[Above: Frightened Ukrainian refugees attempting to get themselves and their pets to safety in uncertain times.]
By Penny Edwards, Manager, Animal Refuge Center, Inc.
….It’s hard to believe that I began volunteering at the Animal Refuge Center in 1989. I had no idea that the next 30 plus years would be so challenging yet rewarding at the same time.
Over the years there were several times when we thought ARC was finished. When a fire raged through our original shelter on January 12, 1993, it was the worst day of my life. At only 26 years of age, every idea I’d had about saving many lives was at risk. We had no shelter, no supplies, but I’d managed to get 30 sutures on my leg trying to jump the fence, failing miserably to unhook myself and get to the door of the blazing barn just before the roof collapsed.
Nothing compared to the loss of life when 69 cats and kittens perished in that fire. The Animal Refuge Center lost everything in those early morning hours, but most of all we had lost hope. Although we felt that ARC was finished, we still had to rebound to rescue and recover the many furry survivors. Our community and Louisville stepped up and helped us continue our mission.
Over the next 10 years we had several floods and a tornado that hit relatively close in Vine Grove. We were very lucky that we didn’t lose any animals to these natural disasters.
Over the years, we’ve suffered all the usual woes of an animal rescue organization. Not enough donations. Not enough volunteers. Constant surrender of pets from the community. But we always survived with the help of our supporters. And through it all, nobody would have guessed that 2 years ago, the entire world as we knew it would change. Covid-19 brought many challenges, but not one was as complicated as the fundraising.
So here we are 2 years later, and it appears that we have survived the pandemic and turned a corner regarding Covid. The last month has had many of us glued to our TVs and devices watching Ukrainians flee their homes with nothing more than a bag or two, children, documents, and in many cases, their pets. Even with the atrocities of this war, many people are attempting to do the right but nearly impossible act of taking their animals with them. On a side note, the Ukraine isn’t a part of the world that has the best track record with animals, and yet the best of humanity IS shining through.
So now I ask many of these pet owners here in the United States: Is it really your “last resort” to surrender your pet to an animal shelter? Was your pet too messy? Didn’t you have enough time for it? Did it have a medical issue? Let’s really look at the big picture. If Ukrainian refugees can drag their pets through a deadly war zone into safety, with little hope of knowing if they will ever be able to return safely home, surely we can do much better here in the United States.
All I can say to this is that we should help the people and pets of the Ukraine any way that we can.
The war in Ukraine has given me a great deal of perspective about animal rescue. The Animal Refuge Center has been very lucky. We have suffered so many unimaginable losses. What we have been through would have closed most shelters. And yet—every single time—we have bounced back, because of our community and our supporters, so many great people in our corner.
In no way am I comparing the struggles that we have faced at ARC to the overwhelming humanitarian crisis going on in the Ukraine. However, witnessing the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people, we can NEVER allow the Animal Refuge Center to crumble.
No matter what tough times lie ahead.
