Working at the Shelter

I've been working at an animal shelter. Well dog shelter, all they shelter are dogs. I work there from 1-5p.m. but usually end up leaving at 5:30-6:00. I clean around 10-12 cages a day and each have 2-4 dogs depending on the size. Some cages are really bad and when I go over the dogs start jumping on the poop and pee. I'm like Ah! don't jump so much! and they go like *happy happy squish squish scatter smother*

I do a myriad of tasks. Bathe dogs, apply tick and lice spray, clean cages, reapplying the newspaper floor, cleaning floors, feeding them, changing their water, drying them, giving them shots, picking ticks out, giving them vitamins, taking out trash, washing dishes. Report who has a swollen tummy, who has ticks, who has bloody poo so on.

I get bitten, clawed, humped, jumped on, knocked down, ran away from, licked, shat on and pissed. Latter two happen when I have to hold them and they get really scared. Darn those pure terror incarnate to dogs hairdryers.

The smells are really something. Blood, piss, shit, medicine, antiseptics, vomit, cleaning products, dog, filth all in overpowering amounts.

At school most people have started noticing the long red claw marks on my arms and ask. I explain what I do and they ask if I like working there. I say yes and they look horrified. Most people say I'm sophisticated and educated. I admit to having more refined tastes and I like to learn about things. I guess that makes it a shock.

These things have to be done and I take a pragmatic look with them. I've taken care of babies changed diapers and bathed them. I took care, helped bathe and changed my grandfather when he got really weak from cancer. I like helping, especially those that really need it and can't do it by themselves. I guess people imagine me smiling while I wade through piss and shit. I don't but at the end of the day I'm happy about what I've accomplished.

It makes me laugh because the place is so crazy. You walk by someone holding a dog and while they are holding a dog, you go "Hey Louie" and they go "Hey Seb" or you have whole conversations casually holding the dog like you're businessmen walking by wall street with suitcases. The dogs are really passive when you hold them, well most, you got the few psycho cases that you can't actually touch or look at without them wanting to bite your face off and the puppies that can't stay still, the rest just enjoy the ride or enjoy the ride and lick your face. The people who work there are tattooed hippies, old people and nurses.

The work itself is very draining though. Any breaks I do get aren't scheduled just whenever the supervisor gets a phone call or something and It happens to coincide with me being done with my current task. I sit down with who I call my little "Buddah baby girl". She's this tiny really weak puppy that has a parasite bloated tummy. I just make sure she doesn't have any ticks and talk to her while she sits on my lap and wags her tail. Out of the somewhere close to or around forty dogs I deal with daily she's the one that gets the most affection.


I've actually got a schedule going YAY ME! I'm actually awake and writing because I had to do my laundry since my choices on what to wear were rapidly dwindling because I let it lag behind. I'm waking early enough to deal with my own pets and plants though. Oh and I'm getting straight A's in summer school. So yeah I'm really happy with life right now :3