Time Flies When You're Too Busy To Look At Your Watch

Today was beginning to look like how yesterday started. The reason for this is because we were short handed yet again with only three kennel staff and only one able to do adoptions. We did have our head trainer who could do the showings but that still only left three of us for the daily duties.

I took on the job as usual of cleaning the East and West kennels. A lot quicker than yesterday since I had already taken care of the weekly sanitizing. The only downfall is I finished so quickly and there were so few people to take care of the rest of the cleaning I had to make sure the rabbits were taken care of. Now I'm not the biggest fan for two reasons. One of those reasons is there are about two of those little guys that just don't like people, in fact they usually bite. The have never broke the skin but it definitely gets your heart beating fast when they snap at you. Now the big reason I don't like taking care of the rabbits is because I am either allergic to their hay or them. When I say allergic it isn't a couple of sneezes but a full on downpour out of my nose. Needless to say I cleared my sinuses and got the job done.

While I was finishing up with the rabbits, the rest of the staff and some volunteers brought up the dogs from their morning breaks. Luckily, they did this just in time. As soon as all of the animals were in their heated kennels, it started to pour down rain. Not sure if I mentioned it but this is an open air human society. The dogs stay dry and warm but for us to get from one place to another usually means we are getting soaked to our underwear. I was actually enjoying the weather and thinking it was going to slow down business so our limited staff could handle it. Apparently on rainy days, everyone wants to go to the humane society and get a new dog. From the moment it stopped raining the whole day just seemed like a blur.

From dog introductions, to refusals, everything seemed to blend into one. The first thing I heard over the radio was to get a dog for an introduction. We went down to the yard and the two dogs seemed to put up with each other. I think it will usually take about 20 minutes for them to start playing but the amount of grass both of these guys were eating was telling me it wasn't going to happen. The owners of the dog said this is about the best reaction their pet will give to a dog so it might be a good fit after all. The shelter dog attempted to play but was very well mannered when the other didn't. The couple wanted to think about if the two would be a suitable pair and hopefully return tomorrow.

After the showing, I got a call that one of the adopters of the second chance dogs was here to visit them. The family adopted the little schnauzer mix but can't take him home until we clear him medically and have him neutered. It is always nice to see the smiles on faces that these dogs can bring, not to mention the smiles on the dog's face. I hope all of his medical stuff gets taken care of soon and the little guy can go to his forever home.

Quickly, I moved from one thing to the next. I took care of afternoon feedings and of course all of those special diets. That's when I was asked to help out with a refusal. This is not always an easy thing, in fact, it never is. Our adoption forms have some specific questions that will disqualify an adopter depending on how they answer it. One major answer that we noticed on this specific application was the dog would be outside the majority of the day and also sleep outside. We know that there are pets out there that this environment would be suitable for, but since we are a private shelter and hand pick our dogs, we choose the ones that are indoor dogs that require lots of human companionship. The gentleman of course wasn't the happiest camper out there but he understood and if a dog does come around that fits his needs we would be happy to call him.

With a quick load of laundry under my belt, it was time for an afternoon break for the dogs. I have to say, the two new guys that were relinquished yesterday are awesome dogs but are like alligators when you are trying to put their harnesses on. I mean these guys roll and jump and if you don't know what you're doing, you might get hurt or in my case, really really muddy.

During this time, there were yet more and more showings going on for all sorts of dogs. The end result was another four dogs and two kittens that found their new homes. It makes all of the hard times worth while when these animals, that have been here for some time, find the perfect family to take care of them. When we started bring the animals back up to their kennels, I recognized a man that had been shown one of the dogs about a month ago. He was back with his wife wanting to see him again. I know I know, it is surprising but the dog that he was looking at is still here trying to find his forever home. The man and wife loved the dog but still needed some time to think it over (hopefully not another month) and may return tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed.

Before I knew it the clock showed closing time. There was still a few odds and ends to take care of like locking up and administering some afternoon meds. This was the first day I was tasked with giving an insulin shot. I had seen it done several times before but this was the day that I would be doing it. The shot was to be given to a diabetic cat that has complete free reign of the medical offices. The cat has an interesting story...I'm saving for another day. Back to the shot, the cat was lounging and was seemed pretty used to the daily medication of insulin. I pulled up gently on the scruff and injected the small amount and that was it. Pretty simple and now I have learned something new. Always a good thing in life to experience something new in your day.

No matter how fast or how slow a day goes by is pretty much irrelevant. The things that I look to take away from any day is new experiences, taking care of animals, and seeing the animals that will put smiles on many faces in the future. You can't sweat the small stuff and realize that we as a whole want to make things better.

And the Race is On

I sometimes forget that my week always starts with a bang until it actually happens. Saturday started off as usual, a little shorthanded. I was given the task of sanitizing East and West side kennels same as last week but today I think there was about twice as many dogs occupying the space. I hate being off for a few days and then come back to work with so many owner relinquishment. It really seems that this is the month for those. An owner relinquishment is when an owner feels that they can no longer take care of the animal and at least have enough sense to take it to a shelter to find it a better home. The first time I heard of one of these I was so angry but after I opened my eyes I realized that sometimes it is the necessary thing to do. I can't look down on these people for giving up their pets because in most cases I don't know the full story.

Back to the cleaning, sorry for the tangent. With my sanitizing duties today I have to say it really does make the time go by fast. I throw on the headphones and think of it as a good three hour workout. The only problem is I don't look at the time until it is too late. The reason I say this is as I was rinsing out the final kennel I noticed some guests walking around, I thought "who the hell let them in early?" when I realized it was already 11. Time to get cracking, I still had to squeegee out the remaining eight kennels and get those animals fed and brought back up from their break. As soon as I went to get food and some special feedings for a puppy and another special needs dog one of the senior staff members asked me to do an interaction with a possible adopter and their dog.

From this point on I was no longer "in the zone" and always felt like I was playing catch up. I quickly got the dogs fed and luckily had the help of some volunteers to help bring up the remaining dogs. I quickly headed out to the front office to do the interaction with a little poodle and a basset hound. After some loud hound barks and some sniffing we decided to go to the yard. The dogs were a little tense at first with all of the smells that are always associated with the runs but eventually warmed up and started playing. That is when I knew the other staff member had it handled. I headed back to the office where it was time for "the jack of all trades" to do his thing. I am always surprised at how flexible you have to be at this job. Saying that It was time for me to do a volunteer orientation for cat and rabbit helpers.

I'm not going to lie, I like doing this. Having all eyes on me and coming to me for information makes me feel important rather than just a pooper scooper. I know that sounds pretty vain, which it is, but I have to be honest. The orientation was simple, I went over the rules of the cattery and rabbitat and explained why our shelter is different from the others. Little things like we won't adopt individual kittens, they have to go home in pairs and also we won't adopt them out to homes that want indoor/outdoor cats. We also went over each individual room in the catter from iso, to the regular kennels, and the indoor outdoor room. They all seemed pretty impressed with the operation and were eager to help. I truly do appreciate all of the volunteers that come to the shelter on their own time to really give that loving that these animals need. On days like today it really helps.

After my ego boost it was time for some more cleaning. I had to now disinfect the iso yards that had been occupied this past week. Once again not to tough of a job except for the fact I don't think this has been done for quite some time. At least now I can see a difference from the before and after the cleaning.

And then of course there is the never ending laundry. Thank goodness we have the new girl becuase she rocks in getting the every day duties done from crates, to dishes, to laundry. I hate to say it but when I see a load I can do now I jump at the oppurtunity because I know she will be in there shortly to get it done.

Asside from the cleaning I really do wish that I could do adoptions. It seems like they are piling up in the office due to the fact there is only two individuals qualified to do them today. I don't think there has been a day like today when everyone seems to be running around like a chicken with thier head cut off. Organized chaos is always fun to watch as an observer, just not to much when you are part of it. I have to give credit to the adopters though they sure know how to juggle and plow through the adoptions. It seemed like the dogs were finding homes left and right with some animals being listed because there were so many people vieing for them (usually the case with cute little puppies).

It seems like everything was caught up and we all had a short lunch when the next wave of adopters came in. It might have been hectic but these are the day I love. People coming in to the shelter looking for their right pet and willing to wait an hour in order to find a new best friend. That was when I was tasked with explaing to some possible adopters that the dog they were looking at just wasn't a right fit for them. The reason this is the situation is becuase the dog that they were looking at wouldn't have a yard to play in. This isn't necissarily a bad thing but unfortunately the animal isn't good on leash or around other animals. I know this for a fact becuase he is the guy I tried to foster but just didn't get along with my pets. Hopefully after some hard work we can get him a bit more socialized but moving into a home where his excersice will be primarily at a dog park might not be the best pet for this couple. They were understanding and wanted the right dog that would fit them, and trust me, if I thought it would have worked I would have sent the guy home the second, but the one thing we don't want is the animal to get returned and put back in this stressful situation. The couple went back outside to look around and of course they wanted the website to keep updated on any new animals that were coming in. They really seemed like a loving pair and I hope we can find them the right animal that will make everyone happy.

Giving the dogs their last break made me realize how fast the day went. With several adoptions and some new dogs arriving it is always a roller coaster ride of ups and downs of emotions. It is nice to see people so happy with their new pet and vice versa. I am aso happy to say that a dog that once got returned becuase he couldn't get along with other animals found a new friend in one of the relinquishments. It was awesome to see them playing for about 45 minutes straight. After we had brought them all back there was yet another relinquishment. At first I was furiated with the man for giving up his animals until I heard the story. It broke my heart to hear the situation that forced him to give up his best friends. I need to always remember that there is undoubtaly two sides to every story and never jump to conclusions or assume anything.

EBR

You may or may not know what the title of today's blog stands for but if you don't you will soon realize why I used the abbreviation. Getting on with the morning, the typical scrubbing and scooping ensued with some special attention paid to the new arrivals or "second chance" dogs on the west side kennels. It still amazes me that even in this stressful situation most of these animals are able to hold their potty breaks for a good 12 hours or more. It's funny because you really want to get the ones that didn't mess in their kennels out to the yards as quickly as possible. You always get a nice cardio jogging all of the animals down to their runs.

After the feedings and doing some quick laundry I decided to spend some time with the Chow mix that might not be with us much longer. He is such a sweet guy but he definitely has some behaviors that make me a little nervous. I still wish I could just run him off to a farm to run freely instead of being locked in a small isolation kennel. I did make sure that his meal was a good one rather than the usual dry kibble. After a little time giving some love it was time to get back to cleaning and me trying to keep my mind off the the lovable pup who seems to be barking at me every time I walk by.

I took a little initiative and started scrubbing all of the crates that were used to transport the new arrivals that were brought in yesterday. It isn't the worst job in the place but it isn't the best either. The task is basically sanitizing and drying about 30 good size cages and making sure they are ready for the next go round. About mid way through one of the senior kennel staff members asked me to help her with something. Me being the guy that wants to learn everything here jumped at the opportunity. We went back into the back office where a cute little black cat was meowing. I assumed it was an intake since we have quite a bit of space in our cattery. I was told to make sure the quite room (used to get animals into a stress free environment away from the stress) was empty. I was a little confused but still thought we were going to be making sure the cat wasn't psycho. When we entered the quite room I was told we were doing an EBR. I had a sinking feeling once I heard that. EBR stands for euthanasia by request. Basically when an animal is beyond repair and has had a good life they are given an injection that puts them to sleep, forever. If you can't handle this, skip the next paragraph.

The cat was 19 years old and the owner felt that it was time for them to move on. The animal wasn't going to the bathroom and seemed to be in pain so they decided to bring it to the shelter to be put down. The process wasn't that difficult to do but is was pretty tough to experience. I am not going to lie, this was very sad, and a little freaky at the same time. I think if I had blinked some tears might have come out. However, this is part of the job and part of life so I am glad I experienced it. I do know it was a little more bearable for the simple fact that the animal had a good life and I wasn't close to it. I'm sure it will be a different story when it is an in house dog but I will deal with that when the time comes.

With quite a bit of emotions brewing I decided to go back to cleaning and move on. That is when we heard two of the new dogs going at it in their kennels. The new guys really haven't been evaluated but this was some crazy rage that I haven't seen before. Luckily everyone at the shelter know that the quicker you separate them the better. The vet tech knew exactly how to separate them safely, a big bucket of water. I knew it worked for humans but it's good to put that knowledge in my bank for future uses.

After some hard core scrubbing I saw the med staff and asked when the neuter was. I was told that I would be sitting in on the operation so I would know what goes into it. Unfortunately they had forgotten to get me. I was a little upset that I was overlooked but kind of glad I didn't see the eight year old Schnauzer lose his manhood. It was kind of funny when the vet tech brought the surgery "remnants" over to me to look at since I missed the operation. I happily declined out of shear respect for the dog. At least it put a smile on my face after a tough day.

Closing on a good note, since today is my Friday, there was another dog intro close to closing time. It was with a little terrier mix that I like to call chicken wing. I gave him that name because one of his legs has an old healed break that doesn't hurt him but it sure does look funny. He was meeting a big lab mix for the second time to see if they got along. There was some butt sniffing and a little ignoring but about 15 minutes into they became best friends and went into to play mode. This is always great to see and the adopter agreed. The little guy not only found a new home but he got a big sister at the same time. At least there is some light at the end of today's tunnel.

This week was a bit of a rollercoaster but what in life isn't. The microcosm that is this shelter is such a vivid picture of life set to light speed. You see puppies coming in, dogs getting a second chance, dogs screwing up their third chance, and the life cycle ending. I have to go back to the Marine Corps saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

A Day With Emotions Bouncing Everywhere

Today I am not going to go into the whole this is what I cleaned because if you have read any other blog I have posted you would get a pretty good idea of what it was. Anyways, after the normal cleaning and feedings, and of course laundry, I was asked to help move some cabinets. I knew that I was the jack of all trades but moving 200 pound filing cabinets was even new to me. After a couple of scratches and bruises we got it done though. That is when I decided to spend some time with the pups.

There are two dogs in particular that I wanted to spend time with. One is a sweet little Terrier mix that just doesn't get along with other dogs. He loves people but if you put him with other animals it is either complete aggression or fear. He even has to go to his own private yard for potty breaks so he really gets no interaction. The other dog is a chow mix that was brought back a few days ago that is being kept in isolation. He is the guy that just craves some company and attention. He really is a good and innocent dog but when you try to leave his kennel he grabs on to your pant leg. I mentioned yesterday that he even bit one of the staff members and that is why he is in isolation.

When I was putting a harness on him I learned the bad news. It looks like he might not be with us that much longer. With the unpredictability, aggressive behavior, and what the former owner told us he might have to be put down. This is the toughest part about being here. Seeing the good side and the bad side of the dog and saying there really isn't anything wrong with him and yet you know that he just won't going make a good pet. I really do wish I had a bunch of land to take all of these animals to. It really does motivate me to open some sort of safe haven for the animals that aren't a threat, just are a little unpredictable.

Well, got to get over the sad stuff because there are a lot of other animals that need help in this shelter and even more that haven't yet arrived at the shelter. Speaking of more dogs, the shelter accepted four new puppies today, a mix of pit bull and Irish Terrier. Luckily one of the staff members is taking them home to foster them because the amount of poop those guys put out is insane. The good thing about puppies is though once you get them all updated on vaccinations and tests (about two weeks) they usually get adopted pretty fast. At least that's what I hope because it's tough to get them socialized when you have so many other dogs that need attention as well.

With a hectic day of cleaning and getting lots of new kennels ready for some new dogs arrival, I forgot to mention, our trainer went around the state to different shelters and rescued eight new dogs to bring to our shelter. This usually occurs every couple of weeks depending on how many adoptions we do. The new guys seemed really nervous about their new surroundings but I think in a couple of days they will be a little more comfortable.

So when it comes to getting new dogs at the shelter today was busy and exciting. With four new puppies and eight new shelter dogs the house is full. It is always nice to have a large selection of animals for adopters but I can't help to think about all of the work that goes into taking care of a large group of dogs. Hopefully all of the new arrivals aren't too sick and we can start adopting them out soon, otherwise, they will be on quarantine for a week or so.

After a busy day of dealing with emotions and a whole lot of manual labor it was time to see if I can help out that little terrier I talked about earlier. I decided to introduce my dogs to him and if they get along we would bring him home at night and give him a comfy bed to sleep in. We weren't going to foster him but really just wanted to socialize him a bit more. Unfortunately the energy of a Whippet and Italian Greyhound didn't mix well with a shelter dog that is already very nervous around other animals. The poor guy was terrified. My boys showed no aggression and you could tell they just wanted to play but the terrier was so under socialized he had no idea of my dog's intentions. I guess we will have to take it slow with him but I think with a little time he is going to make a great pet.

Right before it was time to leave the shelter got a call. It was the adopter of Sparky. The dog that had been returned once after about 18 hours at his new home. The woman spoke with our trainer for quite a while and without me getting to emotional when I think about this, would be bringing him back. The animal showed signs of aggression towards the vet and was very scared at any new environment the woman brought him to. I kind of got a feeling of not knowing the dog's intentions when I worked with him. It was one of those do you like me petting you or are you going to bite my hand off? The woman said she didn't feel safe around him. This is horrible news because the next step is euthanasia. It is a very sad thing but animals do digress in any shelter setting.

It doesn't matter what shelter an animal goes into. Of course some are more comfortable than others, but dogs should stay in that surrounding for as short of time as possible. In the few weeks I have been working here I have seen great animals become dangerous ones. It is very sad to watch but the stresses that are felt here I can't even imagine. I think the longer the dogs have been here the more work they need which in turn takes away from the dogs that haven't been here that long. It is almost a snowball effect on the psyche of the animals. I guess the best thing for me to do is realize that no all of the animals that are here are going to end up in a home and deal with it rather than dilude

Felt Like a Juggling Act

When you go into a day thinking it's going to be easy, you are usually wrong. At least that's how today panned out. I assumed since I had disinfected half the kennels yesterday that there would be no way that I would be involved with that part today. Well, when you're short handed and the only male working you usually end up doing the majority of the grunt work. Luckily there wasn't enough time to do all of the disinfecting but I still had a lot of area to cover. After everything had been cleaned it was time for some juggling.

All dogs that enter the shelter are kept on quarantine to make sure that any illnesses that are brought in can be contained to one area of the shelter. Today was the day that all of those animals were to be taken off of quarantine and moved into the "general population". The tough part is there are still some animals that are sick so they have to go into a certain area of the shelter but in some cases there are already dogs there. So for about an hour we moved and moved again and crossed our fingers there would be a lot of adoptions to free up some kennel space. The reason we don't just leave it the way it is is due to the fact that another group of animals will be heading into the shelter tomorrow afternoon.

Never assume anything, you think you have so many kennels and you get a curve ball thrown to you. A great dog got adopted yesterday to a very loving woman. It seemed like a perfect fit. The problem was the adopter apparently couldn't have a pet in her home. I don't quite understand this because we as a shelter require a rental agreement. Anyways, the little guy came back and we need to find him a home that sill work.

Of course we found some space, one reason was not a good one. One of the returned dogs who seems to be a door dasher tends to grab your pant leg when you are leaving the kennel. He really is a sweet dog that just wants some company but unfortunately he got a little more than a pant leg and broke the skin. In these cases the dog is sent to isolation to be evaluated in tested to see if they are adoptable. It is a sad situation but I can see why the policy is in place.

As a volunteer I never realized how many animals got returned. It is a sad situation but in reality I can think that it is only narrowing down what will be the perfect home for these animals. Even though some animals got returned there were several previous returns that found their forever homes today. One was a sweet little girl who is now going to have a brother and a sister to play with and keep her busy. The other went to a young female who was almost in tears she was so happy she found the right pet. Even though there are some tough times and I get a little pessimistic at the way some people treat their animals, there are always those moments that make you smile.

Business as usual as the day progressed, lots of cleaning and loving on some animals. I sat in on a few adoptions and got a sweet little dog ready to go home with his forever family. Oh yeah, the bees I mentioned yesterday that were at the dog park decided to leave right as I was walking outside. Luckily I had no idea what I was walking into other wise I know I would have freaked out. I literally walked right into the entire swarm while they were moving Northward. I guess I wasn't a threat and snuck back into the shelter.

I'm pretty sure the highlight of today was the information I got about an ASP dog that had been relinquished to the shelter. The young cattle dog mix went through a lot and was almost euthanized on several occasions. It has been the staff's mission to focus on her training and keeping her from digressing to fast. The problem isn't that no one will adopt her it's making sure that she goes to the right home. Well, I think they found it. She went from maybe adopted to this loving couple to 100% adopted. I am glad for more reasons than one that this happened, but aside from the obious, now we can focus on some of the other animals that need help.

Ups and downs are the game of life. Seeing it in this microcosm of an enviornment is pretty amazing. The immiediacy of good times related to bad is really like a roller coaster. I over heard today that there are four stages that a kennel worker goes through, kind of like when you have a death in the family. You deal with the lives and deaths of these animals and it does get hard. I just hope that the adoptions and smiles out weigh those harder times I don't like to mention.

New Staff Member and Still Short Handed

You know your day is going well when as soon as you walk in the door someone asks if you can do them a favor. Not that I mind, but you know that today is going to be a little different. With a new staff member and today being Saturday I was curious to see what the trainging would be like. Of course since we were short handed I was still asked to do the grunt work since there was no one there to explain exactly what do do when it comes to disenfecting. Off of the tangents and back to the "favor", it was to disinfect the East and West kennels because no one else could do it. This was new to me since I had always worked with someone else on Saturday morning cleanings.

So after a two and half hour upper body workout I took care of the morning feedings. A few special diets that included some food for dogs with allergies and of course some diet food for an overweight dog that needs to lose about 20 pounds. After this I went to start the laundry but learned the new girl had already done it. I thought we were short handed today but there are definitely some very hard workers here.

Speaking of laundry, I think this is the first time, even in my volunteer days, that I have ever seen all of it caught up. After a quick break we all got some disheartening news. Another one of the adopted dogs, Buddy, was returned to the shelter. Like I said last week, I'm sure people have their reasons but it still makes me a little upset at them. Apparently the dog was very loud when left outside while the owners were at work. Just goes to show that many dogs, no matter what thier size, still want to be inside. The staff evaluted the situation and decided that they would adopt to the individual again but only if an outdoor dog comes around.

With a quick lunch of some leftover Mexican food it was back to work. With the new girl staying on top the daily doings I almost felt like I was slacking. That's when I decided to jump ahead on the schedule. Usually I would do anything to not pick up the poo buckets but since just about everything else had been done already I decided to get it done. With all of the buckets changed I got a call over the radio asking for some help in the dog park.

Apparently anyone that has been a grunt in the Marines is basically a Jack of all Trades when it comes to working at a dog kennel. First I was asked to fill some pretty large holes that some dogs had made. It kind of amazes me how some people that were out there really do think they are better than you. As soon as I filled the hole there was someone else saying there was another one to be filled. All I wanted to say was you do it and keep your damn dog from digging another one. Right when I finished and headed back to the office I got another call that there was a swarm of bees at the park. Me being the grunt I was sent to "evaluate" the situation. With a beach ball size group of bees I told the staff we should shut down the park and take care of the bees. Problem solved, on to the next adventure.

The rest of the day was pretty business as usual, aside from the fact that we were always ahead of schedule which is pretty unusual for a Saturday. I guess it really was slow in showings and adoptions, until the late afternoon. That's when the rush came in. We had one adoption and the possiblity of two more. One of which is a dog that the entire staff and then some have been working with for about a month. This is the dog that was about two minutes away from being euthanised and got a reprieve. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best with this one because this dog needs to get out of the shelter soon.

Overall it seemed like today was really a slower Saturday than usual. Of course there where the unusual differences and there were the ups and downs. With dogs being returned and random jobs popping up here and there it really seems like there is rarely a dull moment. All I know is I am glad we have a new staff member that isn't afraid to get dirty and I hope tomorow when I go in there will be some good news about a dog getting adopted and making a family happy just becuase someone stepped in and kept her from being put down. Shows what a little extra work and traing, and of course the compassion of others can actually save a life.

Seemingly Uneventful Turns Eventful

Of course it was a coworkers last day and that is always something memorable. Especially when their new job is going to be taking care of one of the rarest animals on the planet, the Giant Panda. Business as usual, get to taking the animals down to their runs for their morning breaks and get to cleaning. Pretty normal beginnings with a little poop and a lot of scrubbing. After a quick feeding I headed over to the cattery to help out in there. Hopefully this time I won't get scratched to hell by some not so nice felines.

When I was finished with the cats I headed into the office and saw Sparky, a dog that I had been working with due to his nervousness in the shelter. The big surprise was that he was adopted less than 24 hours ago and his new owner was "returning" him. I have had my heart sink a couple of times at this job but not like this. I actually felt some hatred towards the man for bringing him back. It turns out that in his new home the dog was left outside and tore through a screen door. Now I can understand that this would make anyone upset but have some patience. I guess the man really didn't want a dog because guess what, no one is perfect and some training and patience is needed when adopting any animal. I'm trying to hold back some real nice words I have for this guy but you have to look on the lighter side. We got a better idea of what time of home Sparky is going to need and I get to work with him some more. I guess I need to stop thinking that everyone is going to take care of their animals the way the shelter staff does.

After working with Sparky for about half an hour I spoke with the medical staff about his return. I kind of took a step back and put myself in the new owners shoes. It's not an easy thing to do because I think I have tunnel vision when it comes to taking care of animals. There might have been some underlying reasons he came back but in reality I don't know the whole story so no grudges here.

Later in the day I was asked to help out with some "photos". A local paper is nice enough to come by the shelter every so often to photograph the adoptable animals and get them some more publicity in order to get them adopted. I think it is a great thing that so many people care. This has definitely been an eye opening day where I need to be a little bit more positive about the people that really run this shelter, the public.

Of course after all of this I was called to the front for a "DB". If you haven't read earlier that means dead body. He was an old yellow lab that had passed earlier in the day. It is always tough to deal with this but it is part of the job and at least this time I didn't have to see his face. I just wish there was something that I could tell the owner to make it easier, but there really isn't, they are loosing a member of their family.

Time ticked by, the school kids in the weekly community service class came by and helped out with laundry and dishes. We got all of the dogs out to their yards for their evening break. After we brought them back up we had a small rush of possible adopters. We usually stop showing at 4:00 but because we had taken care of all of the closing duties some of the staff went ahead and showed some animals. So, closing on some good news, one of our Chihuahua mixes who had been in the shelter for quite a while was adopted. He is going to a great family and is going to make an unbelievable pet.

I know that there are always going to be tough times in life. Dealing with those times and taking something from them is a big part of our lives. Today I learned that not everyone is the same when it comes to pets, and you have to respect that. There are a lot of things that I do that I am sure annoy a good amount of people, but guess what, that is who I am. All animals deserve the best home for them, it is our job to put as many of them there as we can.