Excited

[ewarp]

I'm excited like crazy because an essay I wrote was chosen out of a few hundred to be included on the HSUS animal sheltering website.

This was my entry:

Every day, I wake up wondering what the day will bring. It could be full of joy and happiness or it could be tear-filled and heart wrenching. More often than not, it's a little of both. Every day there are cat cages to tidy, litter to scoop, dogs to walk, and kisses to dole out to all of the fuzzy and feathered. I'm generally a bit frazzled trying to get the public areas spotless and taken care of by the time we open. It's a race against the clock, and it seems like the clock always wins. The general chaos increases as the public pours in at noon, asking questions, petting, touching, adopting.

Once the animals are fed and taken care of, it's time to feed the public with information about responsible pet ownership. I explain that some cats need to be coaxed to eat; some dogs will eat anything—edible or not. Some people don't want to hear a word I have to say regarding their dog's submissive urination. Others are starving for information, asking me to explain in detail the history of clicker training and all of its applications. I try to reach out to them all, just as I try to reach out to each animal with a caress or a kind word. Some people remind me of the kind of dogs that you handle with a rabies pole. They make me cringe inside, but I still try to disarm them with thoughtful answers and a calm smile.

The phone rings over and over. It's raining outside, but I didn't realize it was raining stray cats. We don't have space, but we make room for a litter of orphan kittens. We make room again for an injured cat. We're playing what I affectionately call "cat Tetris." It involves moving one cat, scrubbing its cage for another cat, scrubbing that cat's cage for yet another cat, combining two cats into one cage, scrubbing another cage and … Voila! We have a cage for the injured cat.

Meanwhile, the evening rush comes in. I'm doing three adoptions at once. My coworkers are struggling to walk dogs among the throngs of people in our adoption area. It's dinner time for the cats, and they're letting us know. I need health exams done on all three animals being adopted, the phone won't stop ringing and I feel terrible for the volunteer trying to learn to do adoptions. Students for our obedience class are trickling in and they want to share updates on their dogs' progress. My head is spinning already, and there's still so much to do tonight.

It isn't until late, after evening walks are done, medications are given, obedience class ends, and the doors are locked, that the building falls silent. I turn off the classical music and I can hear the rain on the roof. In the next room, I hear the clicking of a rabbit's water bottle. The puppies snuggle in a heap. The cats are lounging in their cages. All is well for tonight. We'll start over tomorrow. For now, life is good.

[IceyBlueSibes]

That was a really great essay! I loved it. You can tell you are very passionate about what you do.

[Jamila]

That is fantastic!

[flukespad]

Well done to you. I recently wrote a poem about dog rescue and have been selcted as one of the finalists to be published in a book that is going on sale here next year.Look like I may have missed my vocation ha ha

[mrsgrubby]

Great essay!!! So glad you are able to help our pets in need! Bless you!

[annie_so_pink]

Wow! Awesome essay! I am not surprised it was chosen, it is SO good!
So, just curious, what kind of job do you have?

[ewarp]

Annie, I'm the assistant supervisor/jack-of-all-trades at an area humane society.

I walk dogs, clean cat cages, do paperwork, pick up poop, make phone calls, go out on humane investigation calls as backup/assistance, answer phones, pick up poop, do adoptions, assess temperaments, help with behavioral modification, help with surgery, pick up poop, vaccinate, microchip, bathe, clip nails, do building maintenance, pick up poop, corral and direct the volunteers, organize fundraisers, teach obedience classes, rectify problems with adoptions, pick up poop, do fecal exams, deworm, throw tennis balls, dangle strings, sex guinea pigs, lift heavy things, pick up poop, climb ladders, change light bulbs, stock the gift shop, run DTM cultures, dip animals, smear salve, administer pills, squirt meds, pick up poop, do laundry, srub litter pans, wash dishes, scrub runs, clean crates, stack newspaper, pick up poop, buy chocolate, etc.

It's a pretty rewarding and off the wall job. I got called in early to climb into the rafters to get a kitten off the air vents.

[SunGurl372]

Yeah, but do you pick up poop???

[annie_so_pink]

Thank You ewarp! I am curious because I really want to work with dogs in some way when I am older and I want to explore my options. I would LOVE to work (like as a job, not just volunteer) at a shelter when I am older! I already spend SO much time on Petfinder, searching for dogs, and then people from my church are even asking me to help them find a dog, so I refer them to different shelters/ rescues and even some individual dogs.