Saving animals one transport at a time
For many of us that stumbled into the world of animal rescue through rescue relay transport, it was as though our eyes were opened one day to a world that we never knew existed.
Your first transport experience is like your first kiss or your first flight in an airplane. It is an experience that you will remember for many years to come. For some, it will feel like you have satisfied an itch you could never scratch. You’ve been called to this profession.
Rescue relay transport was something I enjoyed spending time on
So many books and articles have been written regarding the need to find one’s passion but how do you know when you’ve found it? For me, it was doing something that I thoroughly enjoyed spending my time on despite the hiccups and challenges that are part and parcel to the process.
When it comes to rescue relay transport, it can sometimes be a frustrating adventure. Trying to get the legs filled so that there are no gaps in the relay; communicating schedules, meeting places and details with people you don’t know; waiting on the day of the transport to see if the handoffs happen on time, tied to your phone to receive the latest updates from the transport coordinator.
If you don’t enjoy spending time planning and coordinating how to move animals long distances using only volunteers driving their own personal vehicles, then clearly this is not your calling. But if you hold true to the mission, have confidence in the team and believe that your actions will have an impact on saving lives, you’ve come to the right place.
Saving animals changed who I was with people
Something interesting happens when you find your calling in life. Not only does it satisfy the yearning in your soul to belong, but it just might change who you are entirely. It certainly did for me as I started rescuing animals through transport.
As I collaborated with people from different parts of the country and different backgrounds I found myself learning and listening more to my fellow rescuers than I had to anyone else ever before. I learned about their lives, their families, their passions and also their struggles, their pain and their fears. I listened more than I spoke, gleaning knowledge and wisdom from the professionals in rescue. I asked questions, I solicited advice and I developed relationships on deeper levels than what I have experienced before.
Then something strange happened…I started applying what I learned from these interactions to the rest of the relationships in my life and quickly realized what I had been missing. My calling in animal rescue helped me realize how much I have to learn and how amazing other people in my life can be. These passionate rescue relay volunteers who had never met me, greeted me with hugs and shared with me their joys and sorrows. When I internalized my learnings and applied them to my existing relationships, I found myself becoming a new person. One with empathy, joy, compassion and love. One with a purpose, one with a calling.
My calling inspired me to do more for animals
As a new-found person who had found his calling, I was inspired by all of you to do even more for the cause and utilize my talents to help animals, and Doobert (the software platform) was born.
With each passing day I dove deeper and deeper into the world of animal rescue. Learning as much as I could, networking to find like-minded professionals with a passion like mine, and growing as a person in more ways than I ever knew.
My passion finally had a purpose and it was like I had found my reason for being. What started with a single rescue relay, sparked an innovation that helps save thousands.
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