Rocko
I’ve been rescuing dogs my whole life. In fact, if I trace it back, so much of my commitment to animal rights and environmental issues really grew out of my first childhood interest in saving dogs, which I picked up from my mom. At one point, I was even planning opening an animal rescue called Alicia’s Animal Haven because I kept finding dogs that needed homes. But the deeper I looked into this, the more I found that there were so many other animals in need. It began to seem like I’d be more effective by trying instead to use my voice to educate and inform people, so that hopefully we could change some of the root problems that lead to so many at-risk animals.
However, all this time I’ve still continued to save animals that I've come across. My first rescue came when I was 17 years old. That’s when I met Sampson – the first love of my life. Of course, since then, Christopher and Bear have become the loves of my life too! But, at the time, Sampson swept me off my feet – and he was so big, I mean that literally! I knew so little about caring for dogs compared to what I know now, so he was the boss! He didn’t come when I called him and begged all the time (he was homeless after all), and he slept with me and we were inseparable and in love! I didn’t know how to set boundaries and structure for dogs or anyone else for that matter, so he got away with an awful lot, but there’s no relationship quite like the one you have with the first dog you rescue. I will forever miss Sampson…the coolest, most awesome guy ever! He was so proud, deep, and soulful…anywho, I digress.
A few years later, I added Kale to the pack. Then, one day, I was giving a press conference at the Lacy Street Animal Shelter in downtown Los Angeles to encourage adoption and I wound up going on a rescue spree of my own. At the time, the film 101 Dalmatians had just come out and, even though I liked the film, I was really disturbed to learn that lots of people were buying dalmatians from breeders because they wanted cute, playful dogs like the ones in the film, only to realize that they can take a lot of work. As a result, tons of dalmatians were ending up in animal shelters – adding to the already overcrowded pounds full of animals facing imminent death.
I remember I made a point not to go inside the kennel area. I was 19 at the time and living alone with two dogs, so I wasn’t looking for more housemates and I knew I’d need some help resisting.
Of course, once we were there, someone lured me inside and that was when I saw a dog being dragged out of its kennel. I asked one of the workers where they were taking him, and they said he was on his way to be euthanized. I couldn’t take it. I said, “I’ll take him!” Then I went through and took every dog that was scheduled to die that day. Looking back, I realize it was a little ridiculous because the next day, the same thing would happen all over again with a new batch of dogs. Even my saving all of them would just be a drop in the bucket, but I wasn’t thinking about that. I was just overcome with emotion.
Long story short, I came home with eleven dogs that were scheduled to be put down that day – all crammed into the back of my Bronco at the time and my friend’s SUV! It was crazy, but it was great. If any of you have ever seen that Mike White film, Year of the Dog, he mentions me in the credits because the scene where Molly Shannon rescues all the dogs is actually based on this incident.
Anywho, I quickly found homes for all but two of the dogs I brought home that day. I named those two Jeffrey and Lacy. A short time later, when I was shooting a movie called Blast From The Past, I found another three strays. I found homes for one of the puppies and kept two – Sweety and Peanut Butter. Finally, I found Butterfly aka “The Pig.” So, now I had seven dogs…and that’s how I’ve lived since I was 21.
Over the years, my pack grew old and happy and, one by one, passed away. Now we’re down to just one dog – Lacy. She’s 16 and a half years old now – almost as old as I was the day I met her!
The house seems a bit emptier than it did when we were at full capacity, but our newborn, Bear, is 5 months old and we’re doing some renovations to the house and need to find a rental for a while, so it’s very necessary for the time being.
With my focus on Bear, who’s breast feeding and starting to teethe, so you know, not a lot of sleep happening around here, not to mention all my other projects, like EcoTools,The Kind Life and my acting jobs, we weren’t looking to adopt another dog again just yet. But then I saw Rocko and, just like that day 15 years ago, I couldn’t help myself.
Rocko is such a sweet little muffin and I really want you to get to know him, so I’m going to do a whole other post that’s just all about him, but the reason I’m telling you about all my rescue experiences is to show you just how meaningful saving a single animal can make your life. Ask anyone who’s done it. Or just look at the joy on the face of my Vamps co-star Krysten, who recently adopted this stray that a friend had found on the street after it had been hit by a car!
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, there’s a good chance you might already love animals as much as I do. If so, I hope you’ll consider adopting a rescue and never buy from a breeder or pet store. Nearly every community has a huge animal overpopulation problem that ends with countless souls being euthanized every single day. It’s so very sad and the stories I hear from animal shelters break my heart and make my stomach turn. For example, the bodies of dogs and cats that are killed are often sold back to dog food companies to be ground up into meal (as a rule, if you want your pets to be spared from eating their own kind, avoid pet food with any kind of meat ingredient that says “meal” after it) – another great reason to feed your pets veg. You can see my blog about how I feed my dogs here if you’re interested.
With more and more people losing their homes these days, animal pounds are more crowded than ever, so there’s never – I mean never – a reason to buy from a breeder or pet store. If it were up to me, breeding dogs would be illegal until every last animal facing certain death had a home. Let’s make buying dogs obsolete!
Equally important, if you have a pet, is to please have him/her spayed or neutered. Otherwise, you could be contributing to the problem, whether you know it or not. There is an animal overpopulation problem of epidemic proportions and there are millions of beautiful creatures in need, so please be a part of the solution – not part of the problem! It will make an enormous difference in your life, just as it has in mine!!!
The benefits of adoption are amazing. I feel so proud to have saved the lives of all the dogs I have rescued and found homes for. Being a foster parent is an incredible thing. It’s hard, because you fall in love. But it feels wonderful to save a life.
The dogs I have rescued have been family members and have been the source of much entertainment through the years. They make me laugh so much; they’ve been there when I was sad. They are full-blown love machines! A rescued animal is such a great partner to walk through the world with, and there’s nothing like the deep connection you have with animal you’ve saved.
What Can We Do To Help?
Even if you’re not able to adopt a new companion, there are many ways you can help to stop pet overpopulation. Your contribution can be as simple as tweeting or posting pet adoption notices to Facebook. Find a rescue organization near you, and get on their email list. Encourage everyone in your network to spay or neuter their pets, and repost pictures of adoptable dogs who need forever homes.
Rescue organizations are always looking for volunteers. If you have the time and space, you can foster a dog, or you can volunteer to walk dogs that the rescue organization is trying to adopt out. Giving adoptable dogs lots of exercise and love makes them better candidates for adoption, because they haven’t been stuck in a cage for days or weeks on end (which would drive anyone nuts). Even my sweet foster Rocko (who I’ll tell you about next), was a little hyper when he came out of his kennel at the shelter. But he calmed down when we gave him exercise and some love.
Obviously, if you’re looking for a pet, rescue is the way to go. And if you have pets already, absolutely spay or neuter them. Be sure to support legislation in your community that bans puppy mills and pet stores. We must stop breeders and pet stores from contributing to pet overpopulation and the horrifying dumpsters filled with dead dogs to be ground of for dog food. Let’s commit to ending these atrocities. Even the smallest contribution is meaningful, so do something today to help the millions of animals out there who are relying on your voice and passion.
Have you rescued a dog or other animal? Tell me about your best rescue story in the comments below.
