sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!

After yesterday it seems like today was really a cake walk. The cleaning however did create a few problems. We were a little short handed but had some extra help come in to assist early in the morning but after we got done taking care of the dogs and getting them fed we realized that we were going to be very short on supplies for both the rabbits and the cats. It wasn't a huge problem but it did require a little juggling of hay, stay fresh bedding, and kitty litter. Once all of the cleaning and feedings had been done it was already half an hour after opening and it was time to get down to business.

It was really amazing to see how few dogs we actually had in the shelter now. During our morning cleaning we had rearranged them to get them centrally located as well as clearing out the West side kennels to make room for some more second chance dogs that are going to come in tomorrow. After the amount of animals that went home yesterday it was a wonder that we had any animals left at all. It is nice to just have some of the long term ones here and really nothing else because it does almost force people to notice them more. I guess it boils down to that old business model of supply and demand. I'm going to cross my fingers and hope that some more of those guys can go home before the new batch comes in.

Speaking of those long termers going home, the people that came to see our Boxer/Sharpei mix came back today with some more paperwork stating that their neutered dog was in actuality a show dog which gives us permission to adopt to them. I know, I know, we are so stringent on spaying and neutering in our policies and for good reasons but this is one of those situations that the rule is overlooked. In this instance I am glad it was too. Our little boy has finally found a home where he will have a little brother to play with and a family to love him. He has been at the shelter going on three months this go round and this has been his second stay here with us. All I can do is hope that the family works out and our little spaz of a dog is happy and well behaved.

After washing some dishes and attempting to catch up on the laundry (one of our all star staff members always seems to be on top of it when ever I go in there now) I was called for a showing with a cat. The family had already adopted one from us about three years ago and was looking for a third to come home with them. They were a lovely group of people with those heavy British accents that you just love to hear. They even said they were looking for a muggle, to my Harry Potter skills I knew they were looking for a mutt. The cat that they had initially wanted to look at was a fickle little girl that can get easily over stimulated and tend to bite. They noticed this very quickly when we went to visit but I wanted to show them some other friendlier cats before they left. Luckily they were already in the room and the family noticed them themselves. The children were quite hilarious trying to tell their "daddy" that this one was the perfect cat and we should get him. They continued on until the father decided it was time to think it over. Of course the mother was no help staying behind a few more minutes to love on the feline a little longer. I let them be and expected them to go home to think about it. I strolled back to the office to finish up on the profile when I was told that they were now looking at the dogs.

Before I knew it they had filled out another profile for dogs and wanted to see our little girl named Twiggy. She is a sweet timid little wire haired "muggle" that loves everyone. Before I showed the family I had to cat test the dog to make sure that it was even possible for this animal to go home to a family with cats. We did the quick interaction and the poor little terrier mix was more scared than anything else. After that it was decided to continue the showing and the family (aside from the father) absolutely loved the little girl. They loved her size, her temperament, and the fact that you could hold her on her back and she would fall asleep. The problem was that the dad was obviously knowing that he would be the one responsible for the animal even while the children were promising to walk her every day. They persisted for him to hold her and said but "she only weighs like one gram daddy" as I persisted in telling the family that it was a huge decision and they should do their research and think about it over night. Extremely long story made merely long, the family continued with some questions, left then came back again, the daughter cried a lot, and the father stood strong. They left without adopting and went home to think about it.

While this whole process was going on there were an old couple of dogs that had to be adopted together. In the time of my extensive showing they had been cat tested and adopted to a wonderful couple. After a few high fives and taking the remaining few dogs out for their afternoon break it was time to go home. Today was a little different in we had to think on our toes and adapt situationally. I will tell you I have been working on my British accent and I should be talking like it for at least two days sharing the showing with the rest of my coworkers.