that this could have been prevented, when we express our anger and frustrationāweāre told to shut up. Weāre called names. Weāre told to f**k off and get off our soapbox.
No.
Iām not getting off my soapbox.
Because sometimes the uncomfortable truth needs to be said.
Rescue isnāt just about saving a dog. It is about taking responsibility for that dog after you bring them home.
Adopting a dog means committing to their needsānot just when they are cute, easy and well-behaved, but when they are difficult. When they need training. When they need boundaries. When they need professional help. When they need you to step up instead of making excuses.
Because when you donāt, sometimes the dog pays for it with their life.
And I will never be okay with that.
I will never stop being angry about it.
And I will never apologize for caring enough to say so.
