Better together

A young woman came into the shelter this afternoon to find her lost dogs. She found two out of three of them. We couldn't release them to her today but she asked us to place the two of them in the same pen. When we moved the puppy in with the older dog they were both so excited. The older one, who hadn't been eating, immediately started chowing down. She'll be back tomorrow to take them home. Yea!

We seem to have so many puppies right now you'd think it was springtime. Such little tiny things, they are so helpless. Thank goodness someone brought them in or called us to pick them up. With us they have a chance to get adopted.

Little Miracles

It's the little miracles that keep me going day-to-day, that make me smile in the car on the way home. There were three just today. The young, beautiful heeler mix that is in my office this week is learning to trust people. She has the most amazing markings but was so scared and timid. After two days in the office she is greeting visitors (if they're not too big and scary) and playing with toys. Whoever adopts this little girl is going to be so lucky.

The precious puppy in 409 is going to need surgery on her leg, a big responsibility for a new pet parent. Today someone called about her and is going to see her tomorrow - and she's a vet!

And a Mom with two delightful boys came looking for a new pet. The talked about what they were looking for, a puppy that would grow into a large dog. I mentioned the huge, yellow lab I had greeted each morning for the past week and how sweet he was. (I'm known for my weakness for Labs) After they came back up front I asked if they had chosen one - the boys said YES, THE WHITE LAB!

Each life that goes out to a new home or goes back to their own home is a victory - and a miracle.

A New Home

Our chocolate baby has a new home. A young couple adopted him this afternoon and I think will give him the love and attention he deserves. It is hard to see him go after two weeks of spending almost everyday with him but it will be so good for him.

the Corgi

Yeah! The sweet Corgi went home! It seemed we had many dogs and cats go to new homes today. We were busy from the time we opened this morning.

We also dealt with some individuals who couldn't, or wouldn't, understand that we can only do what the law allows us to do. The very ordinances that give us the power to take care of animals also restricts our ability to penalize those who don't care. Sometimes it's so frustrating.

Taking work home

It's Friday night and I've brought the office home with me. Joe has named the chocolate lab Coffee and tonight Coffee is lying next to my chaise sound asleep. After spending the week in my office around people it didn't seem fair to leave him for the weekend. Coffee and my two labs spent more than an hour sniffing, playing and settling down. All three have been asleep since.

We have finally had a sighting of the culprit responsible for destroying ceiling tiles in the utility room and the vet's office and a supervisor's office. We guessed a possum or raccoons. Well, this afternoon the vet walked by her office and glimpsed a grey and white cat going from her desk up into the ceiling! Now we know what to put in the trap so we can catch her and get her adopted out.

I came back from lunch today and looked down the hall of kennels where the puppies stay. There in the middle of the aisle was a tiny, tiny black puppy barking at the curtain that hangs halfway down. I put down my ice tea and went to catch him. He decided the game was on and took off down the aisle. I picked him up and then had to check with the clinic staff to find out which pen he had escaped from. He was placed back with his brothers and sisters - and had escaped again within 5 minutes! This time the whole litter was moved to a pen where the door is closer to the floor.

Perks

There are perks for working at a shelter - like having an animal in my office during the work day. Last week I had a a very young puppy, a girl, asleep in my lap. She wasn't doing well over the weekend so after a visit to the clinic I got to give her some love and attention and a warm lap to sleep in.

This week I have an officemate, a young male chocolate lab who had surgery on Monday. He came to us limping and very shy - we thought his leg was broken. A borrowed x-ray visit (thank you Dr. J!) showed a bullet and shrapnel in his shoulder - it had been there a while. Dr. E. removed most of bullet and now our young man is recovering nicely. He greets me when I arrive in the morning and when I walk around the shelter he is waiting by the gate. (Yes, I installed a walk-thru gate on my office door, it's easier than crawling over a baby gate!) He responds to people walking by and loves having his ears scratched. He is so sweet and a good boy.

Why we're here.

We are here to take care of animals. Animals that are lost from loving homes and those who never had a home and wander our streets. They come to us in many ways for many reasons. They come in varied states of health and their response to humans ranges from best friend to utter terror. We give them food, water and a place safe from the elements and safe from predators both animal and human.

And if they let us, a pat on the head and scratch behind the ears.