ReDESiGNiNG ShelteREALiTY: From the Inside Out

* As important as it is to conceptualize, envision, and artistically create the dream "Animal Shelter of the Future", the real work takes place in the present. Consciously or not, we create - in every moment - what we then see emerge as reality in the coming age. For me, this work is waking up on a Saturday morning, putting on raggy clothes, and heading to the Humane Society to put in my volunteer hours. It means getting dirty and covered in hair and picking up poop; and sacrificing the "escape" that Saturdays could otherwise provide, to face the painful issues that undeniably exist in the "Animal Shelter of the Present".

It means struggling with huge, strong dogs, who have no outlet for their energy; taking them out one at a time for exercise, while way too many others plead for rescue with desperate eyes. It means knowing that half of the mass of puppies in the kennels won't live to see another week, much less the older dogs, many of whom have been abused or neglected, and then just left behind. It means hearing stories about resident animals who have been adopted, and then returned again, because they were "too crazy", or "pulled too hard on the leash"; all the while desperately knowing that all they need is proper leadership, so that the Good Dog in them can shine! It means facing the fact that - as only one person - I can do only as much as I can handle in an afternoon, before becoming physically and emotionally exhausted. It means ingesting the heaviness in the air, but rather than letting it crush me, choosing to use it to fuel my mission for change. In other words, it means building a better future into every thought, every action. It means Changing shelter reality...from the inside out.

My own perception, attitude and energy are the only tools for change that I've got. This means that I am blessed to have a voice, empowered by my ability to use it with progressive intent, and that I have everything I need to change the whole world, right inside of myself. I simply must reach above my pain, and grab onto something higher.

How I portray my work with animals to the collective community, (such as through social networking, photography, art and writing) is the key to whether or not I will be able to effect the kind of positive change I envision unfolding: A shelter environment where the animals aren't isolated in prison-like cells; but instead, roam and socialize as a pack. A shelter environment with water features like muddy swimming holes for fun, and Infinity pools for physical and emotional therapy. A shelter environment that is specifically designed to facilitate fitness, rehabilitation, learning, community and healing - for people and animals alike!

In the meantime, I can give these specific shelter animals everything I've got on this particular Saturday morning. I can use what resources I do have to create a positive experience for them (and myself). And in that way, I've put one more nail into one more board that will be one small piece of the foundation...For the SHELTER OF THE FUTURE.

* DISCLAIMER: WHENEVER I EXPRESS THOUGHTS ABOUT "THE HUMANE SOCIETY" OR "ANIMAL SHELTERS", I WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT I AM IN NO WAY DIRECTING MY STATEMENTS AT THE KONA OR HAWAII ISLAND HUMANE SOCIETY IN PARTICULAR. I USE THE WORDS "SHELTER" AND "ANIMAL SHELTER" IN GENERAL TERMS, TO ENCOMPASS THE RELATED ISSUES ON THE WHOLE. THE STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS AT THE KONA SHELTER ARE WONDERFUL, AND EVERYONE WORKS EXTREMELY HARD TO ENSURE THE VERY BEST CARE OF THE ANIMALS.