We’re happy to welcome back guest blogger, Marjorie Asturias. Today she shares a very personal story about how she makes time for the important things in life.

People say that I’m a magnet for stray dogs, but if you know anything about the burgeoning homeless pet population in the United States, you know that there’s nothing special about me. Stray, abandoned and abused dogs are everywhere, in every neighborhood. Estimates vary on the number of homeless dogs in the U.S., but we do know that between 5 and 7 million companion pet animals enter shelters every year. Untold millions more are abandoned on the street. They don’t have to find me or anyone else. But to most people, they’re nearly invisible – a part of the landscape, like abandoned cars and blowing trash.

The very first dog I ever rescued from the street was a sweet, battered little Chihuahua mix that was hanging around a quiet, working class neighborhood near the Buddhist temple my husband and I attend. We named him Dharma and saw him through weeks of expensive medical treatment as he bravely fought an advanced case of heartworm, a deadly parasitic disease that is so easily prevented among dogs with an inexpensive monthly pill. Once he recovered, and two months after we first picked him up, Dharma was adopted at his very first adoption event.

Our love of rescuing dogs was born.

Since then we’ve rescued five more dogs, including one we ended up adopting ourselves. We’ve spent countless hours andthousands of dollars at the emergency vet clinic (because we never seem to find stray dogs during business hours), boarding facilities, and pet stores, and we’ve made contact with just about every rescue and shelter in North Texas. We’ve had an impressive crash course on the plight of homeless, abandoned animals in our country, and we continue to educate ourselves on how best to meet the immediate needs of the dogs we rescue while also work towards the goal of ending animal suffering.

How, I’m often asked, do I do it all? With a rapidly growing business, a happy marriage, two of my own active dogs, and the usual obligations towards family, friends, and keeping our small home relatively clean, if not exactly neat, it’s not easy.

What helps me focus my work and my rescue efforts, however, is reminding myself that even the smallest act of kindness and compassion can mean the world to an otherwise forgotten dog. That a quick email to a group of friends to help raise money for a sick, homeless dog at the vet can take mere minutes and yet yield a bounty of goodwill and donations. That a solid support network – my husband, my assistant, my fantastic staff, and a tireless group of volunteers at the rescue organization where I now volunteer – is critical to making it all happen.

And that work is what feeds the body, but the unconditional love I receive from every single dog that we rescue is what feeds the soul.

About the Author

Marjorie R. Asturias is the president of Blue Volcano Media, an Internet marketing, content and search engine optimization (SEO) firm based in Dallas, Texas. She previously worked as a freelance writer and newspaper columnist, and has published articles and essays in national, regional and local magazines and newspapers. She’s currently hard at work finishing her first novel.

Connect With Marjorie: Web | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

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