I love animals very dearly, and I always have. My passion for animal rescue and rehabilitation started when I was 11 years old, and my family had just moved to New Mexico. The property we were moving to was in the middle of nowhere (to an 11-year-old) and I wasn’t sure about it, until they told me there was an animal sanctuary next door. I didn’t fully know what that meant, but I knew animals would be there, so I was in.
It was one of the best experiences I could have had, and it shaped me as a human being. Heart and Soul Animal Sanctuary was 200+acres of land with a compound where the animals’ homes were. There were dogs roaming the compound, a “Kitty Bunkhouse” for our feline friends, 5+ habitats for various birds (some rescues, some raised for eggs to support the rescue,) horses, llamas, goats, you name it! Check it out here: https://www.heartandsoulnm.org/
Volunteering there was challenging and wonderful, and I absolutely loved it! My daily tasks were to play with animals all day, love them, and help them get adopted into the right home (along with the hard physical work that helps keep the sanctuary going.) The longer I was there, the more animals I met and the more stories I heard. I very quickly learned that people could be unspeakably cruel to animals, but somehow, the animals healed and still loved people. It was amazing and a level of compassion I wished people could respect and reciprocate. Sure, some animals had a harder time adjusting, but they had good reason and just needed a little extra love, patience, and care.
I learned how to work hard, since all the animals I mentioned had to eat and “potty”, and to be loved in their own ways. Each animal was unique, and I was able to learn how resilient they can be, which only made my love for them deeper. Without any direct details, know that I saw some miracle animals that shouldn’t have survived what they endured, but they not only survived, they thrived! From their first day being terrified brought into the giant dog house (imagine a 30′ x 50′ room with one human bed and a sea of dog beds and towel walkways,) to their last day before heading to their new homes, I got to see them overcome their past hardships, and still have hope and waggin’ tails.
In the 4+ years that I worked there, the animals taught me a deeper, more pure and completely innocent, strength through love. They taught me to have even more compassion for animals, and to fight for them relentlessly. I learned resilience from them, because if they can go through trauma and hard times and still learn to love, why couldn’t people do the same? I would never trade that experience for anything because it helped me become the person I am today, and continues to influence how I go about in the world.
My life has changed, but my love has not. I want to be able to help all the animals all the time, but I want a larger impact than just what I can do alone. I started this fundraiser because I wanted to help organizations that were doing great work, but I didn’t have a lot to donate, and in my eyes, not enough to make the impact I wanted. All donations are wonderful, but I just felt that I could do more, so I am trying.
My hope for P.U.P. is that we can grow it to a point that we’re making a major difference in the current animal rescues situations, as well as spread awareness through education, and build community with a common goal of making the world better. It’s our 6th year, and I am so happy to say that we’ve raised almost $13000 over the past few years for various animal rescues in the area.
Here is your chance to push yourself up, mentally and physically, with a great community of people around you, and for a great cause- the animals. So, are you ready for P.U.P.?!
PUSH UPS FOR PUPS 