It's been a while

You know, I love going on vacations but sometimes I wish that I could keep in the loop a little better when it comes to the shelter. Don't get me wrong, I do read my email updates and check the website for adoptions but if I was to surround myself with the shelter stuff it really wouldn't be a vacation. Anyhow, my first day back after almost a week off definitely took some getting used to.

The first thing I did when I got to the shelter was to check out the new relinquishment's. I figured since we had so many animals when I left, and a good portion of them being new ones, I would have a tough time figuring out who was actually adopted. Checking out the new dogs was a lot easier since I just had to look at their kennels and see a new arrival sheet. The recent additions to the shelter numbered only three which either means that there were fewer relinquishment's or just fewer that we felt would fit into the shelter. Anyways, the three that we have seem like they should find homes very quickly. Especially the four month old female boxer mix. As soon as you walk up to her she sits for you which means people usually pick up on that and that she at least has the basic skills down. The other two came in together. They are a little older and I think are about five. They seem to be adapting well to shelter life but you know that it has to be stressful. I just hope that they are adopted quickly enough so that I can't remember their names. That was something that I realized yesterday, it is a good thing if I don't recall the animal's names once they have been adopted for the simple fact that that means they weren't in the shelter very long.

Along with the new dogs, there was also a new cat that was coming in today. Everything seemed fine during intake including the behavior which is always the one that concerns us, that is until one of the tests came back. It turns out the cat had been adopted about a year and half ago from another shelter and the woman just didn't have time for it any more. Well, it turns out the cat hasn't been to the vet in a while ether and when we tested it for feline leukemia (FLV) the test came back positive. This is a very serious disease that spreads like wild fire so their was no way we could take in the animal. It was an unfortunate thing but I think our staff handled the problem very tactfully and kept it under control.

Moving on I learned that one of our newer staff members was going to be leaving us. Well, it was nice while it lasted. I have to say that having enough people to actually do a job is nice. I just hope that she will continue to volunteer at the shelter and get to stay involved in helping the animals.

Speaking of volunteering, I am always amazed at how much they contribute to the shelter. Just today I was washing some dishes and a volunteer walked up with a good size garbage bag full of cat poo. She said that the kittery was getting pretty stinky so she scooped all of the boxes and took out the trash. I graciously took the bag from her and told her how much we appreciate her help when she asked if I needed a hand with the dishes! Like I said, it never stops surprising me how much our volunteers help out this shelter.

In the middle of all of my cleaning I learned that our resident pit mix puppy was finally getting adopted. Not sure if it was the publicity she got at an event this past weekend but in any case we finally found her the right match for a home. She has certainly gotten better with our trainers working with her but the longer she was spending her the more downhill her behavior could go. I just hope it works out and this is her new forever home.

As I mentioned before, I have finally realized that it is a good thing that I don't remember an animal's name. The faster they are out of the shelter the better and the more we can save. And yes, that cat's eyes up top are always that big.