The Best (and The Worst) of Winter and Spring

It has indeed been a while since I've had time to sit down and post. Even now I should be asleep, but I feel like writing instead. Since I last wrote, in October, I've been a busy gal. I started a new job at The Anti-Cruelty Society (I have since quit that job). I took a vacation to Ouachita National Park in Arkansas. I've changed my diet and become more aware of my activity level via the Fitbit. I've continued with culinary school and secured an externship in the industry. And, maybe most importantly, I discovered who the tomato plant thief was! I want to go into each of these stories in detail so I will break them up into separate posts. First, my journey into the animal welfare community via The Anti-Cruelty Society.

So let's take a trip back in time to October 2011. I actually wrote my last post a few days before I started my new job at The Anti-Cruelty Society. I had been unemployed for a while and had just started school and although I was able to collect unemployment benefits, I still needed more money to pay the bills. I had been volunteering at The Anti-Cruelty Society in my spare time and, when I heard that they were hiring, I applied for a job there. To be honest, my main goal was to find a job that would work with my hours at school and be in close proximity. The hours were right and it was within walking distance of school so it seemed perfect. I was in for much more than I anticipated. That job changed my life. I have always loved animals, but now I understand them in a much more intimate way. Being on the front lines of the animal welfare movement is much more emotionally involved than saying, "yeah, I like cats and dogs."

I got to experience some very wonderful and also some very painful things. On the wonderful side of things I was able to care for cats by helping to socialize them, feed them, brush them and clean their living spaces. I was able to spend time with them outside of their cages and form bonds with them. Likewise with the dogs I was able to walk them, socialize them and eventually (as I gained experience in the area) I was able to train them. The training was simple sit, stay, down, wait, watch me, etc. But even-so it was amazing to see the way that most dogs connected with me and just wanted to please me. Either working for treats or for pets. Therein lies the link to the painful things. In order to care for an animal, you must also become somewhat attached and sometimes that attachment was broken by euthanasia. It's hard to talk about for some people, but it was commonplace in my workday. Either for behavioral or medical reasons, from time to time, an animal would have to be euthanized and sometimes it was an animal that I cared about deeply. 

I don't want to end on a negative note so back to the wonderful side of things! I witnessed many great adoptions in my time spent at The Anti-Cruelty Society and as I progressed as an employee, and my work responsibilities grew, I was able to participate in the adoption process by counseling adopters on how to care for their new pet. I was always excited to see the look on people's faces when they were told they would be going home with their new cat or dog. Then, to be able to answer their questions and calm their concerns about care and the transition from shelter to home was an honor that I won't soon forget. 

An adoption that I'll never forget was that of a white and black spotted pit bull named Rocky. I LOVED that dog. He was smart, young, playful and affectionate. He was physically strong and needed an owner that could handle him and also handle the stigmas that come with owning a pit bull. For this reason he stayed at the shelter for four months, when generally animals would get adopted within a few weeks. I started to worry about Rocky, because I knew that the longer he stayed the less likely he would be adopted and the more likely he would develop a behavior issue that would result in euthanasia. I tried to keep this thought out of my head and I spent a lot of time socializing Rocky and reinforcing the commands that he knew. 

All of the staff members started to become attached to Rocky and made sure that he received a lot of care and attention. One day, a couple came in and asked me about Rocky. I excitedly took him out for them and talked with them about the responsibilities of owning a pit bull. They replied that they understood, because they already own a pitbull and were looking for a companion for him. My heart almost leapt out of my chest. Rocky was wonderful with other dogs! We had several play buddies for him at the shelter and I knew that he would get along fabulously with another dog. This couple said they would think about it. I let them know that in order to adopt Rocky, as a part of the screening process, they would need to bring in their current dog to make sure that he got along with Rocky. As the left, my adrenaline rush of excitement subsided, because I had seen it all too often when potential adopters say they will think it over and then never come back. 

The next day, to my surprise, the couple was sitting in the lobby waiting for us to open so that they could introduce their dog to Rocky. These two dogs got along like they had been best friends forever! I was in tears over the way they played together and I knew that Rocky had found his forever home. As the adopters were going through their application process the staff members one by one said good-bye to Rocky. I watched them leave and in that moment I was so happy! Here is a photo of me and Rocky on a day that my sister came to visit (I had talked about Rocky so much that she wanted to come meet him!)

In additional to awesome adoptions I also got to witness the birth of puppies! A dog named Rita came to the shelter very far along in her pregnancy. The managerial staff took her back into their office area and set up a place for her to give birth. Staff members wandered in and out (while respecting her space) as she gave birth throughout an entire day! The report on how many puppies had been birthed kept growing and growing until 12 puppies had arrived. Generally speaking, when that many puppies are born all of them won't survive, but amazingly all 12 of them did! I had the great opportunity of hand feeding the puppies while Rita was starting to wean them, but they still weren't old enough to eat on their own. As they grew, and personalities began to show, staff members started to pick out their favorite puppy. My personal favorite was Whiff. She was the smallest, the runt of the litter, and she was black with a little white spot on her chest. She was calm, as far as puppies go and very sweet. The were recently put up for adoption around Mother's Day and Rita was named Mother of The Year! 

By the end of April 2012 my time at The Anti-Cruelty Society had come to an end. I was reaching a point where I had to secure an externship for school, as a graduation requirement, and along with classes I would not have enough time to maintain my job. It was sad to be leaving, but I left on good terms and with well wishes. I learned so much in my time there and I truly enjoyed it. This was definitely more than "just a job" to me and I think that is the first time I can honestly say that about a place! My newly discovered passion for animal welfare is still with me and the topic of euthanasia is still a topic of debate. Like I said before, this job changed my life.