My love for animals started in the womb -- I think I was born barking. Becoming the founder/director of an animal sanctuary was a position that seemed natural, but I had no idea what lay ahead of me.
I was going about my business in life and one day I received a brochure in the mail. It was from Best Friends Animal Society in Utah -- a massive wonderland full of animals and people who love them.
I was obsessed over that piece of mail and had no idea how it had found its way to me. About a week later, I was driving down the Interstate and had one of those ideas that come into your brain whether you like it or not.
"You will build an animal sanctuary."
It was so random and uninvited my jaw dropped. I knew it had to be The Big Guy since the last time I checked, no one else could chat me up in my mind.
So I did what anyone would do when asked by God to do something. I started arguing…
"I don't have the money." (We're talking none.)
"I don't have the space." (We didn't even have a fence.)
"I would have no clue how to run it." (I would have no clue how to run it!)
And suddenly my entire body was filled with this certainty that He wasn't playin'. I was so stunned, I pulled over on the shoulder. Not the brightest idea but it was that or keep driving with my hands so tightly clenched on the wheel my knuckles would have exploded.
What I didn't know was that from that moment until 2015 I'd be consumed with rescuing animals.
The first homeless and seemingly abused animal was a small terrier. She came to my back door in 2002. There was a massive split down her back and she was hanging onto life...emaciated and exhausted, but I had hope she'd heal physically and mentally.
I could tell from her demeanor she had given up except for this last-ditch effort to save herself so I named her Lovely. I hoped she knew she was beautiful in my eyes.
She became the face of On The Fifth Day (animal sanctuary), pictured on all our marketing materials and was my loyal companion for 14 years.
Around the same time, a pitch-black cat came strolling up. My sister had always called me Ms. Doolittle and this was part of the reason why. I attracted animals. They somehow knew I would help them and that they'd hit the jackpot when they found me.
I named him Smokey and he was the most courageous cat I've ever known. He "broke in" every dog who was rescued from then on, meandering in front of them like he was a king and they were his subjects. They always got the message.
After that, they came like I was Noah except not two-by-two. I didn't want to build an ark. Sometimes they were pregnant, sometimes traumatized, but they came…
> A deaf dog who wasn't too keen on people.
> The most abused dog I'd ever seen. He was part wolf. He'd been shot in the face, neglected, stuck on a chain, and left for dead. The initial rescuers didn't know what to do so they called me. They had named him Kid. I still have him and between me and you, out of all the animals I've ever saved, he is my favorite.
> A chihuahua I named Brave (Boy) who I rescued from some mean kids and all the way home he was biting me. Thank you to whomever invented work gloves.
> A pregnant cat resulting in many kittens who at several months old became as active as Speedy Gonzalez.
And more. And more...
It got to the point that rescuing animals was put on hold for a while as I worked feverishly on creating the 501(c)3, business documents, marketing materials, and communications with the public.
We received our nonprofit status and I started looking for land and quickly realized there was no Land Fairy so I worked with what I had -- no crates, leashes, collars, or any other dog/cat necessities. The one thing I did have was never ending love…
Which was what buoyed me through the next 12 years.
I watched as the intelligence of animals far surpassed what man thinks it is.
I changed as I did things I never thought I could do like hold animals in my arms as they made their way into Heaven.
I grew as I became less selfish and saw the loves-of-my-life drive away with their new families.
And I clung to the unrealistic hope that On The Fifth Day would become the largest animal sanctuary in the country so we could save them all.
I became fluent in asking for donations, holding numerous fundraisers and constantly tabling at Walmart to let the community know about us.
We even had a major event called The Fur Ball which was a gala including dinner, a fashion show, and a bunch of community members with deep pockets. And as if I was starring in a movie, I heard a kitten in the bushes outside and rescued him.
I had a lot of help from precious volunteers who are still friends of mine and my husband who did back-breaking work caring for the animals.
When I rescued animals from the homes of their abusers (meeting some of them face-to-face), underneath porches, chained, or who came to my doorstep, and many other scenarios, I was able to compartmentalize my own astonishment and revulsion and only think about how much they needed me.
I know like I know the sun will rise that God gave me that ability otherwise, I wouldn't have made it a day. I still mute the TV and look away when one of those ASPCA commercials comes on and asks for muchly-needed donations. (And let lightning hit me if one didn't come on as I type this sentence!)
Here are some of the things I learned as the founder/director of an animal sanctuary:
1. Animals are here for much more than our enjoyment.
2. My love for them still grows daily.
3. There will be elephants, dogs, hippos, and whales in my yard in Heaven. Although I will need an ocean for the water animals.
4. I'm more determined and soft-hearted than I ever was before.
5. Animals need love, like us, more than anything.
6. The people who don't have much monetarily to offer are the ones who will donate their last dollar to the cause.
7. Raising my daughter to be a wildly committed animal lover was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
8. Even though some people are less than human, many more of us have a deeply ingrained love for animals.
9. Although I never wanted to be that person who says, "I love animals more than most people," I am.
10. I'll never look at stories or pictures of homeless and abused animals on social media as long as I can help it. I did it for too long.
And the lessons could go on, but I'll stop there.
Animals need us. But we need them, too. Desperately. Please fight for them, love them, give them your time, money, or supplies.
We had to close the doors of the sanctuary after moving to Texas from Tennessee. There was just no funding available and I knew it was time...But was it worth it? Was it worth the agony and pain I went through sometimes daily? Worth the heart wrenching moments I experienced?
It was worth every moment.
P.S. If you need blogs that will grab your customers' attention, gimme a shout! Contact me at jenflattosborn@writeawaycreations.com or here. And my tail will be wagging.