Radical Courage and Pet Adoption

Loving a being other than your own is an act of radical courage.  Whether that is a human, a canine or a feline, it is no small feat to adopt another being who is in desperate need of love.  Love never has a guarantee, and the risks involved in unconditional love rise exponentially with adoption.

As a mom to both an adopted human and an adopted dog, I know this to be true.  

Adoption, joyful though it can be, involves loss.  Sometimes the loss is painfully evident; sometimes it’s a mystery that unfurls itself in more darkly subtle actions.  The past always makes its imprint.

To know this, and understand this in your soul, is to love beyond limits you thought possible.  To set firm boundaries that get tested so many times you think you’ll lose your effing mind.  To witness these precious beings struggle about things you didn’t experience and likely can’t comprehend.  To be compassionate and unwavering through the anger and lashing out and incessant licking or barking or raging.  To see beyond the anger to the hurt, and go ever so gently toward healing the hurt, over and over and over again.  All of this with fits of progress, and sometimes (often) without.  This.  This is the heart of a true love warrior, no matter the intended being.  

I witness this bravery every time I look into the eyes of a rescue dog during a photography session, or see a foster lovingly correct behavior all day long, or see a human adoptee learn to accept unconditional love.  I know firsthand the pain and elation of these experiences, and the strength it takes to choose to love.

I have always said that how we as a society treat the most vulnerable beings among us speaks volumes about our species. For those brave enough to decide that compassion trumps fear, I salute you.  You are true warriors.  Carry on.