09/29/2026
I love what I’ve been able to do for animals through Rescue Tails.
But I’ve reached a point where running a rescue is taking more from me than I have left to give, & I know it’s time to step away.
I never expected to be making a post like this. (This is a long one, so thank you in advance for taking the time to read it.)
But over the last year, this is something we have talked about more than once. I’ve known for a while that something had to change, & I think now is the right time to finally do it.
I have put Rescue Tails before pretty much everything in my life.
My family.
My own dogs.
My own animals.
My time.
My energy.
My finances.
My personal life.
Pretty much everything.
When something needed to be done for Rescue Tails, it came first.
Someone needed help? I was there.
An animal needed a foster? I figured it out.
A dog needed to be trapped? I went.
A medical bill needed to be paid? We figured out how to raise the money.
An animal needed somewhere safe to go? We found a way.
I kept telling myself I could handle it.
One more animal.
One more emergency.
One more late night.
One more fundraiser.
One more vet bill.
One more crisis.
But eventually, one more becomes your entire life.
Over a year ago, I said I was going to cut back, slow down & take a break.
I actually tried.
There were fewer animals in foster homes for me to manage. I personally didn’t have a foster so I could keep myself available if an emergency situation came up.
But even during that time, I was still helping community animals who had loving owners but needed help with medical care, food, kennels or other necessities.
I apparently was not very good at taking a break.
Because I never actually stopped helping.
I just stopped having as many animals directly under my management.
& now I realize that isn’t enough.
I need to actually step away.
I need to start putting myself first.
I need to spend time with my family.
I need to be present for my own dogs & animals.
I need to focus on the other things in my life that have been pushed to the side because Rescue Tails always came first.
My own dogs have taken a backseat.
My family has taken a backseat.
My personal life has taken a backseat.
There have been countless times when something needed to be done for Rescue Tails & everything else simply had to wait.
I cannot keep living that way.
I have also lost things along the way.
I lost my job after 7 years for advocating for a severely neglected & abused dog after the person responsible (a convicted animal abuser) for that dog contacted my job to complain about my social media activity. (Much more to this story…)
I’ve lost sleep.
I’ve lost time with my family.
I’ve missed things with my own animals.
I’ve spent countless hours dealing with situations that never should have been mine to deal with.
& I’ve experienced more trauma than I ever expected to experience from trying to help animals.
I carry enough trauma from watching people fail their animals & I cannot take on anymore.
I’ve watched animals suffer because people didn’t do what they were supposed to do.
I’ve watched people desperately try to keep animals they love but simply cannot afford the medical care they need.
I’ve tried to help.
I’ve tried to educate.
I’ve tried to find solutions.
I’ve tried to raise money.
I’ve tried to find fosters.
I’ve tried to find adopters.
I’ve tried to catch dogs.
I’ve tried to do everything I possibly could.
& I have finally reached the point where I know I cannot keep doing it.
I have thick skin.
I can handle getting cursed out.
I can handle being called names.
I can handle people being mad at me because I said no.
But at some point, it gets old.
It gets old dealing with adults who throw temper tantrums because they didn’t get their way.
It gets old being treated like I’m responsible for every animal that needs help.
It gets old trying to help with a lost dog or a dog that needs to be trapped when people are actively working against proven methods that actually give us the best chance of getting that dog safe.
(Hang the freakin’ flyers, people!)
Don’t work against the process & then expect the same people you are working against to somehow fix the situation.
I cannot keep doing that.
I also cannot continue having unlimited animals, unlimited emergencies, unlimited requests & unlimited expectations placed on me.
Rescue Tails is funded by the generosity of our amazing supporters.
They have donated.
They have shared.
They have fostered.
They have adopted.
They have helped us keep going.
& I am incredibly grateful for every single person who has supported us.
But I know they get tired too.
I’m sure they get tired of seeing another Rescue Tails post.
Another medical bill.
Another fundraiser.
Another animal that needs something.
& honestly, I get it.
I’m tired too.
I have never been someone who only wanted the easy animals.
I’m a sucker for the underdog.
The skinny one.
The beat-up one.
The one nobody is sharing.
The one whose post I watch for days hoping someone else will step up.
Those are the animals that always got me.
I never complained about that because those were choices I made.
I chose to help them.
I chose to say yes.
I chose Rescue Tails.
But now I have to choose myself.
Rescue Tails currently has 5 animals under the rescue.
4 dogs & 1 kitten.
These are the animals we are committed to caring for.
Four are ready for adoption.
Lucy is not currently available for adoption.
Lucy is a 2 year old Rottweiler who came into the shelter in rough shape. She was spayed & had an eye removed. Her foster dad noticed something was wrong with her hips when he met her at the shelter & requested X-rays right then. She has advanced hip dysplasia & will be seeing an orthopedic veterinarian for a consultation about FHO surgery. She is the sweetest girl & she deserves the chance to get the medical care she needs rather than being euthanized because of her physical condition.
Kalina still needs to complete her heartworm treatment.
Jewels is currently on medication because of damage caused by heartworms.
Sasha & Gus currently have no pending medical appointments or known health issues.
All of the animals are safe, loved & being cared for in wonderful foster homes.
& we are going to continue caring for every animal we have already committed to.
We will continue providing their medical care.
We will continue providing their food & preventatives.
We will continue doing what we need to do to make sure they are safe.
But we will not be taking in any more animals.
Right now, I’m also not able to provide assistance with other situations or spend hours trying to find resources for people.
I know that will be difficult for some people to understand.
But I need this boundary.
I cannot continue saying yes when I know I no longer have the capacity to give people the help they are asking for.
Right now, my focus is on the animals we have already committed to.
We need to continue raising funds for their medical care & anything else that comes up while they are waiting.
We need to provide the basics our fosters need, including food & preventatives.
We need to have funds available for unexpected emergencies.
Any funds remaining after all of the animals are adopted will be donated to another local nonprofit rescue group.
I also want to say something that I hope people remember.
Please be kind to the people in animal rescue.
Most of us didn’t get into this for recognition.
We didn’t get into it because we wanted people to tell us we were heroes.
We were there because of the animals.
We stay because of the animals.
Even when we are treated like absolute scum.
Even when we get cursed out.
Even when people call us names.
Even when people tell us we don’t care because we couldn’t take one more animal.
Even when people demand resources, fosters, money & solutions that simply don’t exist.
Please remember that we are people too.
We are not creating the problem.
We are trying to fix it.
& I am failing miserably at being able to keep fixing it while also trying to hold everything else in my life together.
I have spent years putting Rescue Tails first.
I have given it everything I had.
I know I gave my all to every animal I had an opportunity to help.
I know I showed up.
I know I cared.
I know I tried.
& I know that I cannot save every animal.
Nobody can.
I am not walking away because I stopped caring.
I am walking away because I finally understand that I cannot keep putting Rescue Tails before everything else in my life.
I need to take care of myself.
I need to be there for my family.
I need to spend time with my own dogs & animals who have taken a backseat for far too long.
I need to have room in my life for things that aren’t emergencies.
I need to stop living in constant crisis mode.
I need to stop carrying the responsibility for every animal that needs help.
This decision was not made overnight.
It has been discussed for the better part of a year.
I have thought about it.
I have fought with myself about it.
I have tried to find ways around it.
But I know now that it is time.
When I close this chapter, I want to be able to look back knowing that I gave my all to every animal I had an opportunity to help.
& I know I did.
I never expected Rescue Tails to become such a huge part of my life.
I never expected to be making this post.
But this is the right time.
So I am not asking anyone to convince me to keep going.
I am asking you to help me finish what I started.
Please share the animals who are available for adoption.
Please help us find them homes.
Please continue supporting their medical care & basic needs while they wait.
Please support the foster families who are still caring for them.
I’m ready to step away, take care of my family, spend time with my own animals & start figuring out what the rest of my life looks like outside of rescue.
Sasha’s Petfinder Link: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/sasha-4161e335-eb1d-4cc3-8b2b-384b0a7ab99a/sc/conway/rescue-tails-sc599/details/
Jewels’ Petfinder Link: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/jewels-1a98f454-911c-4bbe-bdf8-3579b34c133e/sc/conway/rescue-tails-sc599/details/
Kalina’s Petfinder Link: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/kalina-58426080-aa2a-4288-bec5-11d177006be1/sc/conway/rescue-tails-sc599/details/
Gus’ Petfinder Link: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/gus-gus-a38f62a2-e631-4a56-b93a-a98b7179f212/sc/conway/rescue-tails-sc599/details/
ADOPTION APPLICATION: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6QWfqqd6gvn6E8Zw8j8ffEI3-hISIu6kpUWOrf5sjppR2og/viewform
Just because Rescue Tails can’t take on any more animals, it doesn’t mean the animals already in our care should be forgotten.
Rescue Tails is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, & all donations are tax deductible. Donations can be called directly into our vet’s office or made through any of the options below.
📞 South Robeson Veterinary Clinic:
910-628-7178
(Rescue Tails account)
💰 PayPal 1.99% + $0.49 fee
https://www.paypal.me/rescuetailsmb
💰 Venmo 1.9% + $0.10 fee
https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3845481604056341915&created=1778157016.6969728&printed=1
💰 Cash App No fee
$RescueTails
https://cash.app/$RescueTails
💰 Zeffy No fee for nonprofits
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/rescue-tails-medical-fund
With Everything I Had,
Michelle Lynne
Founder/Director
