“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” – – Albert Einstein
One of the things that I enjoy most about being the caretaker for Doobert is that I am constantly challenged with new things on a regular basis. Whether new ways technology can help animal rescue, or new problems that need solving, it seems like every day brings something new for me to look into or focus on.
Just this past week I was introduced to a problem that requires Doobert transport, but in a more unique way. As we approach spring, many shelters know it as Kitten Season and they are prepared for the onslaught of new born or neo-natal kittens that will descend upon their shelter from well-meaning citizens trying to help save animals. In larger municipalities like Los Angeles where there are literally dozens of shelters, they can get as many as 10-12 litters a day and they may not be able to handle that volume and look for alternative places to take them lest they be euthanized. Best Friends Animal Society in L.A. serves as a safe haven destination for these newborns, but since they need to be bottle fed every two hours, transport requests are often urgent to quickly pick the animals up at the source shelter and deliver them safely to the BFAS shelter in a timely manner within that period so that the animals can be cared for. As you know, Doobert was initially built to support long-distance, rescue relay style transport so the notifications we send are via email and there is plenty of time for volunteers to consider the transport before signing up. However, this design won’t work well in these more timely, urgent situations like the neonatal kittens so a new design and approach likely involving text messaging is needed.
The point of this story is that many days I feel like I am very knowledgeable in animal rescue and even to the point of being an expert particularly in the animal rescue transport side of things. Yet this use case was one that was new to me and it reminded me that for as much as I know, there is still so much to learn.
Think about your knowledge in animal rescue. Maybe you’re an expert in a particular type or breed of animal. Maybe you specialize in rescue relay transport. Maybe your organization is #1 in fostering in your local area. Whatever your experience and expertise remember that there is still so much more to learn. Think about how you can apply the lessons of Emerson and remember that inquisitive student nature you once had and can have again in rescue.
How are you still a student in animal rescue after all these years? Tell us.
