Working with Animals {month 3}

Goodbye job.

I officially do not have a job at the animal shelter anymore. It is a bittersweet feeling. It is a decision that I feel I had to make. I feel also it was the right decision. Considering that from the first few weeks of working there I wanted to quit. I was warned by co-workers of the amount of drama involved with working at the place. People just love to gossip and pretty much NOT get a long. Working with the animals I loved, sadly the other sh*t got in the way.

On a positive note, I did give the proper 2 week notice. I was told that I would be missed and to please reapply in the future, because I would always be welcomed back. They are working on correcting the problems there because I stood up and SAID SOMETHING. I couldn't just watch the daily drama unfold without putting my 2 cents in. They appreciated that and are looking for ways to prevent it from happening in the future. Personally I believe it's just a few people causing it all to happen and if they weren't there, the place would run more smoothly. Isn't this how it always is???
Last month I posted a picture of Powder, probably my favorite dog ever at the shelter. She had been hit by a car and we nursed her back to health. When people would walk by her cage she would be scared and cower down. If myself or one of the other employee's walked by she would run to the door and wag her tail. She would shower you with love and kisses. She knew all of us that worked there and we became her comfort. She didn't get looked at very often and she had been in the shelter for over 2 months. A few Saturdays ago I was lucky enough to finally do an adoption counsel with her. I was so thrilled when I met this young couple who asked me to get Powder out for them.

We all went into the visitation room together so they could meet Powder. She was very scared and clung to me. We all sat on the floor to make her more comfortable and to be on her level. She basically sat on my lap and hid from the couple wanting to adopt her. She wanted nothing but to be a lap dog and lick my face. Yes, a Pit-bull a lap dog. It was really cute. They could clearly see that she was a sweet dog, she just was very shy with people she didn't know. They were drawn to her because of her story and background. She just needed a loving family who could understand her past. Not only was this adoption special to me, it was also the longest adoption I had ever done. It lasted nearly 2 hours. By the end of the counsel Powder was licking their faces and letting them pet her. It was probably the most rewarding thing that I did the whole 3 months I worked at the shelter. It left my heart full of love and happiness. It is the reason people work at shelters in the first place. Of course they adopted her. I knew they were perfect for Powder! I was relieved that I can quit my job at the shelter knowing that at least I helped Powder get a forever home.

Working with shelter animals is all about that, finding animals forever homes. That is what I loved about my job. It is sad that I felt I needed to quit for my mental health and sanity due to all the unnecessary crap that was happening there. Leave it to people to ruin something good. Oh well. Life goes on. At least I know I can go back in the future if I want to. Now I plan my visit to Ohio to see family and friends. When I get back, we'll see where life takes me.....

I also wanted to share with you some things that you can do to help your local animal shelter. Yes you can donate money or your time, but they also can always use items that are so easy to donate. Our shelter was always looking for basic items like these:

Bleach, Laundry Detergent, Hand Soap, Dish Soap, Windex, Lysol Wipes, Paper Towels, Toilet Paper
Blankets, Towels, Wash Cloths, Hand Towels, Pet Beds
(These items above can all be used/second hand)
Clump Free Cat Litter, Pet Food, Newspapers, Pet Food Bowls

These are just the basics! Any of it helps. I am sure you could easily call your local shelter for a list of things they can use. Also, some of the best things you can do to volunteer is walking dogs and socializing the cats. It's fun and rewarding for you and very helpful to the animals and the staff!

You can read all my posts about working at the animal shelter {HERE}