Chances of Animal Rescue showing up in the Visions of Murder Series? 100%
When I was a Jazzercise instructor, some of the funniest stories from the stage (in between ab crunches) involved pets. If you have a dog or a cat, you probably have your own tales ranging from the cutest photo-ready poses to the most frustrating example of home destruction. We pet owners clean up puke, feces, shredded couch stuffing, and disemboweled stuffed toys. We shriek when dogs pull us on leashes, chase after small critters, or escape from a fenced-in yard. We groan while enduring litter box smells or piles of excrement we carefully bag up from a neighbor’s yard (all while wondering how the dog can produce a pile as large as what comes from a horse). Some frustrations become shared experiences, like the time my cat, Rusty, climbed onto a neighbor’s three-story house and perched on the roof before a winter storm. After 48 hours up there in freezing weather, the fire department arrived with a ladder truck to rescue him and blocked the entrance to my neighborhood. That drew at least a dozen neighbors outside to watch while I cringed in total embarrassment. (Check out the short story about Rusty’s daily schedule included in this newsletter)
As much as they frustrate us, our pets also attach to our hearts and become family members. I adopted my three animals from shelters or rescues, and my belief in the mission of such organizations was bound to show up in my writing. The people who run rescues are rare, dedicated, and fiercely committed individuals who spend their off-hours bottle-feeding kittens, coaxing terrified dogs away from abandoned properties, or worse, facing off with hoarders who don’t want to give up their emaciated dogs. It’s a brave village, and as a journalist, I wanted to give rescues some level of recognition.
According to the ASPCA, 5.8 to 6.5 million dogs and cats enter shelters each year. The goal is for these animals to find new forever homes, and just over four million do. Of cat intakes, 57% are kittens. My love for animals led me to assume the on-air interview every Friday on our midday newscast. I always took a picture of the pup or cat and hoped someone would see it on social media and rush to adopt. The power of TV is real: most of the animals featured in the weekly segment find homes.
According to Best Friends, Trap/Neuter/Release has significantly reduced the number of cats euthanized at shelters. Thirty percent of neighbors admit they feed the released cats who are returned to communities, now unable to reproduce. But sadly, the number of people returning pets to shelters is up because of rising veterinary costs, food, and ongoing care. The best deal going is still the adoption route, as those fees are generally around $150 (depending on breed) and your pet is already spayed/neutered and vaccinated.
It’s no surprise that my rescue experience found its way into “Live Shot.” Sandra, Bekka’s mother, gets involved with a new friend who volunteers with a rescue group. Sandra eagerly embraces the idea of starting her own rescue, and soon, a mother cat gives birth to six kittens in their basement. Sandra’s friend, Joanne, is a character based on several women I met in the weekly pet segment. TNR is introduced as Sandra begins building cat shelters and trapping strays. It's frustrating for Bekka, but she soon softens when her own little stray, Edwin, shows up on her front door. The rescue storyline was a great way to give Sandra another “spin-like-a-top” mission and to chip away at
Bekka's hardened heart. I love writing the scenes with “Eddie,” who Bekka initially rejected but now adores.
Will Sandra continue with animal rescue? Find out when I finish book #3.
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