by Toye Gillman

Created on: October 30, 2008

I belong to a miniature pinscher rescue organization. We have volunteers across the United States and in Canada. Our organization does not have rescue shelters. We rely on foster homes. Some of our volunteers have more than ten dogs. And it seems that as soon as we find a home for a foster, there is another dog waiting for a safe home. It is a never-ending cycle.

Currently, I have five dogs. My partner and I both work full-time, and sometimes it seems to be more than we can handle. We struggle to make time for each one of our little "furkids." Each of them has his or her own little personality and they each need special attention.

Many of these dogs have never known the loving touch of a human hand, and it is very important for them to learn to trust human beings if they ever hope to be placed in a "forever" home. I get great satisfaction from watching these wondrous little creatures grow and seeing their personalities develop. I've seen dogs that seemed hopeless evolve into loving and faithful companions.

I receive emails every day, pleading for a home for "just one more" or pictures of dogs that only have two days left in a kill shelter. Having more than I can handle already, I tearfully hit the delete button and hope and pray that someone has room.

I have said many times that if I could win the lottery, I would open a rescue shelter for miniature pinschers. But when I really think about it, a shelter would not be the answer. In a shelter, there are MANY dogs. Each one must have their immediate needs taken care of-needs for shelter, food, and medical attention. If I had a shelter, there still would not be any more of "me" to go around, so I'm afraid the dogs would not get the individual attention they so desperately need.

Many of our rescues come from puppy mills, where they have spent most of their lives in cages and without human interaction. Putting them in shelters is virtually taking them from one cage to another. It isn't done out of cruelty, and I know shelters provide a great service to these animals. They take care of their immediate needs. They have shelter, food, and medical attention. But I wonder how much human interaction and TLC they can actually get in a shelter. I believe much of their time is spent in crates or cages, waiting eagerly for the few moments of attention they can get from the overworked people in shelters.

Shelters are a great "interim" for rescued dogs. They provide a place where the dogs can get immediate medical care, food, and

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