New Staff Member and Still Short Handed

You know your day is going well when as soon as you walk in the door someone asks if you can do them a favor. Not that I mind, but you know that today is going to be a little different. With a new staff member and today being Saturday I was curious to see what the trainging would be like. Of course since we were short handed I was still asked to do the grunt work since there was no one there to explain exactly what do do when it comes to disenfecting. Off of the tangents and back to the "favor", it was to disinfect the East and West kennels because no one else could do it. This was new to me since I had always worked with someone else on Saturday morning cleanings.

So after a two and half hour upper body workout I took care of the morning feedings. A few special diets that included some food for dogs with allergies and of course some diet food for an overweight dog that needs to lose about 20 pounds. After this I went to start the laundry but learned the new girl had already done it. I thought we were short handed today but there are definitely some very hard workers here.

Speaking of laundry, I think this is the first time, even in my volunteer days, that I have ever seen all of it caught up. After a quick break we all got some disheartening news. Another one of the adopted dogs, Buddy, was returned to the shelter. Like I said last week, I'm sure people have their reasons but it still makes me a little upset at them. Apparently the dog was very loud when left outside while the owners were at work. Just goes to show that many dogs, no matter what thier size, still want to be inside. The staff evaluted the situation and decided that they would adopt to the individual again but only if an outdoor dog comes around.

With a quick lunch of some leftover Mexican food it was back to work. With the new girl staying on top the daily doings I almost felt like I was slacking. That's when I decided to jump ahead on the schedule. Usually I would do anything to not pick up the poo buckets but since just about everything else had been done already I decided to get it done. With all of the buckets changed I got a call over the radio asking for some help in the dog park.

Apparently anyone that has been a grunt in the Marines is basically a Jack of all Trades when it comes to working at a dog kennel. First I was asked to fill some pretty large holes that some dogs had made. It kind of amazes me how some people that were out there really do think they are better than you. As soon as I filled the hole there was someone else saying there was another one to be filled. All I wanted to say was you do it and keep your damn dog from digging another one. Right when I finished and headed back to the office I got another call that there was a swarm of bees at the park. Me being the grunt I was sent to "evaluate" the situation. With a beach ball size group of bees I told the staff we should shut down the park and take care of the bees. Problem solved, on to the next adventure.

The rest of the day was pretty business as usual, aside from the fact that we were always ahead of schedule which is pretty unusual for a Saturday. I guess it really was slow in showings and adoptions, until the late afternoon. That's when the rush came in. We had one adoption and the possiblity of two more. One of which is a dog that the entire staff and then some have been working with for about a month. This is the dog that was about two minutes away from being euthanised and got a reprieve. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best with this one because this dog needs to get out of the shelter soon.

Overall it seemed like today was really a slower Saturday than usual. Of course there where the unusual differences and there were the ups and downs. With dogs being returned and random jobs popping up here and there it really seems like there is rarely a dull moment. All I know is I am glad we have a new staff member that isn't afraid to get dirty and I hope tomorow when I go in there will be some good news about a dog getting adopted and making a family happy just becuase someone stepped in and kept her from being put down. Shows what a little extra work and traing, and of course the compassion of others can actually save a life.