Who else will?

A co-worker recently asked me a question while we were making idle small-talk. I rarely have very serious conversations at work, partly because I don't care to deepen my work relationships too far out of my comfort zone, and partly because I don't believe that many of the people I work with have similar enough tastes in subject matter for me to believe the conversation meaningful and worthwhile. Anyway, we were discussing weekend plans, and I mentioned that I would be spending a day volunteering at Best Friends, a no-kill animal shelter located outside Zion National Park. My co-worker was slightly taken aback by how I was going to spend my Saturday, and he almost immediately asked "Why would you spend your time helping animals when there are so many people that need help?"

I was shocked that he'd even asked. So much so that I couldn't even articulate a good answer. I think I mumbled something about liking animals and that was the end of our conversation. I suppose that his question might be considered a fair one, especially when one takes into account the enormity of human suffering around the world. The current economic crisis is causing many people to lose their homes, some parents to choose between necessities like paying for gas to get to work in order to provide for their families, or buying food for their children to eat or paying for health care they desperately need. People are dying by the thousands all over the world: the genocide in Darfur, natural disasters such as the earthquake in Italy or typhoons in Southeast Asia. The plight of women in countries like Pakistan or Somalia, to name just a few. There is no doubt in my mind that there is plenty of human suffering to be found almost anywhere one cares to look. So why help animals, who after all are "lower forms of being"? Why spend time on creatures that aren't even sentient? Why donate money or even time to help ease the suffering of animals that we esteem so little as to experiment on them, raise them in huge numbers only to slaughter and eat them, or destroy their natural habitats to the extent of their inevitable extinction?

If we're going to debate the relative value of these issues, then why not compare other causes? Why raise money to research infertility and its causes when there are millions of homeless or foster children who need and deserve loving homes? Why fight to preserve the opportunity for students to learn not only language arts and mathematics, but also science, history, and the arts when the latter subjects are not life "essentials"? Why bother raising money for research into cures for diseases when the world is facing overpopulation problems?

The point that I'm trying to make is that comparing different causes is as useless as comparing apples and oranges. I could go insane trying to analyze the comparative value of many worthy efforts. And why would I want to restrict myself to contributing in only one way? The fact is that if it is only permissible to care for animals after all human suffering has been eradicated all over the world, or even in any single country, then it never will be permissible. I am realistic. There is not much that I can do to help all of the people who need it, and truth be told, in general I like animals much more than I like people. I feel comfortable around them because they make so much more sense than people do. They never try to deny their true natures. They don't play the cruel mind-games that humans practice without even thinking. When they offer love and affection, it is complete and unconditional. How many of us can say the same? And perhaps most important, they may not be "sentient" in the ways that humans have decreed that they must be in order to be considered a higher life form, but just because animals don't adhere to our standards doesn't mean that there's nothing there. Animals feel pain, sadness, happiness, love. The question is not "Can animals think?" but "Can animals suffer?", and I believe that the answer is yes. They're voiceless, however. They cannot fight for their rights in human society. They cannot understand when their people abandon them because of a stupid homeowner's association rule, or the fact that their people did not plan for how big they would get, or that their people simply don't want to take care of them anymore. Who will help them, if not me? As stupid as it may sound to some people, I care about them. I care about them in groups, I care about them as individuals. It breaks my heart that 150 dogs were euthanized without any evaluation in Indiana, simply because they were seized from a dog-fighting ring. Many of them were just puppies, who had not yet been trained to fight. It breaks my heart that millions of animals are euthanized every year because they were abandoned, and no one cared enough to adopt them. It breaks my heart that I am not able to take all of these needy animals and care for them, protect them. All I can do is what I can do.

I know the animals at Best Friends, well, the cats, mostly. It's more relaxing to work with the cats. The dogs are a little too high-energy for me. I know them the way their handlers know them: as individuals. I don't know them as well, but I appreciate the time that I am able to give them, and I like to think that they appreciate it, too. Visit the Best Friends website - www.bestfriends.org - to get an idea of what this sanctuary is like. Take a look at the animals that I have come to know and care for:

This is Gimble. He and his brother Ty were born with a neurological disorder that makes them lurch and wobble when they walk, as if they're drunk. They can eat out of their food bowls, drink from their water dishes, and use their litter boxes, but they will probably never be adopted, just because they're a little different.

This is Peepers. She's completely blind, but she still gets around fairly easily. She tends to stay on the ground because she can't judge the height or length of tables or chairs, but she's very sweet. If she senses that someone is near enough to pet her, she'll rear up on her hind legs and reach for them with her front paws. She will probably never be adopted, because it's always a challenge to take on animals with disabilities. They become ousted from society, just like humans with disabilities are sometimes. The difference is that a disabled human is not likely to be euthanized because of it.

This is Vante. She is a beautiful cat with very affectionate personality. She loves to ride on people's shoulders and purr against the back of their heads. She seems like a creature of the air, staying mostly on shelves and table tops and only venturing to the floor for food. She has been adopted several times, and returned to Best Friends every single time. Why? Because she has a digestive disorder that involves incontinence, and she cannot always make it to her litter box in time. She will probably never find a forever home, because for most people her loving nature does not outweigh the messes she can't help but make.

This is Peanut (above) and Bubba Lou (below). They are both paralyzed in their hind legs. Peanut was shot, and lost the use of her hind legs. She is able to get around by scooting around on her front legs. Bubba Lou was rescued by Best Friends during one of their special trips to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He had been hit by a car, leaving his hind legs mangled and broken, but thankfully pain-free. He has now had both of them removed, in order to improve his mobility. It's probable that neither of these cats will be adopted. Their paralysis has also made them incontinent, and as I said before, it's difficult to take in animals with disabilities.

So why do I waste my time helping animals rather than humans? Because if I don't, who else will?