Garnett Rogers "Small Victory"

This week our guest blogger is Scott Lajoie, who has substituted for me before as editor of Cape Cod Magazine. Now a writer with the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Yarmouth Port, Scott is writing about songs addressing animal welfare issues of today. 

The first time I ever heard this song, I became very emotional. Okay, I’ll say it: I cried a little.

I saw Garnett Rogers perform here on Cape Cod six or seven years ago. He put on a great show with a lot of moving songs. But this one stood out. I was amazed by his fingerpicking. I engaged with the lyrics from the first word. I related to the characters, even the friend “who turned to me and said, ‘you’re soft-headed, I can tell.”

The act of saving this horse makes for a great story, and the twist made me smile. (Is it a twist, or do you see it coming a mile away? Frankly, it doesn’t matter to me, even after I have hear it dozens of times.)

There are many stories like these. Right here on Cape Cod, a girl named Brittany Wallace had parted ways with her horse and then some time later found it online, up for auction where allegedly people buy horses for their meat (I wrote about her in Cape Cod Magazine’s “People to Watch” this year). Scribbles is now safely back with Wallace, but how many other horses face this fate?

I love what Rogers says about helping as an “impulse” in the intro of the video here. But a lot of us won’t find ourselves at a horse auction anytime soon and thus don’t know how we can make a difference. We feel helpless.

We shouldn’t have to. There are plenty of organizations that address the many animal welfare problems that exist worldwide. Although IFAW does not count horse rescue among its repertoire services, you can Google ‘horse rescue’ for a listing of places near you that could use some assistance. Of course, there is always the Humane Society and the ASPCA, too.

While some organizations strive for action on larger picture issues—preserving habitat, endangered species listings, cruelty legislation, etc.—many realize the importance of saving one animal at a time. It’s costly. But it’s worth it because it’s the right thing to do.

Do your research. Learn about how these non-profits operate. Find work that inspires you. And pledge your support.

You could be the one who helps make “one more small victory.”


Hear the song on Youtube.