She's a first time mom - intentionally let out of a shared house by disgruntled housemates only to find herself with a growing belly upon her return. She had a litter of 10 but "four passed, it was sad." She's been a wonderful and proud mom, but fortunately this is her first and last pregnancy.
Because let's face it, her kiddos are totally adorable but the reality is that down the road, one or two (or more) will very likely find themselves in an overcrowded shelter or living a hard and likely short life on the streets. Pitbulls trend highest here. The mixed emotions of seeing a bucket of puppies and their mom hits shelter staff each time - the collective relief that they're brought in for care and fix followed by exhaustive concern that the overpopulation issue persists. It's a dicey conversation with some folks, who argue against sterilizing and who liken spay-abort to murder.
But, the question remains, who will take care of all of them?
Not to over broaden the conversation but it IS interesting how we view motherhood, on many fronts.
Miscarriage is a quiet conversation.
Childless women are questioned.
Strays are a nuisance.
Factory farmed mothers are less than.
Human mothers, most often venerated. (and as well they should, hi mum!)
It's not simple, I know. The above are generalizations, but they hold their own weight. All I know is that it speaks to how gray and layered our world and perceptions of it and everyone we encounter are. The beauty and ugliness, creation and destruction. All the things. Such complexity.
Perhaps Mother's Day is one to celebrate the strength of all women, in whatever capacity (nonhuman included) they hold as a mother and, especially as a woman in this world.
#mothersday
Update: June 10, 2025
This post was originally published on Instagram for Mother's Day in May and only touched briefly upon the overpopulation issue. However, this update feels extremely necessary and urgent: there are currently 560 dogs at Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson, AZ. Yes, 560.
What does that mean? Many are now on deadline.
What does deadline mean? Euthanasia.
Believe me, I hate writing that as much as you might hate reading it. As much as we would all like to see a no-kill shelter see genuine success in its theoretical model - animals come in, they get fostered and/or adopted in record time and no capacity issues every exist, it's unfortunately incredibly unrealistic. The amount of cats and dogs arriving daily is beyond overwhelming.
And I'll be very honest with you all, the toll that euthanasia takes on staff members is excruciating and cumulative. The best way to help?
Call today to schedule a meet and greet, consider even a short term fostering and give a shelter dog or cat a chance.
(520) 724-5900
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