Without the Tough Days there Wouldn't be the Easy Ones

Business as usual, sign up for a certain area of kennels and get to work bringing the dogs down to the runs for their morning potty breaks. You should always get the ones that held it all night out first and the ones that couldn't last. Except when one is 80 pounds and has diarrhea and proceeds to jump in it and spread it six feet up every wall in their kennel. It's tough to explain what it looked like so just Google Jackson Pollack and you can get an idea. And that was how my day started. I thought about putting some Vick's vapor rub under my nose just to mask the smell but I got used to it.

After a good two hours of scrubbing and sanitizing two or three times, the east and west kennels were clean. This might have gone faster but we had a kennel staff call in so it would essentially just be two and a half of us. I really don't mind when there is less of us (and it's not the weekend) because it really does make the day go by faster when you are busy.

Once I got the laundry started I soaked all of the dog dishes and went inside. I saw Hank, a dog that I had spent some time with at the shelter because he was stressed. I was happy to see him because I didn't have a chance to say goodbye when he got adopted yesterday. Bad news though, the idiot that adopted him had no idea what he was getting into by adopting a 50 pound dog and was returning him. It broke my heart to see him back at the shelter but hopefully the new adopter won't lie to the shelter and tell us he will be an indoor dog when they really plan on keeping him outdoors. There is a reason that our shelter has the policies that it does, to give our animals the best living situation that they can have and in turn make them great pets.

Same old stuff the rest of the day except for a few minor anomalies. One of our staff members had brought in their boxer mixes to play with a boxer/sharpei mix that is in the shelter. It was hilarious to watch these two go at it. I have never seen such agility from a 70 dog let alone two. They would literally box and do somersaults and spins all over the yard. It is always nice when you can actually see a dog smiling.

After the play date I turned my attention to the cattery where I was assigned with washing the outside windows. I'm not going to lie, I thought it was going to take a while and I would have some time to jam to my music. In reality there was a squeegee that made the job very easy and quick. I was actually pretty surprised that they were as clean as they were to begin with.

Of course with two of the staff members leaving there was an issue today about schedules. Me being me I offered up my flexibility, as long as I still get my days with my fiancee. It's funny when you offer up any help that might make your life more difficult, people tend to help you more. It's kind of like scrubbing the worst mess everyday for a month and then other people feeling like they need to pitch in and you never have to do it again, at least for a while!

I always thought that people in general are patient, I was proven wrong today by yet another animal coming back into the shelter. Now I see why there are such stringent guidelines on getting our animals adopted. When we take care of them and love them they tend to become a large part in our lives, and of course, we want them to have the best possible home with the best owner. So when you go to your local shelter and you are turned away from a certain animal because criteria isn't met, just remember, we want the best for these guys and just because they weren't the right fit doesn't mean that the right one isn't out there.

A Different Kind of Day

Rather than starting my morning cleaning out the dog kennels I was assigned to the cattery. One reason for this is I wanted to get to know all of the animals that are in the shelter. Since I have been becoming a little more fond of cats I thought this would be a good way to learn their names and personalities. I learned fast that not all cats are friendly. The first cage I started cleaning I was swatted at by a long haired that really got some blood flowing on my hands. Like an idiot I went back in because it had to be cleaned and of course...got clawed at again. Not all the cats at the shelter are like this though. I was cleaning out another cage and a tiger striped short hair cat literally jumped on my back as I was bending over and started purring. It was a little frightening at first buy really funny once I found out I wasn't being attacked.

Another reason that I was cleaning the cattery and not the dogs was so that I could stay as clean as possible. I titled this blog a different kind of day because that is exactly what it was. There is a yearly event put on by some specific shelters, including ours, that is a contest for the ugliest dog. I got to be the lucky kennel staff that was assigned to work it because I am not yet qualified to do showings and adoptions. I was very fortunate to be the least qualified in the group because this was a fun event.

It started off with five dogs and myself being dropped off at the event. All the animals had adopt me vests and were ready for some publicity. The plan was to have some volunteers walk the dogs around and just get as many people as possible aware of the shelter and the great animals that are there. Little did I know that all of the animals and volunteers would be called up on stage one by one and need a little spiel about each one of them. Of course I was there so I got to take center stage and introduce all of the great dogs the shelter brought. Did I mention we dressed them up too? It ended up being great. I love being in front of a group of people with all of the attention on me, a little ego centric I know. I just wish I had had some time to prepare rather than just wing it. I do have to say I did get a few laughs.

After the introductions it was on to the contests. Everything from best St. Patrick's day costume, best mutt, most beautiful, ugliest, and a whole lot more. There was a category for everything and the shelter dogs participated as well. We didn't win anything but we did get a little more face time with the public. After all of this the dogs were getting pretty pooped and the volunteers decided to take the animals back to the shelter. Hopefully there would be some great adopters waiting for them.

Once the show was over I was the grunt when it came to taking down the shelter booth. Lugging dog toys, clothes, and leashes across the parking lot and putting them in the truck. I'm not complaining, it was a great workout but is was very tiring.

A great thing that I learned is a good portion of the money raised at the event would go to the shelter. Not only that, the booth that we had set up raised over 1000 dollars selling items that would directly go to the shelter. Overall everyone at the event was amazing, from the organizers, to the participants, and even the vendors. I look forward to next year and preparing a little better both for an impromptu speech and finding ways to promote the animals better.

Some Ups and Some Downs

Saturdays always start the same, the only variance is who I am going to be sanitizing the kennels with. Today it was with a guy named Jeremy. I had met him a couple of time before and knew that he was a Marine that will be deploying to Afghanistan within the next two months. It seemed that the cleaning flew by with the stories we shared about training and transitioning into civilian life. No matter how long ago anyone has been in the Marine corps it seems it is still the biggest frat in the world. It was a good start to the day getting someone's opinion on the war, politics, and why they were working at the shelter.

After cleaning I got some very disheartening news. Mandy, a one eyed dog that had been in the shelter for quite a while had been put down. I really wish I could have found out towards the end of the day just so I wouldn't have had to think about it every time I walked by the empty kennel. It's pretty simple, this is a no kill shelter, however when there are health or behavior issues and the animal is unadoptable there is the option of euthanasia. It turns out there were no medical problems with Mandy but she did show some aggression. She had started as a sweet and loving dog early on, but as time progressed the shelter environment wore her down. She began showing some signs of aggression towards other animals due to her new lack of depth perception. She was being worked with the last time I worked and always seemed very friendly towards humans. What I learned my first day back this week was that somehow she escaped from her kennel and when a volunteer walked by she attacked biting the person's leg and doing some serious damage. With that type of behavior and unpredictability there were no other options than to put her down. Really not a good way to start my day out.

After the emotions the crowd started arriving. I had almost forgotten it was Saturday and the busiest day of the week. I sat in on a few showings and tried picking up some tactful ways of asking people some pretty serious questions. One showing involved a Rat Terrier that was the sweetest dog but had been returned twice due to behavior issues. The new adopter was for warned and took at as the third time is the charm. She had a German Pointer and really wanted a smaller dog with the same energy level. It seemed like a perfect fit so our little friend hopefully found the right home this time.

Later in the day I was shadowing a showing for a kitten to two young adults that lived with their parents and about 20 other animals. On their paperwork that put the animal would be an indoor/outdoor cat. Unfortunately it is the shelter's policy not to allow kittens to live this way since they have no way of defending themselves. The staff member wanted to make sure that the people understood the question on the paper before telling them that we can't adopt to them. Of course they said they wanted what they put on the form and we informed them that we cannot adopt to them. I had almost forgot what maturity was when I saw a true lack of it. These people threw a hissyfit but we stood by our ground and apologized. It's good to see a place that stands by what they believe in rather than folding under the pressure to apease a client.

After this is was feeding time for the bottle fed kitten. This was my first time ever doing this. I held the little black 14 day old on my shoulder and put the tiny nipple in his mouth, boy was he hungry. After he finished I burped him and comforted him for a while. I was then taught how to make them go to the bathroom buy taking a cloth and rubbing those areas until it basically just falls out. Kind of an interested experience because I have never been fond of cats, but they are slowly growing on me.

During the usual aspects of the day, from doing laundry, picking up poo, and loving on some dogs, two strays had been brought in. Both were very good looking and healthy animals and one even had tags on him. We contacted the number and left a message, then of course we had to call county. The shelter is very specific about the animals it takes in. Since it is a private shelter it has the ability to do this, unfortunately the strays that do come in are transfered to county. Hopefully the owners will find their animals soon before they are adopted out.

Overall the ups and downs of this job are what make it interesting. Yes a great dog had to be put down but four more found thier forever homes. There is some hard work but the rewards are certainly fullfilling. I'm looking forward to tomorow and the Ugly Dog contest that I will be working as a representative from the Human Society.

It's Fun When You Know You Have the Next Three Days Off

What can I say, when you go to a job, no matter what it is, and you know that you have the next three days off your attitude is usually pretty good. With a smile on my face I attacked the East and West kennels where all of the new arrivals were. This was the first time I had done this area so I was a little apprehensive. As soon as I started I realized why I had been doing the South side my first two weeks...initiation. This new area, even thought there were more dogs, seemed to fly by with a whole lot less poop to pick up. Not sure if it was actually easier or I had a good attitude today compared to yesterday but overall I wasn't thrown by the grueling morning cleaning.

Today seemed a little different from most. It seemed that there was like double the staff that was usually on, and this was a Tuesday. Anyways, after cleaning up the kennels, getting the dogs fed, and bleaching the fake grass yards it was time to check out the new ASP dogs that were brought in during the night. I finally found out what the acronym stands for, Animal Safe house Program. The two guys were really cute but completely unnerved with their new situation. Both of them would bark and snap at whoever went in their kennel. If you were able to get close enough to give them a treat they still wouldn't give you the time of day. Finally I got their two bowls that they came in with, filled it with their usual food and entered the kennel. I guess the term don't bite the hand that feeds you really is true. These guys were my new best friends now, and yet still seemed to bark and bite at everyone else in the shelter.

After a load of laundry and switching out the propane to make sure everything actually got dried we got a call to come show an women her dogs that were brought in last night. I was there so I decided to walk over to where the little rascals were. The young women didn't know our procedures and just opened the kennel...bad idea. Even thought the dogs were looking at their mom they were still very nervous and before we knew it one had bolted. This little 15 pound thing was fast too. Without realizing it just about every gate in the entire place was left open, not sure why because it is never like that for this same reason. The guy made it through the laundry room, out the DB gate, past the cattery and on towards the main gate. All I know is skate shoes are not meant for running. Eventually I made it to the main gate and said a silent "Thank God" we didn't open until 11:30 today (the only day in the week we don't open at 11). It was 11:05 and the main gate was still closed so the ASP dog didn't make it out to the street and the owner was able to coax it back into her arms. A little excitement I haven't experienced yet and I would rather not like to experience again. We finally got the owner and her scared pets together in a quite area and gave her a radio and said for her to call us when she was ready to leave. We were prepared this time for any door dashers.

After the midday workout I went to check what needed to be done next. I was told to look at the new training manual (for dogs) and learn a few things I could practice on some of the more stressed dogs. I did my reading, got my clicker and treats and made my way back to a dog. I worked on sitting on the mat and "look at that" which really seemed to work. These two techniques are designed to calm the animals when there are stressful things going on around them or are just so anxious that their behavior becomes destructive.

At 3:00 I was introduced to a cat intake appointment. This is when someone is giving an animal to the shelter to find it a home. The standards are pretty strict from evaluating the behavior of the animal to its health. The animal I was helping with was a young 14 week old kitten. Everything seemed good so we went ahead and gave it some vaccinations, tested for cat leukemia, de-wormed, gave it advantage, and even micro chipped it. This was something that I had no idea the shelter did. Yet another way for lost animals to find their way home. The great part is, if you have a pet and want to get them chipped it is a mere 25 dollars to do so at the shelter. For anyone that hasn't gotten this done you are putting a lot of trust in a collar that could fall off.

Once the cat intake was done I was asked to help with a stray that was spotted outside of the shelter. I grabbed my radio and a handful of treats and made my way out. I saw the little Jack Russel out in the middle of the street and tried to get his attention. Of course the game is just beginning for him. As soon as he caught wind of me he took off through an apartment complex gate. I was lucky enough to catch a car going in so I didn't have to hop the fence. The bad part is I found that the complex was huge with lots of places to hide. By this point we had called all hands to come and help. I made my way through the complex and around a small park just when we were about to give up then I saw the person that I had followed in pointing me in the direction of the lost dog. As soon as I saw the puppy a women was grabbing him. It turns out the dog was hers and she had no idea that he was out. I wanted to scream at the women for not having a collar on her dog but I kept my cool and tactfully told her that it was illegal not to have a rabies collar on her animal. She looked at me with that dumb blank face and walked in her house. For all of you people out there that think their animal will never get out of your home please reconsider, not everyone in the world will send a team of crack dog chasers out after your pet. There are so many endings that can happen that aren't happy when you have no identifying tags or chips on your pet.

So I really got my workout in today. Running after door dashers and strays isn't really the way I would like to get my exercise but if there is a happy ending to it all I am content. The lesson of today for me is always have your pet's collars on them, no matter how safely "locked" up you think they are. And if you really want to be safe merely head down to your local shelter where 25 bucks can give you a nice sense of security by having your animal chipped.

One of those Days

Everyone gets "those days" every once in a while, I just didn't expect it so soon at the shelter. It really had nothing to do with anything except maybe the side of the bed that I had woken up on in the morning. I'll go into some more details a little later.

Business as usual in the morning, down as much coffee as possible and get to taking the dogs down to their runs. Starting with the ones that were able to hold it and working backwards to those that made the biggest messes. With some diet changes, those that couldn't really hold back in the diarrhea department seemed to be getting a better handle on it. Cleaning seemed to move pretty fast and once I got all of the feeding and special diets done it was time to move on to the cattery.

I found several people taking care of the cats, emptying out and replacing the litter, removing and replacing bedding, and feeding and watering. It seemed like everyone had it under control so I moved over to the isolation area where four cats were in some need. Of course these are the ones that might have some "behavioral" issues so I was told to keep my guard up. The cats seemed fine, I have to say I even enjoyed their company. One was trying to get her paw out of the cage to get my attention, not claw me, because she wanted to be petted. The one lesson I did learn here...be careful with the garbage bag full of litter and poo. One wrong snag and I left a trail about 50 feet long. Whoops, that took a while to get into the dustpan.

By this point I had a huge smile on my face...NOT! I went into the back and realized no one had taken out the garbage so I figured the sooner I get to it the sooner I can forget about it. Today it seemed like a slacker day but I still think it was just me waking up on the wrong side of the bed. As soon as I got the garbage out I proceeded to clean out the fake grass yards and spray them down with bleach (got to keep the flies down you know). After all of this I had to lay the guilt on the others that were playing on the computer. I know it wasn't the nicest thing to do but they got the hint.

After cleaning up the dog bowls and bleaching the rest of the yards, oh and of course doing some laundry we moved one of the new dogs to a bigger kennel because he has what is called happy tail. He basically gets so excited and wags his tail so much that he whacks it against the cement sides of his area and cuts the tip of his tail open. Poor guy, you feel horrible for him but he really doesn't seem to mind. I kind of picture this dog with a Gomer Pile voice just because no matter what his surroundings he just seems like a content and happy guy.

Following lunch we wanted to focus on a few dogs that were having a tough time in the shelter and starting to deteriorate a little. I don't want to go into to many details about this but just know that being in a shelter is one of the most stressful times a dog will ever face. The dogs that we were working with had shown some signs of aggression and also some aloofness as well. Our main goal was just to get them comfortable. Feeding them treats and introducing them to other dogs. This really helps in getting them comfortable with others and also taking their minds off of their surroundings.

When I was working with one in particular down in the far yards our lead trainer came back from her day trip picking up dogs from other shelters. Woo Hoo! 11 new arrivals that all seemed scared and yet happy to be out of the less fortunate shelters. Some were matted and others stank horribly and were shaking from fear. One was even running a temperature of 104. You feel horrible for these guys but then you realize that our shelter offers so much more than where they came from and a better oppurtunity to find them the perfect homes. Then of course you realize that of the 11 new dogs that we are able to help there are 11000 more that still need it. I know that it is a drop of water in the bucket, but we have to realize that the more people that help and get educated about the pet population the more water goes into the bucket.

I know I started to day on the wrong foot, but after a little sweat, some down time with the dogs, and a little self realization I went home with a smile on my face and an incling to hurry back in the morning. I might wake up on the wrong side of the bed sometimes but as long as I remember to go to bed on the right one it will be o. k..

More and More POOOOOO!

I always think when I start my day that the morning cleaning is going to be a breeze because that one dog that was always so messy has now found their forever home. I think the more that I hope that the worse that it gets. I did a walk through of the south side kennels that I had just sanitized the day before and found not only an extra dog that had been brought in during the night but about four kennels that were filled with some messy diarrhea. I don't mind cleaning it up, I just really feel bad for the poor dogs that have to spend the 15 hours in their kennels with it.

With a little time to spare with my cleaning I was able to take care of a few essentials for the day before the doors opened. We moved all of the dogs from one section to another to make room for a new batch of guys that will make their way into the shelter. This is a simple task of making sure the areas that the dogs are moving into are sanitized and have nice bedding, a few toys, and some water. Along with this we needed to set up a fence outside of one of the dogs kennels that has been showing some aggression towards certain males. Along with this we put a treat basket there to try to get the dog trusting everyone that comes up to him. Hopefully this will work because the dog is such a friendly and loving animal that is just so stressed out he acts a little weird around some people.

On to the cattery and scooping out some litter boxes. I won't go into much detail here but you can imagine. Man, this place really does have a smell of it's own. We made sure everyone was fed and had a clean bed and moved on. Thank goodness my allergies weren't acting up.

I found out the new dog wasn't really new but another return. A beautiful boy who I had rememberd spending some time with as a volunteer. I wish we had some land because I would take so many of these guys home. Anyways, it turns out the dog had some issues with eating. He had lost a lot of wheight and the owner, after two months, felt that she could not take care of him. Not that she didn't love him, she just did not want to see him deterioate. I put some sensitive stomach food down with him and he preceded to inhale it. I fed him two more times and he seems to be eating. Not sure what is going on with him but we have him on a medical hold until he can be evaluated. I hope he will be o. k. because he really is a wonderful animal.

Business as usual during the afternoon except for the fact that there was a birthday party being held for about 20 pre-teens and their parents. I had no idea that anyone would have a party at the humane society but what I learned about it all just added to the fact that this place is helping in more ways than I ever thought imaginable. The party was traditional with cake and games but also included a comprehensive tour and educational speech on why the shelter does what it does. Everything from neutering animals to bringing them off the street. I have to say, it is a cheap way not to have a bunch of kids tearing up your house for a birthday but it also educates them on the importance of animal shelters.

After a little bit of laundry, some speacial feedings, and some well deserved loving on the dogs it was time to train the young female that almost got put down. Pretty simple when you think about it. Just feed her full of treats when other dogs are tending to get her riled up. That and just keep her calm and try to wear her out on runs so she is to tired to jump around and jump on the fences.

Later in the day I learned how to bottle feed a kitten that didn't even have it's eyes open yet. I learned that it had been found on the side of the road wrapped in a blanket. It makes me woner how many more don't get found. Aside from getting peed on, the little guy was really cute and I'm looking forward to seeing him grow up a little and find a permanent home for him.

Well, today we had one adoption and one dog brought back. Not quite a perfect day but it will do. I learned that some animals might not find their forever homes on the first go round but we won't shy away from trying again...and again. I learn something new everyday and wonder in what other ways could this shelter be helping the community.

The Really Busy Day, Kind Of

Today started just like last Saturday, aside from the fact I had a clue of what I was going to be doing. That and the fact that there were a lot more people scheduled and willing to get their hands dirty with me.

On to the weekly sanitizing of the south side kennels. Usually it is the entire shelter but we will be doing the rest tomorrow. Me still being the new guy got to scrub the worst of it. I really don't mind though as long as I have the ipod in and some good tunes to work out to. That's pretty much what it is, a good solid work out. It did still take myself and one other person over two hours to sanitize about ten kennels if that can give you an idea of how much scrubbing is actually going on. I just hope I am not part of the same crew tomorrow.

Just as the doors opened for the shelter I was told that some of the staff would be attending a training course in animal aggression. The course would be taught by the staff trainer who seems to know what she is talking about. Caesar Milan, you need to listen to this women, maybe you could learn a thing or two. The class was intense and long, I did catch myself day dreaming a little, after all it was Saturday and beautiful out. After I got back into it I really did learn quite a bit. There were so many details about dog behavior that can really come in handy in helping those animals in this shelter. Being able to read the signs of aggression and catching them early you have a better chance of helping those animals become better pets. I do have to say I feel like a pretty bad pet owner after the class once I realized how much I spoil my dogs. Oh well, they are family.

After the extensive training course I was told to take a lunch, aside from some scrubbing I really feel lazy here today. Thank goodness my fiancee brought me in a sandwich when she was volunteering otherwise I wouldn't be eating, I am that kind of forgetful. After lunch it was business as usual, kind of. Did a little laundry and took some dogs down to their runs. I did have some great news and some not so great news once I came back. I noticed TWO dogs had been adopted which is always nice to see, but I also saw one brought back due to some aggressive behavior that just broke my heart. Hopefully we can evaluate her and see what went wrong.

Towards the end of the day I had some more good and bad news scenarios. I had learned that one of the dogs was supposed to be put down due to overwhelming aggression. The dog did have some kennel issues but when you got her on her own she did really well and was trained. With all of this and a foster parents help she got a reprieve and the staff is going to continue working with her. On a sadder note, one of the dogs in the shelter was euthanized while I was on my "weekend". The animal was very skittish and you could tell he was not a fan of humans. I really do feel bad for these animals, it is not their fault. That fact that they are pretty much socially created tells me that whoever handled this dog originally is to blame.

After all of the sadness you have to think about the guys that got adopted and found their forever home. That is what this is all about. Helping those animals find the perfect families that will take care of them for years to come. Yeah, there are some tough times, but without those times the good ones just wouldn't seem as good.

On another note, the staff member that started a week prior to me has gotten another job being an animal attendant at a very well known zoo. So congrats and I wish you luck. And wish me luck because now I am the only newbie that is sure to get lots of fun jobs in the weeks to come.