Dharma.

This morning I found out that one of my favorite dogs at the shelter, Dharma, had passed away last night.

I was working in the kennels yesterday and as I walked by hers, I noticed that there was some vomit on the floor. I called to her---she was laying flat out on her bed, head turned away from me. This was totally abnormal for her. An intelligent dog, she liked to check out the goings-on in the kennels and would ALWAYS get up and come to the front of her kennel and greet me. I entered her kennel and stroked her head, but she was not very responsive. I had another staff member come take a look, and she agreed that we should call our Vet. Tech. Kelly to come back and render aid to the little girl.

I carried Dharma in my arms to the treatment room because she simply couldn't walk. Kelly arrived and did absolutely everything she could do to help Dharma. We got some fluids in her and made her as comfortable as possible in our treatment room. She seemed to be perking up a little bit so we decided to wait it out and I honestly expected her to have come around by this morning.

Just a little while ago I got a call that Dharma had passed last night. We suspect that she had a seizure in the night, possibly due to a brain abnormality, like a tumor. I know that in all likelihood, Dharma was not conscious of the fact that she was alone. She probably wasn't aware of anything really. But I hate the fact that she didn't go through this in a home, with loved ones. I cared for her for weeks and I didn't even say a real goodbye to her last night. I hoped for the best, because that is my nature. Sometimes the best just isn't in the cards, I guess. I feel pretty heartbroken right now, but I know that I personally gave Dharma the love and care that she needed and deserved every single day I was there. Kelly did absolutely everything she could, and we are lucky to have such a caring and dedicated person on staff. There was nothing more we could have done, but I would give anything right now to have been able to do more for her.

Wishing you peace on your journey, little girl.

Introducing Tanner! Plus, Bosco update!

Shy, timid dogs can be among the hardest to adopt. We often get shy dogs in at BCAS and if they don't readily interact with people voluntarily, people often overlook them because they want a dog who is playful, attentive and people-loving. Most of the time the shyness is a product of the dog's history--abandonment, being dumped because they are unwanted, etc. We try to put time into these dogs and teach them that humans can be loving and that it is okay to trust them.

A couple of weeks ago I was walking through an area of the shelter known as "Receiving." This is where we keep stray dogs during their mandatory holding period, aggressive dogs, etc. Usually, this kennel is merely a stopover for dogs who will soon be up for adoption. As I walked down the row of kennels I was greeted enthusiastically by most of the dogs there. I got to the end of the row and was about to leave when I noticed Tanner, huddled in the floor as far away from the front of the kennel (and me) as he could get. I checked the card on the front of his kennel and saw that he had just come in. This timid reaction isn't abnormal when a dog first arrives and I will usually give them a little time to settle down and realize that they aren't in any danger before I start to be concerned about their temperament.

Over the course of the next few days I realized that Tanner wasn't warming up to any of us. When I opened the door to the outdoor part of his kennel I couldn't even coax him back in. All of our dogs get thick blankets to lay on, but Tanner wouldn't lay on his. He chose to lay on the cold floor of his kennel because he was so frightened. I decided that I needed to take action if Tanner was to have a chance at getting adopted. I began trying to teach Tanner that people=good things. I worked to teach Tanner that people are good by giving him good things, like treats. I didn't press the issue and tried to make sure that Tanner never felt pressure or anxiety due to my presence. When I had a little extra time, I would give him his food personally...at first rolling bits of kibble toward him and eventually hand feeding him once he felt more comfortable with me. He soon began to wag his tail when he saw me, though it was a few more days before he would actively come to the front of his kennel to greet me.

This past Friday my coworker Kelly and I discovered that we each had an interest in helping Tanner in any way we could. We decided to try to get him out of the kennel because we wanted to get him out onto the adoption floor. At first, he was very scared so we took it slow, stopping often as we walked down the hall for treats and affection. Loud noises were scary for Tanner so we gave him plenty of time to adjust to the hustle and bustle of the shelter.

I'm pleased to say that in a very short time, Tanner is like a totally different dog. He is responsive, affectionate, attentive and happy. We actually got him to play with a toy on Friday night as well! This guy is going to be wonderful in a home and I hope that someone might read this and decide to give Tanner a second chance. He seems so grateful to those who help him, and I still can't believe that the happy, playful boy is the same scared dog huddled in the back of his kennel. We think Tanner is around a year old, definitely a shepherd mix, but he is a smaller boy. He needs to put a little weight on but other than that, this guy is perfect! Come check him out!

Also, I am pleased to announce that Bosco went to a Rescue on Friday! Adore-A-Bull Rescue is currently fostering the Bosco Boy and I couldn't be happier! Check out Adore-A-Bull here!

Update: Bosco has found his furever home thru the wonderful efforts of Adore-A-Bull rescue! Tanner is also doing well in his new home, according to his mom.

High points, low points.

My job is filled with high points and low points. The highs can be very high (like adopting out an animal who has been waiting a long time in our shelter) and the lows can be very low (like finding out that an animal is not adoptable because a former owner didn't do basic  needed preventative care to keep the animal healthy.) This post is about two of the highest and lowest points of the week.

[HIGH POINT] My week started off with a (short) road trip like no other. I was browsing my Facebook feed on Sunday night when this popped up on my screen. For those who want the short version, there was a female Pit Bull being driven from New Orleans (!) to a Cleveland Pittie rescue, and she needed a ride from Florence to Columbus. I was off on Monday for MLK Jr. day, so I decided to give them some help. I read up on "Mama" after I actually dropped her off near Columbus on Monday. A post from The Sula Foundation regarding the dogs can be found here. I encourage you to read the whole thing, but here are some excerpts:

"For the past month, The Sula Foundation has been working (at no fee) with authorities in Biloxi, Mississippi, in response to a recent case in which twenty-five dogs were seized after being found tethered on a rural property, covered in wounds..."

The article goes on to discuss the general condition of the dogs:

 "Several had to be euthanized due to gangrene. Others were so traumatized that they would only crawl along the ground in our presence, never rising up onto their feet."

I can't imagine dealing with a situation like this. The sad part is, it is happening all around us, every day. We have an incredible overpopulation problem with dogs in this country, and no other purebred dog bears the brunt of that more than the "Bully" breeds (Pit Bulls, Staffordshire Terriers, American Bulldogs, etc.) I was recently browsing the Facebook page of a local Pit rescue, Adore-A-Bull Rescue. They often post pictures of their dogs who are seeking new homes. A person expressed interest on the post regarding a female dog who is currently in foster care, expressing an interest to adopt her if she could "request" that she not be spayed. She wanted to breed a female with her intact male. [LOW POINT]

Wait. Really? Surely I read her post wrong. But no, she actually did go to a rescue group who pulls an unwanted, overbred, chronically euthanized breed from shelters and ask to create more puppies. This mindset, the person who thinks that one more litter of puppies can't do that much harm is the reason we are in the predicament we are in! Purchasing an animal from a pet store or a "backyard breeder" causes just as much detriment to canines as going to a puppy mill and people don't or won't try to understand that.

ASPCA.org states that "Approximately 5 million to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 3 million to 4 million are euthanized (60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats). Shelter intakes are about evenly divided between those animals relinquished by owners and those picked up by animal control. These are national estimates; the percentage of euthanasia may vary from state to state."

I work at Boone County Animal Shelter, and I know that these statistics are not accurate regarding our save rates vs. euthanasia rates.  This problem goes far beyond the Bully breeds, and though I do have a soft spot in my heart for them, I hope that every dog has a fair shake in the shelter system. I am so fortunate to work in a shelter who gives every adoptable animal a chance to find their forever home.

Sorry about that rant. To lighten things up, here are some pictures of Mama (now named Sweet Pea) and I.

Mama was a total sweetheart!

Scars on her nose from a hard life, but she can look forward to much
happier times now.

This is what she during the majority of our time on the road.

The eyes really say it all. I see hope and a loving, forgiving soul.

We need your help!

As many of you know, we had an INCREDIBLE holiday adoption season. We blew every single record for adoptions out of the water, mostly thanks to the fact that we worked hard on promotion and offered special adoption fees to those who wanted to find their new forever friend. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I can't wait to do it again next year!

Unfortunately, now that the holidays are over, our adoption numbers have fallen drastically. It is surprising to me considering how many wonderful animals we currently have, purebreds & mixes alike. We are even running specials still, like waiving the adoption fee on cats over one year old. We have so many big loving kitties that really need a home right now! We have wonderful small dogs, medium dogs AND large dogs. In short, we have anything you need!
Please check out our adoptable animals, share with your friends, do ANYTHING at all you can to help us maintain our save rate and work toward our no-kill goal! We need adopters AND fosters. Foster homes save lives every day. Do you have a little room to save the life of a deserving animal?

(Not so?) Great Expectations

One thing I have come to realize during my work at BCAS is that sometimes unrealistic expectations play a big role in whether or not a dog will be adopted. I think there is a common belief that when you are looking for your new forever friend, the animal will "choose" you in some way. Don't get me wrong---I definitely think it is possible for animals and humans to have an almost instant connection. However, I find that some of the best animals are looked over because they don't fall in line with the expectation of what a rescue animal should be.

Adopting an animal that needs a little work can be an intensely rewarding experience. Whether that "work" consists of training, grooming, or even just giving a formerly starving animal proper nutrition. I think that people shy away from taking on these animals because they either think they don't have the time or patience for it, or they think they just don't have the knowledge or skill. And to be perfectly honest, I think it is difficult for people to see through what an animal currently IS (emaciated, boisterous & untrained, not properly groomed, timid) to see what how beautiful it can be with a little TLC. A good shelter will give you all the support and resources they can. For example, we often offer discounted training sessions with a local dog trainer. We can help you figure out what foods or toys are going to bring out the best in an animal. One thing we always tell people is to call us with ANY questions or issue. We don't simply get the animal out the door and into a home--we follow through to make sure that animal is successful in its new life.

As an example, I adopted my Great Dane Sadie from BCAS in the spring of 2008. It is hard to tell in this picture, but she was skinny. And I mean REALLY skinny. I think she was around 68 pounds (she weighs 100 now) when I met her. And here is the thing---she and I didn't have that instant connection. Well, she didn't at least. I fell in love almost immediately. But this was a dog (as many of our dogs are) who hadn't been treated well. She had been bounced around and landed at BCAS, but probably hadn't had a deep human bond possibly ever. She touched my heart though, so I took her home. I understood that what she need was some work. We worked on getting her up to a healthy weight. We worked on housebreaking her. We worked on teaching her everything that she would have been taught long ago had she been fortunate enough to be in a loving and caring home. I am not going to say it wasn't difficult and there were at least 2 times when I thought I might be crazy for even trying. But even though we got discouraged, we never gave up because I knew Sadie was worth the work. Fast forward almost 4 years and I have a connection with this dog that is so deep and so loving I wouldn't take a million dollars for her. The love she gives me on a daily basis dwarfs the amount of TLC she needed when we first got her.

My message to any potential adopter is this: the next time you go to a shelter and you see the skinny dog,  the rambunctious dog, the timid dog, the dog without a beautiful coat...please consider taking on a dog who needs a little something extra. Just like Sadie, you will find that the love you get from them will far exceed the work you put in.

Thanks for taking a chance on me, Sadie.

Archie update!

So first off, I want to end the suspense over Archie. The woman who came to see him (who happens to be my neighbor) fell in love with the little old guy! I have been getting periodic status updates from her via text. As of last night, Archie had really shown himself to be a connoisseur of cuddling, blankets, and warm sunny spots. I am so happy for him! He is currently in a foster-to-adopt situation, which basically means that if all goes well in the household over the course of the next few days, ol' Archie should get to stay in his new home!

I got Archie dressed up for the brisk day in a little sweater. 

Archie & his new Mom!

Archie and his new brother, DJ.

DJ happens to be missing the same eye that Archie is blind out of and he
has dry skin issues, just like Arch. Coincidence? :-)

This is the face of  VERY lucky boy!

All in all, I am very pleased at Archie's prospects. Several of our staff members looked at his teeth on Friday (one of the major ways to tell a dog's age) and everyone agreed that it is possible he isn't even that old! His blind eye might be a result of injury, in all actuality. Regardless, I couldn't be happier for this little guy. My coworker Kelly and I got really invested in and attached to this little guy while he was staying with us.

The sunset behind the shelter on Friday, the day I found out that Archie was
finally going home. It was a good day.

Archie

Today could be a big day for one of my favorite dogs, Archie. 

Archie is a ten year old Yorkie mix, and is by no means a supermodel. He has hair loss, is blind in one eye and needs some major attention in the nail department. He came in about a month ago, and after snapping at some staff members, his cage card was emblazoned with the words "WILL BITE" in bold red lettering. I first met Archie on one of my two hour weekend cleaning shifts and used caution with him while feeding and cleaning his kennel. However, on Sunday he greeted me with a wiggling butt and excited little barks. I gave him his food and he let me pet him and fuss over him, seeming to enjoy it. Many dogs who come into the shelter may act aggressively at first, and with Archie, that behavior really wasn't surprising. He didn't know where he was, didn't know all the strange people around him and was surrounded by a bunch of yelping, loud puppies. At this point, I started to really like Archie.

The day I fell in love with Archie was a Tuesday night. He had been with us for a little while, and with the craziness of the holiday season, hadn't yet received enough grooming attention. My coworker Kelley and I had some spare time one night, so we decided to devote a little love to old Archie. We were concerned about how he would behave in the grooming room but knew that with his dry skin issues, we needed to at least try to work on this guys appearance. Lucky for us, Arch was a perfect gentleman. It became obvious that he had spent some time on a grooming table before. Kelly painstakingly cleaned his face and eyes up. We even used a medicated shampoo that had to stay on for ten minutes and this guy was totally fine with it!

The moment Archie stole my heart was after we had bathed and dried him. Kelly and I put a leash on him and took him back into the office to show our coworkers how much better he looked. As soon as we put Archie down on the floor he came to life. It was like we had freed a puppy trapped in a senior dog's body! He wiggled and pranced and generally acted like the total sweetie that he now is.

This blog is going to give a lot of focus to the "lost causes" like Archie. I think one thing that shelter work has taught me so far is that there really is no lost cause. Yes, Archie is older. Yes, he has a few health issues. But I am proud to work at a shelter that doesn't believe in throwaway dogs. I have contacted rescues, searched for an adopter/foster..so far with no luck. However, today I have a woman coming in who is interested in possibly taking Archie home. Hopefully it works out, but I know that if it doesn't I will continue to do everything I can for this little guy. Age is just a number, and that never resonated with me more than when I started working in the shelter. Here's hoping ol' Arch makes a good impression.

Bosco!

You don't know this yet, but I am a big softie for pit bulls/mixes. My parents have always been enthusiasts for the breed and...I don't know, there is just something about a big burly dog who is simultaneously a big sweet baby that gets me every single time. I am thankful to work at a public shelter that will adopt out these amazing dogs to good (and loving) forever homes, as many public shelters will not because they feel they can't ensure that a bully dog isn't being adopted to be used in dog fighting or other criminal activity.

The thing about pit bulls is that they are one of the most fiercely loyal dog breeds on planet Earth. Teach them to protect your children and they will do it with gusto. Teach them to attack other animals and people, well, they will probably do that too. My point is, there are no bad dogs, only BAD OWNERS. I must follow that up by saying yes, there are some dogs who are just naturally aggressive and are unsafe to adopt out; however, this goes for ALL breeds, not just the bully breeds.

My biggest problem with the lack of public knowledge regarding bully breeds is when I see a family come in, looking for a sweet, lovable, playful dog, and they won't give any of the bully dogs a second glance because of public perception and their own trust of misinformation. I try everyday to undo the myths, mostly to save guys like this one...

Bosco

Oh, Bosco, you have stolen my heart! This guy came in as a stray. As I said, I love pit bull terriers. However, we still use a certain amount of caution when they come in as strays (as we do with any dog) because we don't know their history. Bosco was a sweetheart from the beginning. He came in unneutered, so his lovely temperament was even more impressive. He loves to get kisses and cuddle, walks fairly well on a leash and would be wonderful in a home with a family who wanted a great dog to romp around or take naps on the couch with. 

He recently got neutered and was cracking me up because he was REALLY milking it for all the affection he could get. He even conned someone into coming in his kennel and covering him up with a blanket:

As you can tell, I really love this guy. He reminds me a lot of my own PBT, Gibson. I am really hoping that someone takes a chance on him soon because I really don't think they will regret it.

Hello out there!

I am starting this blog for many reasons, none of which are that important to anyone but me. But just to give you a little background...

I am a 25 year old kennel technician and I work for a public animal shelter. We are currently working to transition to a "no kill" status and I believe that without the help of technology and social networking, as well as foster homes, volunteers, etc. that there is no way we will achieve our goal. With that being said, I am starting this blog as a voice for the animals I work with on a daily basis. Animals at our shelter are lucky---we do everything we can to get them adopted before resorting to euthanasia. We contact rescues and foster homes, promote the heck out of them everywhere we can. The thing is, not all of them can be saved. I'm not going to pretend that every animal who comes thru our doors is placed into a home and that isn't what this blog is going to be about. It is going to be a very real representation of what I see everyday, good, bad or ugly.

You might have noticed that I used the word euthanasia up there. Some people have a hard time with that word, and in all honesty, I am one of those. I do not and will not support euthanasia on adoptable animals unless every resource to find them a home has been totally exhausted. Even then, it makes for a bad day at the shelter. But here is the truth about euthanasia: If people outside the arena of shelter work want euthanasia to stop, they need to help us do something about it. That is a topic I plan to cover here as well throughout my blog posts.

This little chihuahua was placed in a loving home recently

I hope what I write will end up being interesting to people. I find that working at the shelter can be intensely rewarding as well as heartbreaking. I wouldn't trade it for the world though, no matter how many bad days I may experience. My goal is to post at least once per week, so there is my New Years Resolution--to do absolutely everything I can to save the lives of animals in 2012.