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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Getting to know the new guys, and of course more poo than you can ever imagine

Today was a little different, with all of the rain we had to work things a little differently when it came to taking dogs out. Typically we get all of the dogs out at once, clean out the kennels, lay down food, and then bring the dogs back up, however with fewer yards to use it was more staggered today. You wish that you could get the little guys out as quickly as possible, but with so few covered yards that can be difficult. You basically have to pick and choose who goes out first while the others wait. You think that it might be a tough decision but all you really have to do is let the ones out that didn't poop in their kennel last night.

After all of the guys got out that held it last night I got to work. I tried getting everything done as quickly as possible because as I was cleaning all I could see was the looks of despair on all of the other dogs that were still waiting their turn. Not sure if it was the long wait for the guys or what, but for some reason there was more poo than any other day. I have to say I think I am loosing my sense of smell because it really wasn't to bad, wow, did I just write that? Anyways, I got the first half done and cycled in the others once the yards were empty. I was surprised that it all got done rather quickly but I would have still like the guys to all get out at once.

With time to spare I headed over to the rabbitat where once again we had a volunteer helping out by taking the rabbits to their play yard. It really is amazing how much faster you can change everything out in their beds when there isn't a bunnie there to work around. As always, I have to thank the volunteers for the role that they play at the shelter.

After all of the cleaning and daily chores I got a call over the radio about some people waiting on hold to ask some questions about some animals. The questions ranged from adoption fees to animal behaviors and tendencies. I am always hesitant to answer these questions because you never want to waste a person's time if they aren't qualified to adopt in the first place. In any case, I go over the details of our processes and try to answer every question possible without guaranteeing them that they can adopt, it really is a tightrope walk sometimes.

Once all the busy work had been done I finally got to go over and check out the new guys. Of course the first thing I see is one of the little ones chomping down on a big piece of freshly laid you know what. Luckily I was able to clean it up before he could finish it, poor guy, probably just nervous. Anyways, I soon learned that a few had some issues, ether on leash or when it came to food. They seemed fine with humans but definitely had some issues with the other dogs. I do have to say though that when it comes to humans all of these little guys are incredibly friendly. I have no doubt that when they become available for adoption they won't be here long.

When it comes to showings this week it seems that they are all pretty much the same. I have had a few denials but for the most part I have had pretty much perfect households looking for a new pet. Even with all of the great families though I still haven't had an adoption. It seems that people are taking their time with the process to make sure that the animal that they choose is absolutely the right one. I know that this is what I preach but I still wouldn't mind seeing an adoption or two.

To close out the day we got one more new dog in. She is a lab mix that was brought to us originally as a stray. The staff absolutely fell in love with her but because we are private we had to bring her to a county shelter. After the alloted time however we found out that she wasn't claimed and one of our staff members got her to give her a "second chance". I think she will do very well here and hopefully find her forever home very soon.

Thanks for reading everyone and I look forward to your comments, and me being me, I would love to have you follow us on google or facebook if you aren't already are.

1 comment:

  1. It has been a while since I last read your blog. It is as good as I remember! I have been to the shelter and it is great. The animals - all of them - are so well taken care of. They certainly are lucky to have volunteers and paid workers, like you, to look after them. Funny thing, when you visit your shelter you never realize the work that goes on behind the scenes. Not just the work but the love that it takes to make things run smoothly. Makes you realize the difference just a few people working for a good cause can make. Thanks for doing the work of many!

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