“The Sun himself is weak when he first rises, and gathers strength and courage as the day gets on.”
– Charles Dickens
People are often amazed when I tell them that when I started Doobert, I had no idea how to do a website let alone how to build a comprehensive software platform for animal rescue relay transport.
It may sound unbelievable but it’s absolutely true; everything I’ve learned about building and running a website I learned AFTER I started Doobert almost 4 years ago. Even to this day I continually learn what is possible, and I push the limits with my developers to try and continue to push the boundaries of animal rescue technology. I believe in the premise that technology can enable our community to act as one and solve the problems we face. That belief continues to inspire me to push harder.
While I have not yet achieved my dream of what I hope Doobert will one day become, I continue to push, prod and try to get there clawing at small wins and working organization by organization and volunteer by volunteer to grow the community piece by piece. It definitely takes patience, perseverance and a belief in yourself and for sure these are not qualities that are inherent with me and are things that I continue to work on throughout this journey. I remind myself that “No” just means “Not yet” and that I need to continue to exercise patience and to continue to work at it. Family and friends that know me know that patience is definitely not a quality they would use to regularly describe me, so you can imagine how hard it is for me to regularly try and remind myself of these same premises.
So if you are struggling to get your animal rescue group off the ground and self-sustaining, or cannot quite get the community where you live to rally around your community cat program, ask yourself some simple questions: Is there a chance? Do I have a shot? Is there something…ANYTHING I can do?
Look for the smallest way to say YES and you will start to build the momentum that will support you. Remember that we gather strength as we go and that you can’t do it all at once, even if you want to. Learn from your experiences and do better each time you try.
4 Comments
This is good advice, and I know I could benefit from adopting this attitude. Unfortunately, I have trouble maintaining it. I seem to have big ‘dreams’ but I allow the ‘reality’ to be scaled down. I take small successes, and I say “there, I did it.” What I need to say is “there, that wasn’t so hard, which proves I can do something bigger and better!” Today was my first transport with Doobert, and right now my ‘dream’ is to learn everything I can about every piece of this puzzle. This system seems to be working well. I have been caught in the local frustration of having to look at all the animals I can’t save whenever there is one I can. I have heard that here in NC, we ‘euthanize’ more pets than any other state. I want that to change, even if I have to change it myself. So today I had my first experience of doing the transport. I also want to learn how to be a coordinator, and I want to learn how these rescue communities from different sides of the country communicate. I do not run an animal care organization … yet. Perhaps I will do that too, and learn about vetting an animal, raising funds to pay for that, etc. I also want to learn as many different ways to ‘advertise’ for pets who need homes. One of my favorite ways of ‘advertising’ a rescued animal is through a YouTube video, and making one of these videos is on my list of things to learn. I just want to learn as much as I can about every step on the journey of animal rescue. I think of pet rescue, as I alluded to above, as a puzzle; and I want to have many opportunities to be that last puzzle piece which makes the picture whole. Thank you, Chris, for this amazing organization that has truly inspired me to augment my efforts in animal rescue!
Kristen you are amazing. I am very proud to support you however I can to save and help animals. You are right that sometimes it seems like a never ending battle, but we have to support and help one another and keep pressing ahead. I am here to support and help however I can so please do not hesitate to reach out anytime. I appreciate you, I see you, I am proud of you!
-Chris
Chris, I am moving in the right direction. Along with helping in a transport-chain when I can – when it comes through my area – I am also helping a friend with the paperwork involved in arranging transports like this. My next big goal is to look into either how to be a TC for Doobert and whether that is in my wheelhouse, or something else like learning how to make a YouTube video to help link up families with their perfect dog or cat. Thanks for being the “spark plug” that helped get my engine going again! I hope it runs well for the rest of my life!
Thank you Kristen for what you are doing. You are amazing and your efforts are greatly appreciated by me, and your fellow rescuers. Please let me know if I can support you in any way. Whether helping you to make videos, or to guide you on your training to be a TC, I believe in you, I support you and I appreciate you!
-Chris