It’s a good thing I don’t have a big house. If I did, I would rescue every animal I come across, and end up with a zoo. As it stands, I already have a small zoo in relation to the size of my home. I recently rescued my cat from the Humane Society, and only my HOA bylaws are keeping me from rescuing a dog.

My family is dedicated to rescuing animals versus buying them from a breeder. And since we’ve always had a fondness for spaniels (see Exhibit A above), my parents recently rescued a Springer Spaniel through English Springer Rescue America (ESRA), a national referral and foster care purebred placement organization, and a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. ESRA's mission is to provide foster care and adoption referral services to humane societies, private shelters, and animal control facilities nationwide with English Springers they have impounded.

Last week, ESRA held a Parade of Rescues for the 24 or so Springers rescued through the organization. Each animal was introduced with his or her backstory, then paraded around for all to see. Some dogs had been found abandoned and wandering aimlessly. Some had ended up in a shelter when their persons died. Many were in poor health. It only took one glance at the people’s adoring faces to see that life circumstances had changed - both for the dog, and for their persons. My parents, who were heartbroken at the loss of their beloved Raleigh this spring, are one such example.

The “POR”, as those in the know call it, happened to take place at the same time as a dog show. I have mixed feelings about dog shows. Fascinating to watch, but are they allowed to truly be dogs? Questionable. Especially in the case of a large poodle we saw, whose owner stood grooming him/her with a hairdryer for nearly an hour.