Dogs On Thursday - Workin Girl

I have a new job and have already received one pay check. I'm pretty excited! What does this have to do with Dogs On Thursday? Well, take a look at this photo...

Puppies!!! Oh my goodness, I got to hold the cutest little beagle mix puppy who had been in with her sister that day from SOS Beagle Rescue to be spayed at the low cost spay/neuter clinic in the building where I'm working now. The wonderful woman who came to pick them up after they woke from surgery that night was nice enough to let us hold the cute little puppies, the one I'm holding and her sister who was solid red and white (the little girl I held had more of a ticked/freckled coat). They were adorable and definitely "mixes" the rescuer said since their ears were much longer than a Beagle's should be ... I just think it made them that much cuter though. What do you think? :) Who can complain about a job with puppies, right??

In an odd doggy case, we actually only have a handful of dogs right now where I'm working too - which is quite unusual! We're not intaking any dogs either at this time. Why??? Well, we're getting brand new kennels! We're knocking down the old dog kennels and putting in brad new ones which will be great for all the future dogs that come into the shelter I'm working at now. You can check out all the cool details here. Construction is suppose to start in the next week or two so hopefully by mid-April we'll be packed with dogs again in brand new, wonderful kennels piping them soft tunes to keep them calm.

Some people!!

I overheard a woman say today that she heard an "old wives' tale" that to keep her cat from getting fat, she should allow the cat to have a litter of kittens. Are you kidding me?! If nothing else, finding several kittens homes (because cats aren't already dying all the time from over population) is better than perhaps a slightly pudgy adult cat?!!

So, following this old wives' tale because they're always so true!, this woman formulated a plan! To ensure her cat would not get fat like this woman heard her cat would, she tempted a male cat into their house ... and then locked her cat and the male stray up in the bedroom. Oh my gawd!!!!

Sick girl here

Sick, sick, sick. I'm so sick that I cannot even talk. Though this hasn't stopped me yet, today I finally called out of my new job. Somehow answering the phone with this voice (which just keeps getting worse) didn't seem wise. What do you think?



That's right, home from vacation, employed full time ... and sick! No good! Not fun!!

Oh well, let's stick to the good stuff - here are some photos from FL I'd like to share with you:

Oh yay, FL sun...
The coolest tree house ever, I must say - it's got windows, a tree growing through its porch, etc...
Brand new butterflies fresh out of their cocoons! How cool...
I sent a lot of time with Shanna since she's home raising Silas. We went to pick up Ada from school one day and she wanted to show me her garden plot at school. What a neat idea - each of the kids having their own garden...
I went along with my friends to one of their friend's birthday parties. It was a nice night ... which was capped off by lighting a very old Christmas tree on fire. It was awesome, though looking at the photos afterwards makes me think we should have been a bit more scared...
It was way too early in the morning for all this, but here's the short version of the story: pulling up to the drive thru ATM to get money to go to breakfast, we're behind an old lady on a mobile ... and she was behind a car that had pulled out after using the ATM, then stopped, then had it's passenger door sit open for several minutes before this very interesting woman emerged to wait beside the mobile old woman. Craziness and way too early in the morning...

::sigh::

I have a feeling this blog is going to turn into more of a journal about rescuing myself than it is about rescuing animals. The blows seem to just keep coming and I'm just completely heart broken right now...

I partially blogged about my dad and that situation. I strictly posted the email I sent out because, honestly, I'm not sure I can sit down and spill my guts out about that whole ordeal and my feelings about it without A) sounding super whiny or B) breaking down and crying while I type which is just awfully messy if you know the way I cry. The news alone has been a lot to deal with and then there's been all the reading to find out about FTD and what's to come as well.

And then, this passed week, I lost my job... stupid economy! Losing my job means losing my income when I have student loans, medical bills, my credit card (thank god I'm pretty good at controlling my spending with that!!) and the payments for the car I just bought as well. If that's not bad enough, my apartment that I've been settled into for about a year and a half is provided through work, so I've lost that as well! I've been given a week to pack up and head out. I don't want to pack up, I don't want to move back in with my parents and I feel so bad taking my cats there too when they've been pretty stress-free at my apartment for so long now.

I don't get to see Ruby adopted out or see Donny needs more surgery or see if Freda gets all better or what's going to happen with the possible mass in Nickey or see my love Molly anymore or if Polly is going to get surgery. I've just really invested myself here in a way I don't even think my co-workers know and so this is all very sad for me. I used to walk around here sometimes at night just checking to see what the kitties were doing and making sure they were ok.

I'm just forced to hope this is for the best. I've been here for some great, great things like my work's 5th Anniversary and all the publicity with Tashi - it was so nice seeing other people recognize and appreciate the work done here. At least I was let go because of the economy so I can collect unemployment instead of having to quit in several months or something because of my dad (or who knows what might else go wrong at this point!).

Now, I'm going back to my parents, the farm, sheep and chickens and horses and too many guinea hens. At least I'll have lots of time to read, write ... and blog, right? Ahh ::sigh:: Who knows, maybe I'll even start rescuing again ... doing fundraisers or working with kick ass people like my friend who likes the special babies, like Joa (who has since been adopted!).

Work Venting

On my private journal. Feel free to email me if you want access.

SUCCESS!

I was on the phone earlier and just wandering around my apartment chatting. I can't honestly tell you what caught my attention: maybe I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, subconsciously noticed something amiss or felt myself being watch. No matter what it was, I found myself staring at the elusive, long-haired black cat who was sitting outside about 15 feet from my bedroom window - staring right back at me!

Oh, I jumped right on that since thankfully I made my parents bring up my trap the other day when they came to visit. I ran into the sanctuary, got some super smelly wet food, found a blanket to throw over my trap and got a piece of paper to lay down at the bottom of the trap as well and went out into the cold night. Of course, the cat was gone ... but I set my trap anyway because I was tired of NOT having this cat, but seeing him/her all over the property. Nights the best time to trap cats, or at least this one since it's quieter here then and I've seen the cat more after dark. And just because I'm the only one here at night and I'm off the clock doesn't mean I can't be trying to get these kitties. AND I GOT THE CAT!!!

Oh boy was I nervous since I am alone here now. I got the kitty out of the cold and it didn't lunge, hiss or spit at me. I then set up a cage in quarantine and openned the trap up so the cat would walk into the cage. S/he didn't seem to want to ... until the cat saw the yummy food I had put in the cage too. It was then I got to pet her/him, pick at him/her a bit (the cat has some mattes) and feel the kitty ... feels like a solid kitty, definitely not starved but still a bit thin, I think. I think I caught a good kitty!

Woo hoo!

Ending on a lighter note for the day!

There was a couple in yesterday who were looking for kittens - the littlest kittens you could get. Obviously we don't get many of them here, let alone this time of year, but I was very excited because I was able to talk them into the little ones we do have - like Merlin who's about 7 months now. So, they see Merlin, love Merlin and I think -hey, why not?- and offer to show them Shy, Merline's sister, even though she's still caged in her new room since she's overwhelmed with all the other cats.

I take the couple in to this other room, I take Shy out, she looks around and absolutely FREAKS out!!! I end up almost losing her, grabbing her and getting her back into the cage with her rear end scruffed in one hand and her scruff in the other ... reassuring the couple that of course I wouldn't let them get hurt and she's just still very shy (duh!!! me). Now, the entertaining part on top of all this is I'm doing/saying this as my pinky finger is bleeding on both sides from scratch marks and, prepare yourselves: my shirt is hanging TORN open! Oh yea, from the bottom of my black bra down to the hem above my tattoo are now in view of this couple and everyone in the lobby since the big window is right there ... oh, and bleeding as well from where her back claws got me on the hip.

Sponsors of our one special needs kitty, Hootz, are here as well and we've talked extensively the last time they were in (I was actually off and barefoot walking around talking to them the first time - ah the joys of living at work). So, not only has the couple witnessed this, but everyone in the lobby who can see me through the giant floor to ceiling window into the room - including this sponsor. Oh man! All I could do was point at my torn shirt, make a face and roll my eyes at them since they were watching.

Thankfully the couple had to go then because I needed to start PM rounds, but I had to take them into the lobby and talk to them a bit more. So, I'm walking around with my torn scrubs, talking, until they left. Geez ... And let me tell you, that was just PART of one hell of a crazy day. Only me!

day off

On my private journal. Feel free to email me if you want access.