Back to normal

Well, my solidarity towards the Mississippi dogs has come to an end. Today I was back to handling our other animals and couldn't even touch the new guys because of the fear of cross contamination. The good part is, I actually get to spend some time with some guys that I have really grown attached to.

I started the day a little different since I was assigned to clean the cats this morning. Luckily the air system is working well and my allergies didn't get to me too bad. I do have to say though there are a lot of cats! It may not seem like a lot but when you have to feed, clean, and care for about 40 cats it takes up a little of your time. I'm just glad that all of them went in their boxes this time and I didn't have to worry about breaking out the rubber gloves. There was one though that seemed to have thrown up his special duck and pea diet which was quite a pretty picture. The kittens hands down are always the most enjoyable to deal with though. We do have a couple that have a cold but hopefully they will all be medically released soon so we can get them into a loving home.

After the cats I noticed that the rabbitat hadn't been started yet so I got on it. While I was cleaning, another staff member had finished up their tasks and joined in the fun. Right while I was finishing though I was informed that we had an all staff meeting. I'm not going to lie, it was the same old same old with a little added fun of a bank coming in trying to stir up some business. The sweet thing was there were some nice donuts we all dug into.

Once the garbage was piled up (still can't take it out because the dumpster is overflowing) and the laundry started it was time to asses the day. I gave our behaviorist a break down on what I experienced with the Mississippi dogs the last three days since I had spent so much time with them so hopefully that helped. I do have to say that I missed spending some time with the stinky little guys.

Since it was a slow day I got to hang out and give some love to a lot of guys I haven't been able to touch the last few days. We even have some new puppies which are super fun to hang out with. There are four of them and their mother, we're calling them shephard mixes and in a few weeks when they are available I am sure they will find homes very quickly. Here is a picture of one of the little guys, sorry for the blurriness, it's tough to get a puppy to stand still.


While I was hanging out with the little guys I got a call to do a showing with a little chihuahua mix that was relinquished this past week. He is a funny little guy that is a little shy at first but once he gets to know you he is a trip. He actually will bring his better over to your lap and start to hump it. I didn't open with this in the showing but it was certainly discussed if they took him home and he proceeded to do the same thing. The possible adopters were a perfect fit. They actually still have a dog that they had adopted from us about three years ago and it was good to see them come back. The showing went well and the next step was to do an interaction. It went alright but the couple wanted to think about it. Hopefully they take their time and truly think it over because it is always a big commitment when getting a new pet. I'll keep you updated if they come back.

Later on I found out that one of the kennel staff members found a little kangaroo mouse on their desk. You could tell he was a little sick and we expected he might have gotten into one of the poisen boxes that are located around the shelter. She cared for the little guy very well and even got a cage for him with fresh food, water, and even a running wheel. He seemed to be doing fine and running along but later in the day we went into the office and noticed that he had passed on. It wasn't a total shock but it was very sad to see. He was given a nice burial and hopefully he had a good life. Does make me think about the poisen boxes and the actual purpose of them.

The last bit of good news on my Friday is that volunteers can now go and spend time with all of the Mississippi dogs. The staff has certain precautions still in place to thwart the spread of disease but I am glad that these little guys can get some more human contact and quite time. For now the majority of the volunteers aren't taking them to any yards but rather spending some time sitting in their kennels with them. I hope they are doing well and I can't wait until they are available so we can make this tough journey that they have been through worth while.