Kathryn Warner recently wrote a
wonderful blog about writing historical fiction.  Followers of my blog and Facebook pages know
I tend to be obsessive-compulsive about historical accuracy.  I think my fellow writer Laurel Corona said
it best when she said very succinctly, “Do not defame the dead.”   Kathryn has elaborated upon the premise very
eloquently.  If I ever had unlimited
power over the universe—admittedly a scary thought, even to me—I would make
this required reading for anyone who has the slightest desire to write a
historical novel.   As a benevolent
dictator, I would also “suggest” that all readers of historical fiction read
it, too.  But until I become queen of the
universe, I will have to make do by re-posting, with Kathryn’s permission, her
blog. 

 

In the interest of full disclosure,
I should mention that Kathryn is a friend of mine; in fact, she has won my
enduring gratitude by translating relevant portions of the German biography of
Richard I by Dr. Ulrike Kessler, Richard I. Lowenherz, Konig, Kreuzritter,
Abenteurer.   Kathryn is also the creator
of a must-visit website for anyone interested in the Middle Ages; here is the
link. http://edwardthesecond.blogspot.com.au/

 

Now, without further ado, I give you
Kathryn Warner. 

 

Ten Commandments For Writing About
History And Discussing It Online

Some things I need to get off my chest, based on reading about and discussing
history on various online forums and Facebook groups, and certain articles and
books.

1) You shall remember that people who lived hundreds of years ago were complex
human beings every bit as complex and human as we are, who had families, and
feelings, and human dignity, and that therefore you should write about them
with respect, in the same way that you would wish writers to treat the memory
of you and your loved ones with respect decades or centuries hence. You will
not laugh or sneer or gloat at their painful deaths and suffering, or claim
that they deserved everything they got, or express a wish that they’d suffered
even more, or call them vile names. If you wouldn’t want someone in the future
to make light of tragic events which have befallen you and your loved ones, or
to depict your beloved father as a callously neglectful parent or not in fact your
biological father thanks to your mother’s cheating on him, or your kind and
wonderful husband as a spineless snivelling coward who frequently beat you up
and forced himself on you, or your daughter as a cold-blooded child killer –
and if it would make you angry and upset if anyone wrote things like this about
your favourite historical person – then you should think twice about inventing
such calumnies about other people merely because you don’t like them or because
they were an enemy of your favourite historical person.

2) You shall remember that accusing someone of a horrible crime such as murder,
rape, child abuse, violent assault or torture is a serious allegation which
should not be made without real, actualevidence. This is no less true merely
because the person you are accusing lived 500 or 700 years ago, and lame
so-called justifications such as “s/he was an unpleasant person who might
have done such a thing” or “s/he had a motive to commit the crime, in
my opinion” or meaningless rhetorical questions and mealy-mouthed
statements such as “it is not beyond the bounds of possibility” that
s/he committed the crime are insufficient. A motive, or what you with the
benefit of more than half a millennium’s hindsight perceive to be a motive, does
not in itself constitute evidence. A wish to point the finger at your favourite
historical person’s enemies rather than him/her does not in itself constitute
evidence. A wish to portray your favourite historical person as a
long-suffering victim to arouse your audience’s sympathies for him/her does not
in itself constitute evidence.

3) You shall remember that complaining about your favourite historical person
being unfairly maligned by history, while enthusiastically maligning his/her
enemies for all you’re worth, looks hypocritical.

(I have been wondering whether I myself am somewhat guilty of this one, as I do
sometimes jokingly refer to Roger Mortimer as ‘Le Manly Wodge’ or similar,
which is pretty snide of me. Having said that though, my aim is to take the mickey
out of bizarre modern statements about his sexuality such as Alison Weir’s, and
the assumption that his ‘unequivocal heterosexuality’ made him stronger, more
virile, more manly, generally just better than Edward II not because of his
abilities but simply by virtue of who he was sexually and romantically
attracted to. My intention is to point up bigotry and stereotypes, and I do not
in any way mean to be cruel or mocking about Roger himself – just about the way
some people in the twenty-first century choose to depict him. I don’t dislike
Roger at all; he was an extremely able and courageous man and I find much to
like and admire about him. Same with Robert Bruce, or Isabella for that matter,
and I really don’t see why I need to dislike and spit venom at people who were
in some way Edward II’s enemies. For sure I’d never make up the kind of
hateful, hurtful slurs about them which certain Isabella fans have invented to
throw at Edward.)

4) You shall remember that your favourite historical person’s enemies were
complex, multi-dimensional human beings too and deserve to be acknowledged as
such, rather than as cardboard cut-out evil villains devoid of any humanity.
Depicting them as cruel to animals, or attracted to little boys, or sadistic
rapists, is a ridiculously unsubtle and obvious way to make them unsympathetic
to your readers. You shall also remember that however much you like your
favourite historical person, s/he was a human being and thus had character
flaws and made mistakes like every other human being who has ever lived, and
that depicting him/her as impossibly saintly and perfect looks kind of silly.
And also strips them of their humanity.

5) Unless you’re twelve, you shall remember that there is no need to divide
historical people into ‘teams’ or ‘sides’ and hurl abuse at the other ‘team’ or
people who like them.

6) If you’re discussing history online and make a surprising or implausible
statement, such as claiming that it was treason to refuse to have sex with the
king of England in the sixteenth century, you shall remember that it is
entirely reasonable to be asked for a primary source to back up your statement.
This is not a reason to accuse people of rudeness and bullying and to get all
huffy and offended.

7) You shall remember that modern historical novels, however well-researched,
well-written and enjoyable, do not count as primary sources. Responding to a
request to provide a source for a statement you’ve made about a historical
person with “Historical Novelist X depicted him this way” does not
actually answer the question. You should also bear in mind that merely because
something has appeared in print in a historical novel does not automatically
mean that it has a basis in fact, and you should check before repeating it as
though it certainly does. This is how historical myths get started, and once
established, they’re damn hard to shake.

8) You shall remember that familial, societal and marital norms of the Middle
Ages were different to ours, and refrain from referring to women as
“helpless pawns” when their marriages are arranged by their (cruel,
heartless, callous, uncaring…) fathers. You shall remember that having your
royal or noble heroine wail “But I don’t love him!” when informed of
her impending marriage to a king or nobleman is by now a tedious cliché. You
will not assume that a medieval king must have been an uncaring neglectful
father because he didn’t live in a nuclear family arrangement with his
children. You will remember that, contrary to what you might assume, depicting Isabella
of France as being willing to take a lover at the age of sixteen and foist a
child of non-royal blood onto the English throne is an insult to her, not a
compliment.

9) You shall remember that depicting women as all of a sudden no longer
possessing their own agency, becoming the proverbial “helpless pawns”
and coming under the total control of nasty unscrupulous men whenever they do
things you don’t approve of, when two pages earlier you were applauding their
independence of action and thought as they did noble and good things, is as
patronising and paternalistic as the ‘sexual prejudices’ of previous centuries
you’re decrying. Repeat to yourself until it sinks in: Adult women are
responsible for their own actions, good or bad, just as much as men are.

10) If you wouldn’t refer to Roger Mortimer as Isabella of France’s ‘straight
lover’, to Alice Perrers as Edward III’s ‘female lover’, or to John of Gaunt’s
‘heterosexual relationship’ with Katherine Swynford – and of course you
wouldn’t – then you shall remember that there is no reason to call Piers
Gaveston or Hugh Despenser Edward II’s ‘gay lover’ or to talk about their
‘homosexual relationship’. Merely ‘lover’ and ‘relationship’ or ‘sexual
relationship’ will suffice; it will be readily apparent to your reader that
Edward, Piers and Hugh were all men and that their relationships were therefore
evidently same-sex. Furthermore, you shall remember that making lame statements
such as “It’s different when men love women” in an attempt to justify
why you think Edward’s (presumed) adultery with men is nasty and icky while his
grandson John of Gaunt’s adultery with Katherine Swynford is fabulously
romantic, looks bigoted. There are ways that we can discuss prejudices of other
eras without making it look as though we share them and expect our readers to
do so too.

 

 

Thank you, Kathryn, for allowing me to re-post your blog
here.   I am sure my readers will find it
just as interesting and persuasive as I did.

 

May 28, 2012

 

On May 12, 1191, Richard and Berengaria were married at
Limassol in Cyprus.   I’ve mentioned
before that Berengaria has four unique distinctions—she was the only Queen of
England to be married and then crowned in Cyprus, the only royal bride to spend
her honeymoon in a war zone, and the only English queen who never set foot on
English soil; John did issue her several safe-conducts during her long
widowhood, but there is no evidence that she ever used them.  I recently realized that she has another
distinction, a very sad one—she is the only medieval English queen who did not
provide her husband with an heir. 
William Rufus did not even bother to get married, Richard II’s Anne was
still young enough when she died to have harbored hopes, Richard III’s Anne became
terminally ill soon after their son’s death, and once we leave the Plantagenet
dynasty for those ubiquitous Tudors, their fertility track record was a sad
one.  But only Berengaria had to struggle
with history’s cruel judgment of being a “barren” queen, and it is likely she also
blamed herself, although Richard was certainly at fault, too, given how little
time he spent with her upon his release from his German captivity and the
criticism he got from the Bishop of Lincoln for his flagrant adulteries.     Berengaria
is one of the least-known of the English queens and has not been treated very
kindly by historians, many of whom assumed that she must have been dull and
boring and not lively enough to hold her husband’s attention.   This is obviously unfair and lets Richard
off the hook for the part he played in the deterioration of their
marriage.    Lastly, I think she has the
most beautiful name of any English queen—not the clunky Berengaria, but her real
Spanish name, Berenguela.

            A little
while ago, I’d promised to quote from the contemporary chronicles from time to
time.  So here is what they had to say
about Richard and Berengaria.

 

From the Itinerarium, translated by Helen Nicholson:    “While they were each making arrangements
to begin the journey, messengers came running to inform King Richard that his
mother Queen Eleanor was hurrying after him. 
She had traveled a great distance, but was now very close, and had
brought with her a noble young woman, daughter of the King of Navarre.  Her name was Berengaria and she was the
king’s intended wife.  Attracted by her
graceful manner and high birth, he had desired her very much for a long
time—since he was first count of Poitou. 
So her father the king of Navarre had entrusted her to King Richard’s
mother so that she could take her to King Richard and he could take her as his
wife before he set off on his planned journey across the sea.  Everyone was delighted at their
arrival.” 

The Itinerarium describes the wedding as follows:   “On the following day, a Sunday, on the
Feast of St Pancras, Richard and Berengaria were married at Limassol.  The young woman was very wise and of good
character.  She was there crowned queen.  The Archbishop of Bordeaux was present at the
ceremony, as was the bishop of Evreux and the bishop of Bayonne, and many other
magnates and nobles.  The king was merry
and full of delight, pleasant and agreeable to everyone.”

 

These passages are from Ambroise’s The History of the Holy
War, translated by Marianne Ailes.

“He (Richard) then made his way beyond the straits, straight
to Reggio whence news had been sent to him that his mother had arrived there bringing
to the king his beloved.  She was a wise
maiden, a fine lady, both noble and beautiful, with no falseness or treachery
in her.  Her name was Berengaria; the
King of Navarre was her father.  He had
given her to the mother of King Richard who had made great efforts to bring her
that far.  Then she was called queen and
the king loved her greatly.  Since the
time when he was count of Poitiers she had been his heart’s desire.” 

Ambroise describes the wedding:  “The next morning the young woman was married
and crowned at Limassol.  She was
beautiful, with a bright countenance, the wisest woman, indeed, that one could
hope to find anywhere.  There was the
king in great glory, rejoicing in his victory and in his marriage to the woman
to whom he had pledged his troth.”

 

            What is
immediately striking about these accounts is that both chroniclers were under
the impression that Richard was quite smitten with his bride.   I find that very sweet, but I tend to be a
bit skeptical, in part because royal marriages were not love matches and
because I personally don’t think Richard had a romantic bone in his body.   But it is interesting to see what Richard’s
contemporaries thought of his relationship with his bride.  

            For a more
cynical view, I give you Richard of Devizes, who was not present for these
events, here describing Richard’s departure from Sicily.   “The fleet of Richard, king of the English, put
out to sea, and proceeded in this order. 
In the forefront went three ships only, in one of which was the queen of
Sicily and the young damsel of Navarre, probably still a virgin.”   Richard and Berengaria were plight-trothed and
in the MA, that was often considered as binding as the marriage ceremony
itself, so the chronicler thinks Richard may have jumped the gun, so to
speak.  Not very gallant of him to
speculate about that, of course, but he was always a bit snarky.   Listen to what he said about Eleanor, “Queen
Eleanor, a matchless woman, beautiful and chaste, powerful and modest, meek and
eloquent, which is rarely wont to be met with in a woman, who was advanced in
years enough to have had two husbands and two sons crowned kings, still
indefatigable for every undertaking, whose power was the admiration of her
age…”  

So far so good, right?   (Although this must surely be the one and
only time that anyone described Eleanor as “meek.”)  But then he cannot resist making a snide
allusion to the scandal in Antioch, more than forty years in the past.   “Many knew what I wish what none of us had
known.  This same queen, in the time of
her former husband, went to Jerusalem. 
Let none speak more thereof; I also know well.   Be silent.” 

This same monk is the only one to
cast aspersions on Berengaria’s appearance. 
He described her as “a maid more accomplished than beautiful,” though
this is sometimes translated as “more prudent than pretty.”    Richard of Devizes never saw Berengaria,
though.    William of Newburgh, a very
reliable contemporary chronicler, called her “a virgin of famous beauty and
prudence,” although he never saw her, either. 
I find it interesting that historians have usually chosen to quote
Richard of Devizes’s unfavorable assessment of Berengaria’s looks over that of
Ambroise, who actually did see her, possibly because they think royal brides
were described as beautiful as a matter of course.  But why, then, do they accept at face value
the praise given to other queens and princesses?   I think their willingness to see Berengaria
as plain ties in with the tendency to blame her for the failure of her
marriage.    But since both Ambroise and
the author of the Itinerarium believed that Richard had desired Berengaria long
before he wed her, it is unlikely that she was plain, for medievals were as
superficial as we are today and expected their heroes to be handsome and
dashing and their heroines fair and chaste. 
Okay, we’ve done away with the chaste requirement.   J    

To show that medieval chroniclers
were not like today’s press agents for Hollywood stars, I thought I’d conclude
with some descriptions of historical figures that were far from
flattering.  

Katalina of Lancaster,
daughter of John of Gaunt and Constanza of Castile, wife of Enrique III of
Castile (1372-1418)
“The queen was tall of body and very fat. She was pink and white in her
complexion and fair. In her figure and movements she seemed as much like a man
as a woman… she was not very well ordered in her body and had a serious affliction
of palsy which did not leave her tongue properly loose or her body movements
free.”
From the Generaciones y semblanzas of Perez y de Guzman

 

Guifred Pilosus, Count of
Barcelona (died 897)
“…[H]e was hairy in places not normally so in men…”
From the Gesta comitum barcinonensium

 

Frederick II, Holy Roman
Emperor, son of Heinrich von Hohenstaufen and Constance de Hauteville.

“The Emperor was covered with red
hair, was bald and myopic. Had he been a slave, he would not have fetched 200
dirhams at market.”
From the Muntazam by Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi

 

Kálmán, King of Hungary, son
of Géza I and Sophie of Looz, father of István II (1170-1116)
“…shrewd and learned… hairy, shaggy, squinting, hunchbacked, lame, and
stuttering.”
From the Chronicon Pictum Vindobonense

 

Amaury I, King of Jerusalem,
son of Fulk and Melisende of Jerusalem, husband of Agnes of Edessa and Maria
Komnene, father of Baldwin IV and Isabella (1136-1174)
“He was a man endowed with worldly experience, very shrewd and circumspect
in his deeds. He had a slight impediment of the tongue, not so much that could
be considered a defect, but so that he had no elegance in spontaneous, flowing
speech… His body was of pleasing stature, as if it had been measured
proportionally so that he was taller than the average, but smaller than the
very tall… His face was attractive… His eyes were bright, and somewhat
protruding; his nose, like his brother’s, aquiline; his hair yellow, and
slightly receding; his beard covered his cheeks and chin with pleasing
fullness. However, he had an uncontrollable laugh, which made him shake all
over… He was fat beyond measure, in such a way that he had breasts like a
woman, hanging down to his belt…”
From the Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum of William of
Tyre (c.1130-1185)

 

The description of King Amaury of
Jerusalem comes from Deeds Beyond the Sea by the man considered one of the
greatest medieval historians, William, Archbishop of Tyre.   He also gives us a fascinating glimpse of
William de Montferrat, older brother of Conrad de Montferrat, who was wed to
Sybilla, Queen of Jerusalem, later the wife of Guy de Lusignan.  He describes William as handsome and bold and
intelligent, but then adds that he was inclined to drink too much and when he
did, he was very quick to anger.   Such a
pity he died in 1186, for I’d have loved to have read what he would have said
about the English-French feuding during the Third Crusade!    

Well, it is time to return to the
dungeons of Trifels Castle, where the most dangerous enemies of the Holy Roman
Empire were imprisoned and where Coeur de Lion spent a few very uncomfortable
weeks in April of 1193.    Once I can
spring Richard from Trifels, I will surface again. 

May 12, 2012

 

 

  

I know you have quite a few rescue animals that are now part
of your family.  Can you tell us about
them?

I’d love to… Considering all my
children have fur, I could talk about them all day long!  My pack is almost a manageable size these
days, although much smaller than in the mid-90s.  There was a time in our early years when we
had over a dozen dogs and several dozen cats. 
That’s the point at which I realized the line between helping &
hoarding had become far too thin! 

We currently have 2 donkeys, 5
dogs, and 5 cats, along with 2 foster dogs and 2 foster kittens; all of which
are rescues.  Although each one has an
amazing story of rescue, I’ll just give you just the basics here. 

Dominick is 12, and was our
first donkey saved from a farm in north FL where he was being bullied by their
horses.  He was very well cared-for, but
the family knew he’d be better off on a farm without equine.  Dominick is a very sweet & sensitive boy
who loves affection.  Shortly after he
arrived, we realized Donkeys are pack animals and he needed a friend, so we
sought out a 2^nd donkey to keep him company.  A local family with over 100 acres goes to
the auctions every month and buys all the pregnant female donkeys and sells
their offspring to afford to save more moms. 
Jasper came to us at only a few months old and is now almost 5 years
old.  Although he’s far less affectionate
with us, he & Dominick are best-buds. 
Little did we know then that donkeys can live to be 40+ years old and
will likely outlive us!

Amos is our oldest dog, a 14 yr
old flat-coat retriever, chow mix.  At a
few months old he was found outside a convenience store with an old man hugging
a bottle of wine.  The dog was begging
everyone for food.  Alan asked the man if
the dog was his, and the man said “You can have him for $5.”  Alan gave the man $5 and named him after his
grandfather, Amos Starnes.

Mai Peanut (Pnut for short) is a
puppy-mill puppy and at 12 years old has always been the most sickly of all the
dogs I’ve ever had.  She has Discoid
Lupus disease, incontinence, and a severe obsession with tennis balls.  She is also the love of our lives!  Pnut is the sweetest, most sensitive and
loyal dog anyone could ever hope for, and we have been very lucky to have her
in remission – for almost 2 years now!

Bella & Luna are twins and
are my 3 year old Echo Dogs.  Rescued
from a neglectful home in Nebraska, they are the reason I volunteer to help the
white shepherds of Florida.  In 2009, I
completed Echo Dogs’ adoption application stating that I wanted a bonded pair
of young females.  I didn’t care of their
color, or if they were mix-breeds, but preferred sisters. Our first two
shepherds, Barkley & Tasha were sisters and after they died – well into
their “teens”, we wanted another bonded pair. 
I was warned it could take a long time to find such a pair, but I
assured them I was patient.  Six long
months later, Laura with Echo Dogs contacted me about “the twins” and we jumped
at the chance to get them.  Laura drove
from Chicago to Tennessee, and we drove from FL to meet her and bring our girls
home.  Bella is also known as Sugar Belle
– the sweetest, smartest southern belle you’d ever meet.  Unlike her sister, Luna is about as loony as
they get, and has limited eyesight. 
She’s very untrusting, reserved, and skeptical, but loves me with her
entire heart.

Willow is the newest addition to
our pack – and also an Echo Dog.  She and
her sister were incarcerated at a FL animal control together and Echo Dogs
agreed to pull them both on a Sunday night. 
By 8 am Monday morning her sister was already dead, so a fellow rescue
angel rushed to the kennel and got Willow out immediately.  Willow’s foster had to leave town for a week,
so she came here – and never left! 
Despite her foster’s willingness to take her back, and then finding the
“perfect” adopter, Alan decided Willow was HIS dog, and so she is.

As for the cats, they mostly
just “show up”.  Leo’s mom was a pregnant
stray and we chose to keep Leo and adopted out his siblings.  He’s 13, and a long-haired orange tabby.  His mom, Baby Doll lived out her life here as
well.  Tigger is 7 and Sissy is 5 and are
both long-haired orange tabbies.  They
simply arrived at our home looking for food – probably from being dumped in the
orange grove next door.  Tater-Tot is 5
years old and is a short-haired orange tabby. 
I’ll get into his rescue story shortly. Truffles (sweet as chocolate)
was found trying to cross a busy road at 3 weeks old.  He was so tiny, he took up residence in a
Kleenex box and still had room to move around. 
He’s now 4 years old and is a grey tiger-stripe tabby.  All touched our hearts and became part of our
family instead of being adopted.  And as
you can see, it helps to be an orange tabby if you’re a cat looking for a home
in our neighborhood!

Two Foster Dogs:  Gee is a long-coat, pure-bred white German
Shepherd Dog.  He’s 5 years old,
neutered, micro-chipped and up to date on shots.  Gee is a very strong-willed dog and will need
an experienced handler that can continue his training.  Snoopy is a German Short-Haired Pointer,
Beagle mix.  She’s 2 years old, spayed,
micro-chipped and up to date on shots. 
Currently going through heartworm treatment, Snoopy will be available
for adoption on May 1^st.  She
is a very sweet girl who loves belly-rubs, playing with balls and runs like the
wind.  She is great with kids & dogs,
but should not be in a family with cats or birds.

Two Foster Kittens:  As of March 25^th are about two
weeks old, found in an abandoned home and currently with a loving foster being
bottle fed around the clock.  They will
be available for adoption on 4/28, or got to my vet for adoption.  Both long-haired, one is white with a few
charcoal spots and the other is a grey tabby.

Sometimes it’s a tough call on
who to keep and who to adopt out.  I
often think it would be better for them all to go to a family where they’d be
#1 or #2 rather than having to settle into such a large pack here with us.  And that’s what happens most often; we end up
keeping the “unadoptables” and letting the most balanced and friendly pets go
to other homes.  But every now and again,
some just worm their way into our hearts and we find a way to spread our love
just a little bit further.

 

            One of the
many benefits of adopting Tristan is that we’ve become friends.  You’ve told me some amazing, unforgettable
stories about the animals that you’ve rescued over the years.  Could you share a few of your more memorable
experiences with us?

I’ve often said that some of my
most treasured friends were brought to me by strays.  And that was certainly the case with you and
that big, goofy boy of yours!  Aside from
Tristan, one of my most memorable rescue experiences was my own kitty,
Tater-Tot; mostly because it gave me the opportunity to impact a young human
life as well as a pet.  So often as
rescuers, we get fixated on “saving the pet” and sometimes forget the human
aspect that goes along with it.  Or, we
become so hardened to humans because of all the abuse to pets we see at the
hands of humans.  But Tater-Tot was
different…

In 2008 I received a call from a
young girl about a cat she’d found while here on vacation with her family.  They were staying in the neighboring city of
Kissimmee at her aunt’s house and this orange tabby cat showed up, weak &
hungry.  Hannah made it her mission – on
her summer vacation – to help this kitty find a home.  Her call to me was to see if I’d take him
into Catnip Trails and get him off the street. 
Keep in mind that I receive hundreds of calls & emails like this
every month, and cannot take them all in. 
So, I told her that the right thing to do was to first see if he was
merely lost and try to locate his family. 
I created some flyers and had her post them in the neighborhood and drop
them off at their local vet.  I had
spoken to her mother who agreed to help and urged me to guide her daughter
through this process.  Hannah was about
10 years old. 

She spent the next week
interviewing her aunt’s neighbors and vets offices to see if she could find his
rightful owner, but sadly, no one who knew the cat she was calling Chester.  Throughout the week, she emailed me with
updates on her progress, letting me know all the steps she’d taken to find him
a home.  She was determined to not leave
Florida without this cat being safe.

The night before her family was
to go back north, she called me in despair. 
Her aunt would not continue caring for the cat and was going to turn it
loose once they left.  She was
heart-broken.   We realized we had an
opportunity to not only save a cat’s life, but to make a positive impression on
a young girl’s life.  If she left here
defeated at trying to help an animal in need, she’d possibly never try to help
again.  If she left here knowing all her
hard work paid off, maybe – just maybe – she’d be a rescuer one day. 

When I got there, Chester was in
a carrier on the back porch and Hannah was beaming from ear to ear.  Her mother took me aside and thanked me for
teaching Hannah the responsible way to help this cat, for making her “stick
with it”, and for showing her that hard-work pays off.   As I was loading Chester (soon to be
Tater-Tot) into my car, Hannah gave me the biggest, little-person hug ever,
with tears flowing down her face.  She
reached into her pockets and pulled out 3 one-dollar bills and a handful of change.  She told me it was what she and her sisters
had left over from their vacation money and she wanted to donate it to
Chester’s care.  Knowing I was about to
refuse the money, her mother put her hand on mine and said “I wish we could do
more – please take it.  You are the only
one who responded to Hannah’s plea for help.”

While Tater-Tot’s rescue had a
positive impact on a little girl’s life, it’s also had a huge impact on
mine.  “Toot” as he’s affectionately
called is the most awesome, loving, and special kitty we have.  And by special, I mean he’s my “Forest Gump”
of kitties.

One more story is of Red – a
senior golden retriever I found tied to a pole at the post office on a hot
Sunday afternoon.  I had just flown into
town and stopped to check my mail on the way home.  I didn’t see him on my way in, but coming
back out the door, there he sat, panting & frothing, parched from the
heat.  There was also a sheriff sitting
in his air-conditioned car in the parking lot. 

I walked up to the dog and he
wiggled and whined.  I checked his collar
for a tag – none.  The officer got out of
his car and asked if I was his owner which I declined.  He told me the dog had been there all day and
he had come back to wait for animal control who was called in to pick him
up.  I said “You know at his age, they’ll
just kill him.”  He nodded in
agreement.  I asked if he’d had any water
while he was there “all day”, and he replied that since animal control was
coming and we knew the inevitable, he saw no need to give him water. 

I unhooked his leash and led him
to my car.  The sheriff asked if I was
claiming the dog, to which I replied, “No, but I am taking him for a drink of
water.”  I put him in my car, drove home,
and never looked back.  Red River, as we
learned his name to be, was microchipped to a woman in NC.  Unfortunately, the contact information was
more than five years old and she never kept it up to date.  The phone number listed was no longer in
service and there was no forwarding number. 
Sleuth that I am, I took his picture and faxed it to every vet in my
county and to the county where she used to live in NC.  No one knew this dog.  I did a white pages search for her name and
called every listing – but no one claimed poor Red.  So, being that we live in one of the most
popular retirement areas of FL, I forged on to the obituaries, and there she
was.  She had died earlier in the week in
a neighboring city, and evidently her family decided they didn’t want her
dog.  I didn’t bother tracking them down,
and instead advertised him for adoption.

Red River, although a senior at
9 yrs old, adopted out very quickly to a wonderful family who still sends me
updates.  I’m so thankful that he’s now
being shown the love & respect he deserves. 
I’m sure it was very confusing for him to lose his mom, and then his
home, but dogs are so forgiving of us humans. 
They love unconditionally even after abandonment or abuse.  Red River is one of the lucky ones – he will
be cherished for the rest of his life!

            Joan, I’ve
said this so often to you and my friends in Echo Dogs, but I have so much
admiration for what people in rescue work do.  
I think most of us feel sympathy or sadness when we see a lost animal or
encounter a dog that is being neglected or abused.  How do you keep from utter despair when you
see so much suffering on a daily basis?  
Do you have any suggestions how the rest of us can help animals in
need?     

 

Unfortunately, Sharon there is
no magic potion to ward off the despair, and ultimate burn-out all rescuers
experience from time to time.  I feel it
in my heart, and sometimes it takes its toll on my health as well.  Stress is very powerful, yet that’s what we,
as rescuers all feel when we look at the hundreds of faces we know we can’t
help in time.  I sometimes feel like I’m
having a heart attack, but know it’s merely my heart breaking… once again.  But that’s not what it’s all about.  If we focused on the “RIP” albums (yes, there
are RIP albums to pay our respect to those we were unable to help), we’d never
be able to continue our work. 

It takes a great deal of strength
and courage to forge past those albums and onto creating the “Success Stories”
that keep us going.  And Tristan is a
prime example of one of my most triumphant rescues.  Not a week goes by that I don’t look at
pictures of him, Oliver, Riley, Baroness, Josie, Lucy, Ginger, Bear, Buddy,
Sugar & Spice, Peaches, Kodi & Gracie, Zorro, Muffin and hundreds more
that were saved because we force ourselves to continue – despite the
losses.  I can only hope that those whose
help didn’t come in time, did not expire in vain; that somehow, someone’s life
was touched enough to make a difference in the life of another pet.

Aside from opting to adopt,
there are so many ways people can help animals in need.  Fostering is probably the single, most-valued
service rescuers need.  Without foster
homes available, rescues cannot pull a pet without putting him/her in
boarding.  And saving one from death just
to have him/her sit in a kennel for months is not rescue.  Foster homes provide a temporary residence
while a permanent home is found.  They
further evaluate the pet’s behavior with humans and other pets, and provide
training when necessary.  Mostly, they
provide a loving environment for a pet to blossom in, and cash-in on lots of
sloppy kisses!  Most rescues (Catnip Trails
and Echo Dogs included) pay for all medical expenses while the pet is in
foster, so the only expense is usually food. 
Many people say they could never foster because it would be too hard to
let the pet go to a forever home.  I find
that curious, and although I too am a “failed foster” by adopting Willow, I’d
much rather see a pet leave me to go to a good home, than never have had a
chance in the first place. 

Other ways to help include:

• Always opt
  to adopt instead of shop for your next pet; and remember a pet is a
  lifetime commitment.  Almost 40% of
  the pets in shelters are pure-breds. 
  Not all shelter pets come with problems – many are there due to the
  unfortunate circumstances, or ignorance of their former families.




• Always have
  your pet spayed/neutered to stop reproduction.  Having just one litter increases your
  female pet’s chance of cancer.  Not
  having a male pet neutered increases his chance of cancer by an astounding
  90%.  And with over 4 million pets
  being put down every year in our country, over-population has become an
  epidemic.




• Ensure your
  pet always has a microchip or wears a tag.




• Volunteer
  your time at a local facility or no-kill shelter.  Most shelters won’t ask you to scoop
  poop or clean kennels – many just need dog walkers and people to play with
  the pets to further their social skills. 
  What’s more fun that playing with dogs & cats?  Others could use help posting animals in
  need, providing transports (usually 60 miles or less), or simple office
  work.




• Take your
  dog to obedience training.  He
  doesn’t understand the rules until you show him, and an abundance of dogs
  are surrendered for simple obedience issues that could have been avoided
  with just one obedience class.




• Never, ever
  offer pets as “free to good home”. 
  Ask for a donation, find a rescue, or use your local SPCA if you
  have no other choice in surrendering your pets.  Free to good home pets often meet a fate
  worse than death.




• Teachers:  Invite a Humane Education speaker into
  your classrooms.  If you’re in
  central FL, I’d be happy to speak at your school.




• Vote!  Support legislation that protects
  animals.




• If you find
  a lost pet, stop and pick it up. 
  Then contact a local rescue for resources on finding its rightful
  owner or a shelter to take it to. 
  Although shelter-life often has a bleak outcome, it certainly
  offers better odds than starvation, traffic, or worse.




• Teach your
  children the humane treatment of animals.




• Report
  abuse, chaining/tethering, and neglect to your local officials.




• Keep your
  donations local!  The Humane Society
  of the United States shares less than 1% of their donations with shelters
  that actually house animals.  Find a
  local chapter or a no-kill rescue – we are all over-extended with pets and
  vet bills, and short on funds. If you cannot afford to donate money, bring
  them an extra bag of pet food, towels, collars, leashes or pet toys. 




• If there’s a
  family in your neighborhood or social circle with pets and you know they
  are financially struggling, bring them an extra bag of pet food.  Help your community keep their pets in
  their homes and out of shelters. 
  Seniors are most often in need of a little extra help – and need
  their pets more than ever in their golden years.




• Become
  familiar with the “No-Kill
  Equation” and other shelter reform documents through the No Kill
  Advocacy Center.  Don’t be afraid to
  ask your county animal facilities if they follow such protocol, and help
  promote the No Kill vision when possible.




• Remember,
  you don’t have to adopt every pet to make a difference, just join the
  village and get involved on some level.

Joan, thank you so much for
agreeing to this interview.  You are an
amazing person and I feel proud to call you my friend.   Tristan is sleeping right now on his bed,
utterly relaxed with all four feet in the air, and you made this possible for
him—and for dogs and cats (and donkeys) beyond counting.   My readers interested in learning more about
Joan’s rescue, Catnip Trails, and Echo Dogs White German Shepherd Rescue can
visit their websites here.   http://www.catniptrails.com/       http://www.echodogs.org/

May 5, 2012