A Holiday "Tail" of Hope: How the Power of Community Helped Rescue Mr.Pickles

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Hey, wonderful listeners!

Tune into this heartwarming episode of the Just Be Cause Podcast with your host, Katherine Lacefield, as we unwrap a story that truly embodies the spirit of community and kindness. Enter the world of Mr.Pickles, a little terrier mutt with a new lease on life thanks to a village of committed animal lovers. Journey with us through the heartwarming tale of how a series of unexpected events and selfless individuals came together to rescue a fragile street dog, showcasing the transformational power of empathy and collaboration.

We'll dive deep into how every role, from a rock-throwing vendor to a WhatsApp group creator, weaves into a rescue story that will tug at your heartstrings. 

What can we learn from the lady who threw rocks to keep Mr.Pickles out of traffic?

How did a global network make such an extraordinary impact on the life of one tiny dog? 

We'll also challenge you to reflect on fostering connections that lead to meaningful outcomes in your nonprofit work.

Prepare to be inspired and moved by this endearing journey as we wrap up 2024.

Join us for a story that is as touching as it is enlightening, and discover the joy of creating a supportive network—one paw at a time!

For those who want to see pictures of Mr.Pickles check out this Instagram post or watch this Instagram Reel.

Meet your fundraising expert

Thanks for listening to Just Be Cause Podcast! I'm Katherine Lacefield the founder and head consultant of Just Be Cause Consulting.

My goal is to partner with YOU nonprofits and philanthropic organizations to help you make a positive impact in your community.

With over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, I help organizations optimize their operations with key knowledge in various domains, such as fundraising strategy, grantmaking research, communications, and development.

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Transcript

0:02

Welcome to the Just Because podcast. In a space in which the scarcity mindset has been normal for far too long, discover how we're helping nonprofits finally take back their power, find their true purpose, and even use mindfulness to manifest their dream solutions into reality. I'm your host, Catherine Lacefield, a lifetime nonprofit professional. Together, we'll master the tools needed to overcome limitations, rise in times of adversity, and understand the interconnectedness of all causes towards a more conscious philanthropy. Just because it's the right thing to do. After spending my entire life optimizing nonprofits, I've explored countless of the most powerful tools and apps available so that you can stop wasting your time on mundane tasks and start having an extraordinary impact on the communities that need you. Follow the link in the show notes to access our full list of nonprofit tools and apps for free. We've also included some discount codes in there to make it even more worth your while. Hi, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Just Because podcast. This is actually going to be the last one of 2024, so the last one of the 1st year of the podcast. And I decided to switch things up a bit this episode by sharing with you a heartwarming story about my favorite Christmas gift of this year. It's a story that demonstrates the power of community to really transform lives, especially for our little four legged friends. So for anyone who has been following me recently, you might have noticed a new little guy showing up in my posts and maybe some of my emails and of course my Zoom calls, mister Pickles. He's this scraggly little man with terrier gray fur and a little whitish tuft of hair on the tippy top of his head. Needless to say, he's absolutely adorable and I love him. So for anyone who knows me a bit deeper, animals are my thing. It's my passion, my purpose. I've been in the animal welfare and animal rights space for going on about 2 decades, and there's no other place that I would rather be. So to end this year, I wanted to share with you the beautiful story of how Mr. Pickles came into my life and why my Christmas gift to myself is having him stay with us. Here it goes. Once upon a time, in a very warm place called Tylo Carmen, a young woman named Diana was heading out shopping at Walmart with her mother. Now, what is interesting is that Diana never goes to Walmart, but today, she did. As she pulled up to the parking lot, she saw a woman throwing rocks into the street. At first, she didn't quite understand, but then she saw this tiny little dog cowering away from the rocks. Both her and her mother knew they couldn't just watch and decided to intervene. As they approached, they saw him. He was nothing more than skin and bones, filthy and missing most of his fur. But his eyes looked up at them without fear. They went to him, scooped him up, and brought him into their car. Now, I'm gonna pause here as most people when I tell this story, they immediately feel intense anger towards the woman throwing rocks. And this is where I'd like to make a little moment to pause and reflect. First of all, I am grateful that she was throwing rocks. If not, Diana would never have seen the poor little dog, and he would never be in my home right now. But we also have to understand certain contexts and social differences. This woman was most likely selling her wares on the curbside of the Walmart parking lot. Having a very filthy looking dog hanging around was probably, from her point of view, not a great selling point. Now, second of all, she also ended up claiming that she was trying to make sure the dog didn't go into the street. But maybe she was scared of dogs, but still trying to do the right thing. We'll never really know what was going through her mind, but I always try not to be too quick to judge, as this is also a missed opportunity to empathize, understand, and, of course, to educate. And also, if that hadn't happened, mister Pickles would still be in the streets. Now back to the story. So Diana is now in her car with this tiny trembling little thing, but she has 2 dog aggressive dogs at home. So keeping him was not an option. But she'd been volunteering at SOS El Arca, a local animal rescue in Palo Carmen, for some time now. By the way, this is the same one I volunteer at, so maybe you'll see where this is going. And with my encouragement, one of the most involved volunteers, Marcos, had actually created a WhatsApp group for the volunteers, and Diana had joined. So after asking her friends to see who could maybe take this little guy in, she wrote in the group chat, I don't wanna leave him here. He's just too skinny. Unfortunately, the shelter was full, actually at overcapacity, and there was no way they could take in an unvaccinated dog and risk infecting all the other dogs they already had. A very involved volunteer who had launched a sister rescue in the United States helped arrange for the shelter to at least do a little medical checkup for the poor guy and offered to cover the expenses herself. They were really trying so hard to find a solution for him. And there I was reading these messages on WhatsApp, glancing at my own choblet of a puppy, and imagining, what if it was him that was out there in the cold, well, in the rain? But when I saw the video of his tiny dog and his kind but terrified eyes, I just knew I had to do something. It just so happened, again, fate, I was going to the shelter that day to help with photos to get some of the other residents adopted. I'd be there around the same time that the fed would be checking the dog's date. It seemed like it was meant to be. As soon as I was done with the photoshoot, I entered the lobby and laid eyes on mister Pickles for the first time. Of course, at the time, he was still just an unnamed street dog. When I held him for the first time, I was actually scared of breaking him. He was so scrawny and so dirty. He had these tiny little mats and what little fur he had left, and his nails were extremely long. He was definitely not in the best of shape. And then we got even worse news. He has heartworm, Diana told me. This meant he needed to be on antibiotics for a month to fight any infections he might have and gain weight before he could start the more intense treatment of getting rid of his heartworms. This pushed back his potential adoption date even further as he couldn't get vaccinated or neutered or travel while he was in this condition. But in my mind, I was thinking, what if we didn't find another foster home? Could I imagine having to let him go again? I pushed the slots aside and picked out the tiniest little harness I'd ever held and slipped it over his scrawny little legs. As Diana drove me to another vet to pick up his antibiotics, mister Pickles was already warming up to me, and, of course, me to him. I called my husband and asked him to set up our large crate in my stepson's room. I would need to keep the dogs separate, just in case. But first, a bath. I ran upstairs into the shower where I hopped in with him and gave him a bath, maybe even his first. I trimmed his mats, combed the rest of his sparse fur, and trimmed his horribly long nails. While he didn't especially like the shower, he didn't even make a sound of protest, just kept on looking up at me with his beeping eyes. When I wrapped his trembling body in a towel and held him close to me, I could already feel my heart exploding with this need to keep his tiny creature safe. Next, food. I picked up some wet and dry puppy food, not knowing if or what he would eat. At first, he nibbled hesitantly, but before long, he was eating with appetite. Later on, I will discover that he is an absolute piglet and eats food more like an a vacuum and inspires it, like, ins just inhales it into his throat. Anyway, as I was staring at this dog, I had so many questions. Was he someone's lost dog? His state seemed to point to him having been lost for quite some time. But had he always been on the street? I doubted it. He was so comfortable with us and with people in general and even very comfortable in our house. How had he survived outside during one of the heaviest rainy seasons I had seen so far and even through some hurricanes that had happened not too long ago. Unfortunately, many of these questions remain unanswered, and I don't think I'll ever know. Of course, it didn't seem long before I folded and had the 2 pups meet. It was pretty much love at first sight and instant success with both of them seeing very happy to finally have a friend to play with. Now as to the name, mister Pickles, when I was working at the Montreal SPCA, we had this tradition for a while where any cat that would come in without a name would be baptized as Pickles. Why? I don't know. It was cute, unisex, and why not? Pickles is a good name instead of name. Right? Better than Luna or Lola or Kitty, as many of the dogs that came in intended to be called. It was actually my husband who ended up insisting on the mister Pickles because he said he looked like a little old man, and gotta say, I agree. So mister Pickles it was. So as it continued, the only a few days turned into a few weeks as no one else raised their hand to foster, and I couldn't imagine bringing him to the shelter where he would spend the majority of the day in a crate because of lack of space and the fact that he was a small dog. Now this whole experience brought me really close to the founder of the shelter, which also led me to launching a small fundraiser at a local vegetarian restaurant owned by a friend of mine. Mister Pickles was, of course, the star, helping us sell tickets to restaurant goers before the event and representing all the shelter dogs the night of the event. Everyone loved him. Now a funny little thing to know about mister Pickles is he's a hamper. Yeah. No matter what we do, he doesn't leave my poor dog alone, and him being more of a potato than a dog doesn't really react. Unfortunately, until he's done his treatment, we can't get him neutered. So this has caused some very interesting conversations and situations in the house when people visit, especially younger children. Anyway, it was finally time for his heartworm treatment, and he had finished his round of antibiotics, had gained enough weight, and was ready to begin. And I was really excited to get this started. But my husband and I happened to be heading to Colombia, a trip that had been planned for months, on the exact day of his appointment. Both doggies were getting pups at for by a friend of mine, but she didn't have a car. So Diana, who I had kept in contact with, sending her thousands of pictures to mister Pickles, was more than happy to bring mister Pickles to his appointment. Any opportunity to see our little rescue again, she jumped on. But as my plane took off, a part of my heart was still back at home, wishing I could be there with him as he went through the discomfort and pain caused by treatment. That same night, as I lay in bed with my husband, I found myself in tears. I was thinking about that that day that I would have to put pickles into a crate to be sent to his adoptive family. That the shelter mostly did international adoption, so that meant he would be having to go through this stressful, plain journey, not knowing what was going on. I knew he would be crying for me. I knew he would be scratching at the gate, trying to get out, and the thought just broke my heart. My darling husband, who knows me way too well, asked, you want to adopt him, don't you? And you see, we travel a lot. Even one dog was going to complicate our lives quite a bit, and I hadn't actually considered adopting him because of all those difficulties and the logistics that it would entail. But in my heart, I knew what I wanted. So with tears of joy streaming down my face, we decided to adopt mister Pickles, my little angel. He would finally join the family and be my first foster fail. After 40 plus foster animals throughout my life so far, he was the one that stole my heart and just had to stay. And so they lived happily ever after. The end. Now I hope you enjoyed this little story and that it maybe brought some tears to your eyes or at least a smile, but I also want to say that this story holds certain lessons I think everyone could listen to. Mister Pickles' rescue depended on many different people. So first of all, the woman who, although not the best action and something I wouldn't recommend doing, was throwing rocks at at him to keep him out of the street. If it hadn't been for her, Diana would not have spotted this this little dog, and she wouldn't have had the opportunity to choose to act instead of turning a blind eye. But there was also the volunteer, Marcos, who had the idea of creating a WhatsApp group to facilitate the conversations with volunteers. If he hadn't done that and if I hadn't encouraged him, maybe Diana wouldn't have known whom to turn to, and maybe he wouldn't have ended up being saved. There was also Alexandra, the US based volunteer who coordinated his vet checkup and foster care and offered to pay for his paint for his treatment. Had she not done that, maybe the shelter wouldn't have been able to take him in. Maybe Diana wouldn't have been able to bring him to the vet. Now, of course, there's the shelter itself for existing and fighting every single day, save every single life they can. Their amazing team of only 4 full time staff is the only reason that we were able to save mister Pickles. And, of course, finally, myself, but my family for accepting to lend our homes and our hearts to this little pup. The lesson I see here is that nothing can be done alone. It really is only when we work together, each playing our own specific role in the process that we can make magic happen. As the year comes to an end, here are some reflection points or conversation starters you might want to have either on your own or as a journal on as a journaling exercise or even with your team when you come back from the holidays. So number 1 is, who are the different people that lead to you achieving your mission in your nonprofit? Where does the journey really begin? How does it end? And what are the different roles people can play? Number 2 is, how can we foster more connections that might lead to more impactful outcomes? Outcomes? So, for example, the WhatsApp group, how can we foster more of that sense of community which allows people to express themselves and raise their hands when they feel they need help or that they can offer their own help? Number 3, do we perhaps judge certain people in our journey of our nonprofits instead of seeing opportunities to learn? Perhaps these people that are coming in to bring in their animals to your local shelter, maybe they just need someone to listen to their story for us to understand that some situations are out of people's control, and maybe we can actually be the ones to help them as well. Number 4 is, should you also foster a dog and call him mister Pickles? The answer is yes. Yes. You should. But in all seriousness, if you do have a place in your home and a heart for a foster animal, so many shelters are full beyond capacity and need these temporary homes to save more lives. Sometimes it only represents a month of being able to offer a bed for a little dog or a cat or a rabbit or any other animal they may have. These animals are also so grateful for the opportunity. You won't regret it. I promise. There might be some messes. There might be some destroyed things, but at the end of the day, saving a life is definitely worth it. So once again, I hope you enjoyed this little holiday story that it brought a smile to your face, warmed your heart a bit. And And if you wanna see a before and after picture of mister Pickles, find a link in the show notes. It'll break your heart and mend it back together at the same time. Now on that note, happy New Year, everyone. Happy holidays. Enjoy the restful season, and come back nice and rested so you can come back and kick butt again in 2025. May the rest of your year be filled with joy. I know mine will, especially with these 2 pups that I have at home. Bye for now. Thanks for tuning in to the Just Because podcast. Are you enjoying the content we're creating? We'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Thanks for leaving us your wonderful review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and hitting that subscribe button to subscribe button to have access to new episodes as soon as they drop. All of our affiliate partners are hand selected to offer you only tried, tested, and true tools to give your organization the absolute best. Signing up to any of them using our code or link directly supports the podcast, and it's a great way to say thank you without any extra cost for you. Thanks for being part of the community.