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}

Working with Animals {month 2}

It's been 2 months and a few days since I started working at the animal shelter. Everyday I get more and more interested in having a Pit-Bull. When I started working there, I was a little scared of the breed. Now that I have worked with them one on one, I know they are just like any other dog.
Powder was hit by a car and we nursed her back to health. When she first came in she was in so much pain and so scared. It just broke my heart to even look at her. If I didn't have any pets, she would be my dog. When I get into her kennel to visit with her, she showers me with love. Precious is a dog that is so ugly she's cute. She reminds me of a little gremlin.She is very sweet but has a very deep bark. She sounds like a big male dog. It's really funny to hear. It's no wonder some people are really scared of Pit-Bulls. lol

I mostly work with cats during the week. I really only see the dogs, when an adopter comes in to see them. I go get the dog out of it's kennel and introduce it to the adopter. It's hard when you think the dog is perfect for the person, yet for some reason they don't see it and don't adopt the animal. Powder is very shy when people walk by her kennel. That makes people not want to see her. I have told many people about how sweet she is, but no one looks at her. Now when myself or other co-workers walk by her cage she runs to the door wagging her tail. She knows us. Animals in the shelter are not always themselves. They are so stressed and most of the time in a depression. Even with all this said, I like my job. I am have been emotionally stronger then I thought I would be.

Sadly, the only thing keeping me from not loving my job, is the people. I am sure all of us have had a job where someone has ruined it for us. I have already experienced this before at other jobs, so I find it very hard not to just quit. I hate drama. Unfortunately there is a lot of drama between the employees and I find it draining the morale out of me when I am there. I wake up every morning feeling happy inside, then I go to work and the happiness fades away. I can't stand when people in a work environment just can't be adults and work out their problems. Or at least agree to disagree. I have been a manager before, and the thing that worked for me was, treating the employee's the way I wanted to be treated. It's basic, simple and it works.

I am in a place in my life where I have found true happiness within myself. To work in a place that sucks that out of me on a daily basis is so depressing. I really want to work with animals and I really want at least 6 months of the work experience for my resume. It has left me in a very bad position. I feel I am going to be forced to make a decision I don't want to make. So, that's where I am at right now. It's a real bummer. I am strong willed and don't give up easily. I am planning a trip to visit Ohio in late April, so my current goal is to at least work at the shelter up till that trip. My paychecks will pay for that trip and then I can look for a new job when I get back. We'll see.... Day by Day I guess. I don't think anyone should stay at a job that they hate. Life is way to short to be miserable everyday.

If only everyone could just live by those words....
You can read my post about my first month {HERE}

Working with Animals {month 1}

It's officially been 1 month since I started my new job as an Animal Care Specialist. When I took the job I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. I thought a year ago I would be going to school to get a degree in Web Design. Now I am working with animals. I have always loved animals and when I was a kid I wanted to be a veterinarian. Sadly, I was not blessed with a strong stomach. Blood bothers me, so being a Vet is not an option. I have gotten better, but I don't think I could do it.

This first month has been an emotional roller coaster for me. The first week was easy because it was just watching videos and reading paperwork. Once I started training though and actually seeing all the animals it started to stir up my emotions. You can't save them all. It's just simply heartbreaking.


My job is to feed the animals and clean up after them. I also spend time socializing them and helping people adopt animals. I have just now really started doing adoptions. Last Saturday I adopted out my first dog all by myself. Sadly, he was returned about 3 days later. A lot of these dogs in the shelter really have high energy levels and separation anxiety issues. Which to me, is very understandable considering what they have been through. Animals need more then 3 days to adjust to a new home outside of a shelter. A cat got adopted out yesterday and was returned 2 hours later because it hissed at the other pets in the home.. Well, DUH! How stressed out and scared do you think that cat probably was?! It just lived in a cage by itself for a month!

One of the first days I worked, I had "kennel time" with a dog. Kennel time is 10-15 minutes that we spend with an animal in there cage to comfort them. Each day each employee is assigned an animal. When I was petting this dog, my eyes just filled with tears and it took everything I had to keep myself together. The same day I had to watch a sick cat be put to sleep. Of course I cried during that.

It's all part of the job and as of last week I didn't know if I could find the strength inside me to NOT GIVE UP. Sometimes I just want to go back to sitting in front of my computer daily and not work. Quitting is the easy way out. This time of year is considered "slow". Animals aren't breeding as much so we have less of them. The spring is going to REALLY test me. I am doing better already then I thought I would, so I feel very hopefully.

I feel there is no other job for me in this city I live in. This job is totally different then working at IKEA. Taking this job is eye opening for me. I will grow as a person working here. The experience is worth while that's for sure. I was so depressed last week, coming home crying to Cody. I just can't quit though. I am going to take it day by day and see what happens. Everything to life is a test to me. You become stronger and just keep developing as a person. You just keep getting better and learn from everything you do.

I don't know if I mentioned this or not, but Cody volunteers on Saturday morning at the shelter. He goes in for 2 hours early in the morning just to walk dogs. It really makes him happy and it really helps out the shelter. Something so simple, but yet so rewarding.