Plethora of Everything

From time to time I've been called (to my face) a 'do-gooder.'  I've heard things like, "Oh, you're one of those ," or "So you're a tree-hugger, crazy animal person, etc.' Dozens of people have said these things to me over the years. Maybe you've heard similar comments a time or two yourself. When I hear these words from someone's mouth I'm always a bit taken aback, surprised and caught off guard. Why am I so shocked to hear these comments? What's the big deal? Perhaps I find it offensive when someone treats issues I view as important, even fundamental to life as we know it, as if they're silly or meaningless. I guess this shocks me and catches me completely off guard every  time it happens. Maybe I'm so taken aback when these terms are used because they reveal a complete void, a complete lack of empathy on the other person's side. And I don't mean empathy for me, I mean empathy relating to the issues, ...

Some will relate to this. Some will not. As Adoption Coordinator at Miami's municipal animal shelter it often seems important messages I try to relay are falling on deaf ears. They are. Daily I encounter people turning in their pets because, "they're moving, they've had a new baby, they've lost their job, the pet was never really theirs and they were just watching it- for a few months or years, and so on and so on." Time and time again I respond saying things such as, "Your pet should be a part of your family. A pet is not disposable, it's a living, breathing,sentient being. This should be your absolute last option. Have you weighed your other options? I moved here from Kentucky and brought my 2 dogs, cat and bird along with me- moving is not a reason to surrender a pet, and so on and so forth." Time and time again I hear great ideas from shelter volunteers. They say things like, "Why doesn't the shelter do follow up calls for adopte...