10/27/2026
A Rescue Tail
The reality of rescue, one story at a time.
As I sit here writing the first installment of A Rescue Tail, I’m also comforting one of my dogs who is having a seizure.
Those who are actively involved in animal rescue understand all too well what it means to juggle multiple situations at once, often several that are medical in nature. We balance the needs of the animals we’re trying to save with those of our own companion animals, our barnyard critters, and, of course, our families. Our children, parents, spouses or significant others, grandparents, and sometimes even our siblings all need us, too.
And let’s not forget our jobs, whether they involve working a traditional nine-to-five or spending countless hours trying to secure grants and funding for the rescue organizations we volunteer with.
We do our best to meet the overwhelming need for help, often with a smile on our faces and a positive attitude. Yet, behind that smile, we’re sometimes being yelled at, pressured to do more, and expected to somehow take on the world.
In the quiet moments, when the demands finally slow down, many of us, myself included, find ourselves feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and sad.
Then something amazing happens.
Someone surprises us by understanding. Someone offers to help. Someone who genuinely wants to get involved begins to recognize the value of our time and the importance of the resources we so willingly give. They begin to understand that their time matters, too, and that making a difference takes patience, commitment, and hard work.
This morning, I was talking on the phone with a fellow rescuer, Sharon Theisen. She shared a story about someone she had been helping who had recently discovered just how challenging cat trapping can be.
My friend had been unable to assist as much as she normally would because life circumstances outside of rescue had demanded her attention. She had been honest with the people she was helping about those limitations.
The person decided to spend an entire weekend trying to trap cats. After ten hours without catching a single one, she began to understand something my friend had known all along: rescue doesn’t always go according to plan.
She had given up her precious days off, invested hours of effort, and come away without the result she had hoped for. She told my friend how difficult the experience had been and admitted that she had never realized just how much time, patience, and work were involved.
But I would argue that there was a reward in that weekend.
She showed up. She gave it her all. She tried, she learned, and she gained firsthand experience that will help her when she tries again.
And something else happened, too.
My friend gained the respect of someone who had expected so much from her without fully understanding what it took to deliver it.
Sometimes, it takes walking in someone else’s shoes to truly appreciate the weight they carry.
Animal rescue is difficult. It can be expensive, exhausting, time-consuming, heartbreaking, and unpredictable. There are days when we celebrate victories, and there are days when we question whether we have anything left to give.
Yet we keep going.
We keep going because an animal needs us. Because a life matters. Because even when the outcome isn’t what we hoped for, the effort still counts.
So, to every rescuer and every person who has stepped forward to help an animal in need, thank you.
Thank you for your time, your compassion, your patience, your resources, and your willingness to keep trying, even when things don’t go according to plan.
And to those who are just beginning to understand the realities of rescue, thank you for being willing to learn, to listen, and to lend a hand.
Please remember that behind every rescue is a person doing their best to make a difference, often while carrying far more than anyone realizes.
Be kind to one another. Be patient with one another. And when you can, offer a helping hand rather than another demand.
Because rescue isn’t about one person saving the world.
It’s about all of us doing what we can, with what we have, for the animals who need us.
Every effort matters. Every helping hand matters. And every life matters🐾
-Sarah Barics Steiner
