Pretty Productive

I definitely had a more positive attitude walking in to work today. Not sure if it was because we had a little extra help or what but today was different from the rest of my week. We began by scooping some poo, scrubbing down some kennels, making up some breakfasts, and bringing the dogs back up. There were so many staff members involved this morning that not only were we doubled up on the kennels but we even had someone start the rabbitat right at 8:45.

Once all of the dogs were up we headed over to the cattery. I headed over to the North side and got to it. Luckily there was some extra kitty littler that had been bought otherwise it might have gotten a little difficult in trying to find some. Before I knew it there was four people all busy at work making sure the cats got taken care of very quickly. On top of the cleaning and mopping there was a lot of rearranging that needed to be done. We moved the cats from our isolation unit into "general population", makes it sound like prison. After that we also had to prepare four more kennels for some new arrivals that were scheduled to be relinquished today.

Once the cats had been taken care of and the cattery mopped from corner to corner I was blown away at the fact that it was still nowhere near opening time. Luckily there was still plenty to do in terms of cleaning. Another staff member took the initiative and started cleaning out the yards and replacing the poo buckets, I made it there in time to help them finish it out and afterward took it all to the dumpster. It still surprises me how much poo can actually weigh, I would guess this weeks "load" topped the scales at about 50 pounds.

Once I brought the wagon back to the laundry room I was surprised to see that the place was on its way to being fixed. There was still a little work that needed to be done with the water heater but hopefully by tomorrow we won't have to send staff to the laundromat. There has been a positive to this whole laundry situation though, we decided since the entire place was empty it was time to do a little once in a decade cleaning. Not only did we clear out all of the crap that was in there but we bleached, disinfected, scrubbed, and hosed down the entire place. Yeah, it ended up smelling like a community swimming pool but trust me it is a lot better than it used to be.

Once I was finishing up cleaning I got a call to do a showing with a huskie mix. I look over the adopters profile and initially had some concerns. For one she was very young and the second was that she was a renter. Even with all of those "red flags" she seemed like she would be a very good fit for this animal. The problem is though that this dog has an energy level unlike any other at the shelter. Not only that, but when she is left alone she howls/screams for someone to come and get her. I told the young woman about all of the issues this dog has and that she should go home and research the breed. She thought that might be a good idea and sure enough, an hour later she returned to meet the dog. Now you might think that I don't want to get this dog adopted but that couldn't be farther from the truth. I merely want to find the best home not only for her but for the adopters as well. This is not a short term relationship and the better the match the better the life. Anyways, back to the story, she ended up loving the dog but she would still need rental agreement from her landlord along with a meet and greet with her sister who also lives with her. Hopefully it will all work out because I think aside from a few underlying factors our Huskie would have a great home if he was adopted by this woman.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We got all of the dogs down in their play groups. You can see two of them below after playing to their hearts content. It's great to see the dogs running around and truly having a good time. Some people say dogs don't smile but I might have to disagree after working here. While the dogs were in their groups we took care of all the closing duties from checking on the rabbits and cats, pouring fresh water for all of the dogs, doing the dishes, and cleaning around the shelter. Without even knowing it while I was doing some dishes I learned that our last little puppy had gotten adopted. It was great news since the little guy didn't have any more brothers to play with at the shelter, not to mention the last poop machine needs no more cleaning up after.


On a sadder note, there was a relinquishment today of a dog that had been adopted from the shelter about one month ago. She is a sweet sheepdog looking girl who apparently was too clingy. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard this. I am not going to judge or jump to any conclusions because I know that we will find her the perfect home. I am a little distraught over hearing that an animal was put back into a shelter because she followed around the owners everywhere. Hell, I wish my dog did that. Anyways, thanks for reading everyone and thanks for the comments. And remember, there are so many ways that you can help animals in need from volunteering at your local shelters, making donations, and yes, merely having your pet spayed or neutered. Thanks again for reading.