So I’ve been thinking about the word broken and the fact that it has such a negative connotation.
Indeed, there are people in the world who figure shelter pets are broken. There’s a sense of “what’s wrong with him?” when an animal ends up in a shelter.
It’s sad, but I’ve come face to face with those exact words while working at CVAS.
But, truly, who among us hasn’t had a rough time of it? Who among us hasn’t been hurt at some point in his or her life? Maybe we suffered a broken heart. Maybe we suffered a broken spirit. Broken dreams.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
We all know what it’s like to lose something, to not get something, to have something not work out – to be broken.
If you haven’t, you should truly count your lucky stars because I imagine you are in a very small minority.
I actually think it’s the fragmented moments that make us who we are, that make us learn and grow, and despite the negative connotation, being broken isn’t always a bad thing.
Shelter animals are living proof of this.
Just because they’ve been given up on, just because they may have behavior issues, just because they’ve been taught to not trust, just because they may have special needs, just because they may have learned that a human hand was more likely to hit than stroke, doesn’t make them any less capable of love and devotion and companionship.
There’s a line from a new song I heard a few years ago that says, “Something second hand and broken…still has something beautiful to give.”
I think it really applies to animal welfare work.
Animals come to us having been passed around, often from person to person, second hand, if you will, and we’re their last stop. This is it for them. Their last chance.
If people want to think of shelter pets as broken, fine, so be it, but it doesn’t mean they’re a lost cause. Indeed, I think it makes them even more precious.
It’s possible to look into a beaten dog’s eyes and see past the scars, beyond all the pain, to that tiny spark – the ability to still love and the penchant for kindness and goodness. The capacity to learn to trust again. The amazing strength to say, “I forgive you.”
It’s still there. Sometimes you have to look deep, but I truly believe it’s still there.
We’re all capable – even humans – but animals seem to be especially resilient.
So, for the animals who have had it rough, for the ones whose lives haven’t been like a Norman Rockwell painting, yeah they might be broken. But so what?
Even a broken heart still beats. Trust me, this I know.
It doesn’t mean that it’s not capable of love.
Believe me, stop by the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and you, too, will know that despite possibly being what some people would call “broken,” these animals still have something quite beautiful to give.
