A NEW DAY A NEW BEGINNING

It has been a very difficult last few months. So many things have happen that have drawn attention away from the dogs and saving lives that I have seriously considered not doing this anymore. When I decided that Mr. Hope was here to get me to start For Hope, Inc. all I wanted to do was to help the dogs that were the “throw aways” The ones that needed just a little more care and time to heal. To me it was worth the time and effort to raise the money, ask for the money or beg for the money to help these great dogs. Since that small beginning, Mel and I have taken in and saved over 30 lives. We did not do it alone by any means, we had some wonderful people who stood beside us and helped in any way possible.

Slowly at first we got a few new foster homes. Jen was the first and she took on some very difficult dogs. She loved and cared for them with no questions asked. She also supported and helped Mel and I develop our ideas and goals. Jen has been a rock; she has gone through the rough times with us and stuck it out even when she felt things were not the way they should be.

The next people to come along were Serenity and Emily. I don’t know what we would do without Serenity; she is a huge fighter for dogs and has done face book and promoting For Hope in every way possible. She was the one who got Emily involved. Emily took Bo on as a foster. She and her husband have cared for this sweet boy for a few months now. Bo had heartworm. We found out after he was with us that he also has a bad leg. Somewhere along the line it was broke and never fixed. Serenity and Emily have stood behind me and my ability to help dogs and make good solid decisions even when I neglected Bo over another dog. Bo had to wait to have his leg taken care of while I was off taking care of politics and trying my best to keep people (not dogs) happy and involved. These two always knew where my heart was and waited very silently until I came to my senses. Without them Mel and I would have crumbled. For Hope would have crumbled.

Then Bridget came in as a foster home. She took in a truly difficult girl named Stella. Stella had cancer and has a few issues with aggression. Bridget was the first to see the bad side of a few volunteers. She saw how they laughed and made rude comments about a sweet dog named Tucker. It was not Tucker’s fault how he looked or moved. He was blind, had diabetes that was untreated and was sick. Not something to laugh or ridicule. Bridget made sure Tuckers first encounter with For Hope was a comforting one, not one of “stay away”.

There were a few people that came into For Hope that nearly destroyed me and For Hope. Or at least it looked that way. In an attempt to motivate and please people I allowed these 3 people to become very involved in the operations of For Hope. Mel, she just sat back and wondered what I was doing and if she was important. She has no idea how important she is to For Hope and to me.

Over a few short months politics began to take its toll on For Hope. It was as I said the beginning of the end. I was and still am under a great deal of fire. As Mel says “I was thrown under a bus”. Decisions were being made by others with no communication to Mel or I, dogs that were not suppose to be taken care of medically were suddenly racking up huge bills taking away from the ones (such as Bo) who truly needed it. It stopped being about the dogs and became about personal wants. It did not matter how something happen just that certain people came out looking wonderful.

I have been accused of lying, not caring about the dogs, endangering the dogs and not considering others ideas or input. This from people I truly trusted. I have spent way too many hours trying to make 3 people happy and neglecting all the other things I wanted to do. Love and care for the dogs. I hope I get the chance to change this and make it up to the dogs and the people who truly do believe in For Hope.

These 3 people have since left For Hope. They were only here for a few short months but the damage to me and my trust is overwhelming. They seem to forget that each one of them was attaching the other at some point in time. All were telling us the evils the other had. I guess that should not surprise me that now they have joined to attack me.

Now it is time to get back to what For Hope stands for. It stands for helping and saving. It stands for giving each dog the time, respect and love it takes to go to that forever home. I am hoping that the small group we have right now will stay with me and For Hope and keep it from getting out of hand again.

Please Mel, Serenity, Emily, Jen, Melissa, Kelly and all the dogs, give me a chance to redeem myself and show you my heart is in the right place. Help me chose the right people to be part of this group and have the right interests at heart. Please always tell me what you think and how you feel. I am so sorry for not treating you better, for neglecting to say Thank you and for letting you know how important you are.