Animal rescue is supposed to be about compassion.
It’s about giving the abandoned a second chance, protecting the vulnerable, and standing in the gap for those who cannot speak for themselves. Yet, somewhere along the way, many of us have discovered a heartbreaking reality: sometimes the deepest wounds in rescue aren’t inflicted by the public; they’re inflicted by each other.
Recently, I learned something that stopped me in my tracks.
Someone who has been unkind to me in the rescue world was once treated the very same way when she first entered rescue. She was belittled, excluded, criticized, and made to feel like she didn’t belong.
It doesn’t excuse what she’s done.
But it does explain something important.
The Cycle of Hurt
There is an old saying: hurt people hurt people.
When someone enters rescue full of passion and hope, only to be met with gossip, gatekeeping, public humiliation, or relentless criticism, they face a choice.
They can become the person they needed.
Or they can become the person who hurt them.
Unfortunately, some choose the latter, not because they’re evil, but because pain has become their normal. Bullying becomes tradition. Cruelty becomes “just how rescue is.” New volunteers are expected to “earn their place” by surviving the same treatment.
That’s not leadership.
That’s trauma being passed from one generation to the next.
Compassion Without Excusing Behavior
Understanding someone’s wounds doesn’t mean accepting harmful behavior.
We can have compassion for what shaped a person while still holding healthy boundaries. We can pray for someone while refusing to participate in toxic dynamics.
Jesus modeled this perfectly.
He understood people’s brokenness, yet He never excused sin. He offered grace while calling people toward transformation.
That’s the balance we should seek.
Rescue Needs More Mentors and Fewer Gatekeepers
Imagine how different the rescue community could be if experienced rescuers welcomed newcomers instead of testing them.
What if questions were answered with patience instead of sarcasm?
What if mistakes became teaching moments instead of public humiliation?
What if success was celebrated instead of viewed as competition?
There are enough homeless animals to unite us. There is no reason for us to become one another’s greatest obstacle.
Choosing a Different Legacy
Every one of us has the opportunity to stop the cycle.
If you’ve been bullied, you don’t have to become a bully.
If you’ve been excluded, you don’t have to exclude others.
If you’ve been spoken to harshly, you can choose gentleness.
The greatest act of strength isn’t getting even.
It’s refusing to pass your pain on to someone else.
What Scripture Teaches
God has much to say about how we treat one another.
Ephesians 4:31–32
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Kindness isn’t weakness. It’s evidence of spiritual maturity.
Romans 12:18
“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
We cannot control another person’s actions, but we are responsible for our own.
Galatians 6:9
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
Rescue work is exhausting. Discouragement is real. But we must never allow exhaustion to become an excuse for treating others poorly.
Proverbs 15:1
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Words have the power to heal or to deepen wounds.
Micah 6:8
“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Justice and mercy belong together.
A Final Thought
The rescue community doesn’t need more fear.
It doesn’t need more gossip.
It doesn’t need more people keeping score.
It needs people willing to lead with humility, wisdom, accountability, and grace.
Perhaps the greatest rescue we can participate in isn’t only rescuing animals.
Perhaps it’s rescuing our culture from the belief that suffering gives us permission to make others suffer too.
The cycle ends when someone decides it ends.
May we be those people.
Paw Place Rescue inc. 