Catching up

It really is amazing to be away for three days and see the changes that have taken place while I was off. Today was no different from new dogs to new procedures. I have to say sometimes it is a little tough trying to learn everything in the amount of time that I have. The sad part was the new dog that I really wanted to be there wasn't. If you remember reading a few blogs back I had discussed about a sweet little chihuahua mix at a county shelter that we were going to go visit and possibly give a second chance. Well, our behavior therapist went down to evaluate her and felt she wasn't the best fit for the shelter. I completely prepared myself for this and understood it none the less but it was still difficult not to be able to help her, but at least I gave it a try.

Moving on with the day I started my cleaning routine in the cattery. It's amusing at the order you have to clean the rooms and the signs that are posted on their doors telling all of the visitors to visit this room last or this room after that room to try and cross contaminate as little as possible. Colds really do spread fast between these cats. Anyways, cleaning of my feline friends went pretty fast today and once all of the rooms from the kittery to ISO were taken care of I went to check and see if anyone else needed any help. I was a little surprised to see that most everything had been done so I took out the garbage and started the laundry. Wow, it was nice to start my week with almost no laundry backed up, a sight that I have only seen at the shelter maybe twice.

Once I got a good look at the dogs I noticed that we had about four new ones that all were relinquishments. I always say that this isn't a good thing but at least we have a full history on the dogs and their medical and behavioral issues. They all seem very friendly albeit a little nervous so hopefully we can get them out of the shelter sooner than later.

Early on there was a quick adoption with a dog named Wylie. He was a second chance dog from another county shelter who had a few issues that made us wait for the perfect home to adopt him. He was so petite and fragile that we didn't want to send him home with very young children and also because he has some issues with his ears. Well, that perfect family finnally came along and decided he was the dog for them. Always great to find a home for these animals, makes it all worth while.

My first showing was with a young couple that absolutely fell in love with Cinderella, the French/English bulldog mix. Everything seemed good on their profile so we did the interaction. They were really surprised at her playfullnes, great temperment, and overall freindlyness. I did discuss a few things, one major thing being Cinderella's skin condition. I exlained how we have her on special vitamins and use a special shampoo to bathe her to cut out all possible allergies that could be the cause. They understood and after a long discussion decided to adopt. The couple even said that they would bring her back to visit which was good to hear. I do hope that I explained enough the commitment owning an animal is and that they understand that the reward is far greater than the work.

When I went back to the office to tell everyone she had been adopted (she was a staff favorite) I found out that another dog was being relinqueshed. This time it was a four month old boxer/dane puppy named Lucy. She is absolutely adorable and her temperment sweet so we decided to take her. Once we got a kennel set up and got her settled in we learned that she won't be here for long once we get her evaluated from the amount of inquiries that we got from potential adopters. Here is a picture of the little girl (really not so little though).

This job is always nice to come back to after some well deserved time off but I have to say that it is probably one of the toughest jobs I have ever had. The emotional rollercoaster that is an animal shelter has its highs and lows but dealing with it all can be difficult at times. I try to bury myself as much as possible in the maitenece of it all and of course the adoptions but there are those times that you have to deal with the depressing stuff. All anyone can ask for is that the good times out weigh the bad and we as a shelter can help as many animals as humanly possible. Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments.