Always something new

It's amazing after being off for three days what new things you can come back to at a shelter. Everything from new animals to rearranging where pretty much everyone lives. Of course it takes a little refresher course to realize where everyone is at and who is and who isn't currently available for adoption. I did learn that our little friend Kazi that I did a showing with last week did get adopted to the woman I introduced him too. It put a smile on my face thinking about how each of them would help each other out in life.

When I left last week we had one dog in ISO for kennel cough, when I returned today there were a total four dogs, one cat, and one rabbit in the isolation unit. It turns out now three dogs are sick with kennel cough and one dog is there on bite quarantine. The one dog that bit was really a sweet dog that had been recently relinquished but did bite pretty much unprovoked. I can't get over though that people allow not only themselves to stick their hands in the kennels but you also see their very young children doing the same thing. At least twice a day I tell people not to pet the animals through the fence but not two minutes later there is someone doing the exact same thing. Now you can actually see the result, someone getting hurt and a dog that is forced to live in a solitary kennel away from the public for ten days that usually ends in a pretty bad outcome. I am truly astonished that people have no idea that dogs CAN bite and how individuals allow their small children to be put in harms way.

Now onto the day. Of course lots of cleaning and once that was done it was time for the doors to open. For a Sunday I have to mention that it was rather slow. We did have a few showings but no dog adoptions. There were however three cats that got to go home early on in the day that was great to see. Two of the cats were a bonded pair that had been in the shelter for over a month so everyone had a smile on their faces when they got to go home. The other cat was what I like to call a super heavy weight. He was a relinquishment that came into the shelter some time back tipping the scales at like 25 pounds. Hopefully his new home will be a little more strict on his feeding than his last family.

Aside from a few showings, today was pretty routine. I did get an update on our hound friend Liza that has been living on foster and will continue to do so until she is adopted. The first week she was at her foster home was a tough one. You always want to see a dog open up but of course those first days are incredibly stressful and the dogs cortisol levels are usually off the chart but after a few weeks she seems to have settled in. She is still fearful of people on T.V. and is cautious of any sudden movements but she is apparently sleeping inside on the couch now and playing with the other dogs in her company. Here is a video that is sure to make you smile that the wonderful foster mother made of Liza in action.

Later in the day I did have a two more showings. Unfortunately none of them were that perfect fit. There was one though that might pan out in the new few days. It was with a woman that has an English bulldog at home with several cats as well. She was looking at a second dog and there were several that fit into her animal loving home. She ended up liking two dogs, Sara and Shyla, but we not only had to do an into with her dog but also cat test them as well. Turns out both dogs seem alright with cats so it is going to boil down to what dogs gets along better with the potential adopter's animal. Hopefully we find a good fit and can send home another animal in the next few days.

In closing I just want to thank everyone for reading and of course leaving their feedback which has been truly helpful. I look forward to reading your comments and sharing you thoughts. Remember that everyone can do their part to help out with the over population of animals in this country. If we all do our part we can truly make a difference.