Saturday, August 16, 2014

Through No Fault of Their Own, They Need a Home



A few points to keep in mind:
* It was a really slow day at the blood bank.
* Despite eating a large meal in preparation, I still feel woozy after giving blood and have to spend a long time lying there with my feet up before I can walk to the door.
* Never miss a chance to educate and talk about rescue.
    It’s difficult for me to comprehend how it could be possible for anyone to know so little (as in nothing) about rescues and what wonderful family members they can be. However, time and again, I meet intelligent well-meaning humans who simply haven’t had the opportunity to learn about rescue dogs. So I tell them, every chance I get.
    At a recent blood drive, the donation center was playing cowboy medleys that included El Paso and Ghost Riders in the Sky.  (I’m not sure songs about people dying in pools of blood after gun fights are really the best mood music for that particular venue.)
    I always get lightheaded after I give blood and have to hang around until I can walk across the room without feeling woozy. I dutifully sipped juice, ate snacks, and listened to the blood bank employees craft “driving in my pickup truck to visit my daddy in prison” lyrics. I told them about basenjis and rescue, as I can find a way to squeeze this favorite topic into nearly any conversation, whether it fits or not. Many rescues have had lives that would make tearful country songs, but most of them are ready to trust, love and take a chance on a new life with a new family. Their outlooks are often optimistic and hopeful, despite their sometimes difficult pasts.
    This was a slow day, so the blood bank employees decided to construct a cowboy song about rescues. I provided some lyric suggestions about basenjis, they mixed them together and threw in lots of yippee ki yooohs. The Sons of the Purple Sage would have needed medical attention if they heard the results:


Here’s to those rescue basenji dogs. 
They just need a second chance. Yippee Ki yoooooh
Through no fault of their own, they need a home,
and long for someone to love.
Someone to love them, someone to snuggle,
someone to greet at the door. Yippee Ki Yaaay
Someone who belongs to them, someone to give paw waves,
 someone to yodel fooor. 
Someone who cares for them, feeds and protects them,
 and gives them time to adjust. 
Someone who says “you’re home forever,” 
someone they know they can trust.
‘Cause through no fault of their own, they need a home, 
and long for someone to love. 
Yippeee ki Yay, Yippee eeey ooooh,  
 Yippee eeey aaay


The blood bank staff had fun and perhaps learned a few things about rescue dogs and what treasures they can be. Then at long last, I was able to mosey off into the sunset, on the lookout for the next educational opportunity.   


 
Our treasured rescue Basenji dogs

2 comments:

  1. I like it, Peggy, but could probably do a better job singing it if I knew the tune! :)
    (And good for you donating; I always used to, until finding a good vein became an ordeal. Repeated sticks made me feel sick.)

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  2. I am not musically gifted so I can’t say with any veracity. I think they were singing this to something along the lines of Ghost Riders in the Sky crossed with El Paso, but I believe that would be open to interpretation. The melody was largely free form and extemporaneous.

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