My daughter the SAR

My youngest daughter loves to shop. (A girl after my heart!) I love to have her as my little shopping buddy...she's a big help and always has a cheerful attitude. There's just one problem---Izzi is a SAR (Stuffed Animal Rescuer) and she take her job very seriously. She told me last week that she can hardly stand to be around the stuffed animals in the store because they are begging her to save them (in voices too high to hear by adults). "Rescue me! Save me! Love me! Take me home!" Yes, she can hardly bear to be around them, and yet that area of the store draws her as if they were pulling her with invisible strings. If there are stuffed animals in a store, she just sits down in front of the display and carefully chooses which one (or two or more) animals she will ask me to buy. If I do, she will carefully cradle it, stroking and talking to it softly. The way home from the store is precious as she tenderly cares for her new pet. They are very real to her. And it's not like she ever forgets about them. She gets babysitters for all of her animals when she leaves, she feeds them, reads to them, puts them tenderly to bed. Years later she still remembers their birthdays and when and where she rescued them. She seems to have the capacity in her heart for unlimited pets. She builds individual homes for them from shoe-boxes, carefully designing the construction paper decor to suit their needs. She never forgets any of their names. She is precious with them.

Now all of this would not be a problem except that I DON'T WANT 100 OR MORE STUFFED ANIMALS AND THEIR HOMES IN HER ROOM!!! And I feel like the bad guy when I turn down her requests to help her rescue one. (Which is most of the time.)