A Day for the Record Books

You know you have those days where you are just flying on cloud nine, today was one of those days and boy did I need it after yesterday. Coming into work today I had that thing hanging over me from yesterday that just made me feel like crap. All I could do this morning was throw on my headphones and scrub the bad feelings away.

Once I was done it was on to the usual and then a surprising showing right when we opened. The young woman and her two sons wanted to see a little white spaniel mix that had been at the shelter for over two months. The reason the little guy has been here so long is he is basically a spaz. From food and toy guarding issues to not getting along with other dogs we were all beginning to wonder what kind of home this guy could go to. I read over the adopter's profile and saw that they were looking for a mellow dog that could get along with their own pet who was a 100 pound mutt. I explained to them that the shelter dog they were looking at has A LOT of energy and really has only gotten along with one dog while at the humane society. A little turned off they still wanted to see him. And just so everyone knows, I am not trying to steer people away from the troubled guys, I just want them to be completely prepared so they know what they are getting themselves into.

When we went into the show yard the family seemed immediately pleased with the rambunctious little guy. They were playing fetch and comparing him to a former dog the family once had. I went over some "specific problems" that the animal had and went through his medical history as well. Once I saw them playing I decided to leave them alone for a while to play with him on their own. When I came back they were hooked, it was now time to grab another staff member to do an interaction with what could be a big brother for our little shelter dog. Our introduction consisted of walking the dogs on leash past each other and progressed to walking the dogs side by side. Everything seemed OK and we decided to put them in a yard together. After a whole lot of sniffing and little pees the dogs seemed to ignore each other. Then finally, our little spaz spaniel did a play bow and it was on from there. The family thought it was a great fit and decided to adopt. I told them to head to the office and finish all of the paperwork while I bring the dog around. It was a great feeling to know that not only is our little guy going home he is going to have a big brother to keep him company.

Amidst all of this one of the second chance dogs also got adopted to a great family. He does have to stay in the shelter a while longer until he gets neutered but after that he can go home as well. Oh, and did I mention, the dog that almost got adopted yesterday went home today too. Talk about a great feeling. Three of our dogs, two of them long term attendees, got to find their forever homes today. It is such an amazing feeling to find these guys their homes and I am truly experiencing the rewards of working here.

Of course with the good comes the bad. While I was eating my lunch we got a call from a concerned citizen that was chasing after a stray just a block away from the shelter. Like some sort of crime fighting force we all jumped in the shelter truck with paw prints all over it and sped to the rescue. The problem was there are some animals that just don't want to be caught and this little guy was one of them. We tried everything from throwing the remainder of my pb and j at him to cornering him. He was just to frightened and had the speed of a greyhound. It's one of those sad instances that all you can do is hope that he finds his home and doesn't get hurt.

Even with not being able to catch the stray, today was an unbelievable day. After the crap I had yesterday with the depressing euthanasia the adoptions we had today was exactly what I needed. Even though there is an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and happiness there is also one of fear. It is always on my mind, after witnessing it happen, is what if the dogs come back? All I can do is hope they won't but that really does scare me to think that their new families might not work out and they would have to come back to the shelter. Oh well, can't think about the "what ifs?" in life and just take it for what it is...an unbelievable day that I can take home and feel some accomplishment.