Apples and Oranges?

Apples and oranges are the same in that they are both fruit. Yet they are very different when you get under the skin. The same analogy applies to rescue groups and sanctuaries. The Promised Land Dachshund Sanctuary is a little bit apple, but mostly orange. By that I mean we are in fact rescuers, but we are more of a sanctuary than anything else. To explain what I mean I need to go back a bit.

In the beginning of the sanctuary in July of 2001 we did a lot of rescuing, and we adopted out a lot of dogs. We worked with different rescue groups across the state of Texas, and they helped us place our young, healthy, adoptable rescues. In turn we helped them out by taking their senior and special needs dogs that were unlikely to be adopted. We also had a large website with adoptable dogs presented to the public for adoption. This process continued for four years.

In August of 2005 when I became ill, we had to discontinue our official rescue status. We took down our beautiful web site and stopped taking in dogs from other rescue groups. At the time we had 31 permanent residents of the sanctuary. We cared for those dogs just like we always had. And as fate demanded we rescued other dogs here and there that we found on the streets, or pulled from a local shelter. We did not have a website or any other public access, so those dogs became part of our permanent pack. Sadly, we also lost some senior dogs during these years. We did not conduct any fund raising activities during that period of time. Rick worked hard to pay all the bills to care for our pack, and we managed just fine. I regained my health in 2008 and life was good for us all.

Right after Christmas 2015 I began to write my book, “The Promised Land Dachshund Sanctuary”. Then in February 2016 Rick lost his job when the oilfield in our area took a serious downturn. At that point we knew we needed to do something to help keep the sanctuary going. We were very blessed when so many wonderful people on Facebook helped finance the publishing of my book, purchased the book, and donated to our sanctuary.

We felt we had the wind at our backs, and we began to actively rescue again. We have adopted out quite a few dogs since then, and we have also added to the number of permanent residents at our sanctuary. As most of you are aware, we are averaging 40 – 43 dogs here now. The largest percentage of those dogs were already residents at the sanctuary before we resumed our official rescue status.

One of the most frequently asked questions in my email and messages is, “Why do you have so many dogs, but you only have a few available for adoption?” The answer is very simple; some of our dogs have been with us for over five years. We could never consider letting them go, and would never even dream of turning their world upside down by allowing them to leave the home they have come to love. We are bonded to them and they to us.

Regular rescue groups (apples) save many dogs across this country. They place every one of those dogs up for adoption and work miracles at placing them in homes. But once in awhile they come across a dog or a pair of bonded dogs that they cannot place. That is where the sanctuaries (oranges) come in. They provide a permanent home for these babies where they can be safe and secure to live out their lives in peace.

The Promised Land Dachshund Sanctuary is an orange with apple skin. On the surface, we rescue a few dogs here and there. We try our best to find wonderful homes for those dogs as well a few rescued by our friend, veterinarian, and supporter Doc Jess. But our purpose in the nationwide army of people that give their hearts, their efforts, their money, and their tears to saving dogs in need, is a to be a sanctuary. That is what we are best at, and that is what we feel we have been called to do.

A healthy diet will probably include apples and oranges. A successful rescue community will include rescuers, fosters, transporters, advocates, and sanctuaries. Rick and I rescue and transport as well as advocate for dogs in need. But what we really do is run a sanctuary, The Promised Land Dachshund Sanctuary.

Author: thepromisedlanddachshundsanctuary

I rescue senior and special needs Dachshunds View all posts by thepromisedlanddachshundsanctuary