Sophie's Choice

If you're not familiar with the movie, basically a mother has to make the choice between which of her two children will be sent to a Nazi concentration camp and which one spared - if she refuses to choose they will both be killed. That's the way it is for all of us with rescues. These are new ones at the beach, including a horse. Along with Stephanie, Gina, Diana and Clyde who have been there for a while, we have to make the horrible choice of who to save and who to leave there to suffer a potentially horrible fate. And we have all dealt with that moment of finally being able to rescue a particular animal and finding that it has died or been killed and that we are too late. Because of the irresponsibility and even cruelty of so many people, those of us with the tenderest of hearts are the ones who have to deal with these dreadful, severely depressing issues. It makes us all angry and spiteful and hardens our hearts towards people (speaking for myself, of course).