Social media and being the change you want to see
March 4th, 2010
Greyhounds!
Last week I participated in my first “Greyhound haul” and it was fun to share the experience online. It also started me thinking about how social media has changed me in the last year.
Rescue and adoption has always been a part of my life. I adopted cats that had been run over, abandoned or surrendered by owners, live-trapped for spay/neuter programs, dogs from vet school and the local shelter.
I have participated in spay/neuter programs and free “first vet visit” appointments for new shelter adoptees. For a few animals, I reported possible cases of neglect or abuse to authorities.
How social media changed my view. And my actions.
But my clinical work isn’t the same as the real heroes of adoption and rescue – the shelter workers, the animal control officers and other volunteers – who face often unspeakable conditions when they go to rescue animals from a variety of horrible situations.
I wanted to do more. I did, but just couldn’t. I read those stories with one eye closed. They either give me nightmares or keep me up at night. I am not sure which is worse.
A year ago, I signed up on Twitter. A few months later, I set up a Facebook page. Wow! it was such fun to “meet” so many vets and veterinary practices out there. And pet lovers, and pet professionals too: dog walkers, pet sitters, pet suppliers, shelter workers, animal control officers and groomers. I also met actual animals, such as Romeo the Cat. Romeo comes to mind because he, a twice-rescued cat (with help from his human “staff”), has raised over $35,000 in one year to help shelters and rescues everywhere. Go Romeo!
By being active on Twitter and Facebook, I learned a LOT about rescues, shelters, adoptions and related news stories. I saw “first hand” what people are doing out there to change the lives of pets one by one, in their cities, and in local shelters. It was inspiring.
Be the change you want to see
This is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world” and one I take to heart. (Coincidentally, it is also the topic on which my friend DrV of pawcurious is going to speak on at the upcoming Blogpaws conference!)
It is so easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged by the sheer numbers of animals in shelters, neglected in backyards, and abused. In deplorable shelters. It may be tempting to look the other way. Let someone else deal with the problem.
I started with the Starfish story. In a nutshell, if I could help one animal, it may not change the world, but it will change the world for that one animal. I could at least “be the change I want to see” in a small way.
Baby steps at first
I went out and visited my local humane society. I told them why I was there – to learn more about our local issues and how to help. This is small stuff to “real” rescuers, but a big baby step for me. In turn, I received a great behind-the-scenes tour, and lots of encouraging words about how they are improving the shelter and increasing the number of adoptions. My husband and I donated some food and funds to a worthy cause.
I started by really digging into Petfinder for my local area. This was a little dangerous for me – see all of those sweet faces! It did make us realize that yes, it was time to add another dog to the family. Through Petfinder, we found a Greyhound rescue group and ultimately adopted Argos the Greyhound.
At this point, my husband thought my rescue efforts had been realized and we have a great new pet and that was it. But it was only the beginning.
Going forward
I am still figuring out “what’s next” — how I can help with my local rescue group and shelters. I participated in last week’s haul and we have more coming up. We are meeting for dinner this Saturday to brainstorm more ideas for rescue and fostering awareness.
And… I just ordered another jumbo crate and extra large dog bed for the future foster(s) we will be taking in. 
March 2010 Update: Meet Hammer our foster dog
How did social media change you?
I hear the jokes about what timewasters Twitter and Facebook are (and yes they can be), but for me, meeting and connecting with so many inspiring, smart, amazing people has moved me to action!
What about you? Have you been inspired to share your talents and voice to help animals in some way? Tell us how you are Being the Change
Related reading
Animals Unleashed: Cats, Dogs, Rodents Join Twittering Masses – ABC News
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12 Responses to “Social media and being the change you want to see”
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Janet Tobiassen Crosby DVM never planned to be a writer. She wanted to be a veterinarian from the moment she learned such a job existed - sometime during the first grade, when she accompanied her mom to the vet with a sick cat. Janet "adopted" all the neighborhood cats, and at age 11 she started training her first dog, a newly adopted rescue Collie. At age 12, she joined a dog obedience 4-H club and was active through high school as a member and as a junior leader.
Janet, I agree with you completely about the benefit of social media. Like you, I’ve met many smart and amazing people on twitter and facebook that I would never have met otherwise.
As a side note, I think the power of social media goes way beyond animal rescue and other animal issues, although that is a subject that is near and dear to my heart too. But look at what a difference twitter and facebook have made in tragedies like the earthquake in Haiti, just to name one. In some cases, they’ve been the only communication with the outside world for the people involved in the immediate post-disaster period.
My history with social media is much more recent than yours. I only started with twitter and facebook very recently, really only a couple of months ago in earnest. One of my concerns has been the amount of misinformation and unsubstantiated opinion relative to pet care that seems to abound on the internet. Using social media has helped me increase my reach and present what I consider to be accurate information about pet health care to more people. To me, that has been valuable and makes the time spent on social media well worth the effort. And I would like to believe that my efforts have improved the lives of at least one or two animals because their owners are now educated and not prey to harmful misinformation. (Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I enjoy spending time on these venues too.)
I don’t think much of Twitter. I cannot figure out how to get anything out of it. There are so many messages and they are so short, it is hard to tell what anyone is talking about. I think that Facebook is wonderful because I have found so many people that I haven’t seen or heard from in many many years. And I think it is a great place to let people know about my blog and for rescuing animals. It lets people see the different rescue organizations.
I have taken in 18 cats who had no where to go and nothing to eat so they keep me busy. And it is almost impossible to find homes for feral cats.
Thank you for your comments, Lorie and Marg.
Lorie you are correct – there have been so many good things to come about because of social media in addition to animals/adoption/rescue.
One thing I wanted to add…
While some may scoff at the “help one animal at a time” idea, it is more than that. Yes, animals are my focus, but it is people that get things done. If 100 people decided to “help just one animal” then 100 animals are helped. Or 1000 people, or 100000 people, and so on. A wave effect. Just creating awareness of the issues and ways to help is doing something.
Marg, many people I know feel as you do about Twitter, and while I love Twitter, I understand how daunting and confusing it can be. It took me several months of looking at it before I decided to join. It is a very different platform than Facebook, but great to have both to reach even more people!
I’ll keep thinking that as I watch the tic-toc of time in an already busy day. I’d guess that social media has added at least 3 hours of “work” to a normal work day for me. But, the more people we can reach, the more people we can teach, the better.
P.S. Why did all the greys have to be muzzled? I know they are used to it from track life, but are they really a bite risk?
Roxanne-
They are muzzled because, like other dogs, they can get playfully ‘mouthy,’ and what might be OK for other dogs can be disaster for Greyhounds. They have such thin skin. I think that the high prey drive ones may be more of a risk. We had mostly “cat safe” (low/no prey drive) young ones in this group.
Plus, they are all intact, and while not an aggressive breed at all, there can be some ‘talking’ going on, and this keeps everyone safe.
Janet — You are so right about shelter workers, volunteers, and animal control officers being real heroes. I don’t know how they endure the daily stories of abuse, witness it first hand, then go back and see it again the next day. However, someone has to pick up after the abusers and it takes a very strong, compassionate person to be able to do so. I would like to be more hands-on with our local shelter, but I cry just driving by the place knowing what the animals have gone through to get there, and that they are homeless. I don’t see myself being much help because I can’t get past the tears. I donate money and supplies to shelters at every opportunity because I can do this without witnessing the trauma. However, somehow I have to build up my strength and look at the problem face to face. In ending, what I’m saying again is that the people out there doing something are indeed American’s top heros.
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Sharon thank you for your comments. I definitely understand what you are saying. I am the same way. But I am taking baby steps, and doing things I never thought I could do. I was very inspired by @AnimalRescuers on Twitter. That is the SPCA of Monterey County, California. Our interactions there lead to my introduction to Beth Brookhouser, the director of this organization. She did a great multi-part interview on my About.com site to tell us what they do, how to recognize abuse/neglect, and how to do something about it in your local community. I am grateful for her information and what they do to help animals there and everywhere, via their great SPCA-MC web site.
I am still working on where/how to help with my rescue group. I just signed the papers to foster Greyhounds waiting for their forever home. Yes, I am totally nervous about being a “failure” and adopting each one (heehee), but I have been reading lots of about fostering and am especially interested in medical fosters – those that need a little help before being adopted. I’ll be posting about my experiences…
I got to meet Dr Crosby
)
Wow! What a great post. The volunteers that do rescue/fostering are truly inspirational. So much of these efforts go unnoticed and to a large extent unappreciated. Thank you for helping to raise awareness. There are so many pet in need of forever homes.
Our fans raised money for A Place to Bark by buying flat Nigel prints, and an original painting from the artist. I sent you a link on Twitter. It all happened as a result of blogging and Facebook. I’m guessing we’ll near $1500.00 soon.
You can surround yourself with like minded people and do powerful things with social media.
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