Shelter Day!
Jun. 2nd, 2016 10:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormdogI walked Brooklyn, the wiry and dis tractable pit-mix again today. Three other folks and I made a circuit around the park, and keeping the four dogs mostly together helped keep them on task and more interested in walking than the other distractions around. Brooklyn did do her thing once where she decides she's done walking and stops and lies down. I picked her up and carried her for thirty yards and put her down again by which point she'd forgotten that she hadn't wanted to keep following along with her friends.
A new dog, Rocky, whose length suggests he might be part Dachsund, (probably part Corgi too) is really nervous about people. A volunteer who he's comfortable with sat down with me and some cat treats (he loves cat treats) to help acclimate him to a male-looking person. We laid down a metaphorical breadcrumb trail of kitty treats leading to my lap which he happily hoovered up, getting closer and closer to me. Eventually, he was willing to eat from my hand sometimes, at which point we moved to sit side by side. That way, Rocky could sit in the other volunteer's lap and feel safe while I fed him and tried to touch him. I started putting a cat treat in each hand and putting one in front of the other so that as he ate the second treat, I could pet him with my first hand. Though he was still nervous about me by the time we stopped to do end of day chores, we made some progress.
I'm so happy that Blue, a big friendly pittie with an infectious smile, is going back to her people! She is a custodial case; her people lost their home and surrendered her while they tried to find a new one. It sounds like they will be able to take her back shortly. She's a well socialized dog, which speaks well of them, so I'm glad she's going to be back home. While a group of us had her out at the end of the day, she did the most vicious thing I've ever witnessed a pit bull do, jumping onto my lap and vigorously licking my face and arms.
I had a nice talk with the shift captain about what I'm doing these days and my experiences in Syracuse and things. She asked how long I'm going to be in the area and was happy that I'll be around for a couple years because she wants me on her team. It feels so good to think that I'm good with these dogs and am really helping and being validated.
Lastly, someone abandoned a Shih-Tzu-mix, now named Hardy, who ended up at the shelter. He was left in a closed cage on a Laurel Avenue street corner. His fur was so matted that it restricts his movement and causes him pain. It hangs in matted dreadlocks from his face, and is so overgrown on his paws that he's walking on matted fur instead of on his foot pads. To that person, I say with sincerity, go fuck yourself, asshole.
A new dog, Rocky, whose length suggests he might be part Dachsund, (probably part Corgi too) is really nervous about people. A volunteer who he's comfortable with sat down with me and some cat treats (he loves cat treats) to help acclimate him to a male-looking person. We laid down a metaphorical breadcrumb trail of kitty treats leading to my lap which he happily hoovered up, getting closer and closer to me. Eventually, he was willing to eat from my hand sometimes, at which point we moved to sit side by side. That way, Rocky could sit in the other volunteer's lap and feel safe while I fed him and tried to touch him. I started putting a cat treat in each hand and putting one in front of the other so that as he ate the second treat, I could pet him with my first hand. Though he was still nervous about me by the time we stopped to do end of day chores, we made some progress.
I'm so happy that Blue, a big friendly pittie with an infectious smile, is going back to her people! She is a custodial case; her people lost their home and surrendered her while they tried to find a new one. It sounds like they will be able to take her back shortly. She's a well socialized dog, which speaks well of them, so I'm glad she's going to be back home. While a group of us had her out at the end of the day, she did the most vicious thing I've ever witnessed a pit bull do, jumping onto my lap and vigorously licking my face and arms.
I had a nice talk with the shift captain about what I'm doing these days and my experiences in Syracuse and things. She asked how long I'm going to be in the area and was happy that I'll be around for a couple years because she wants me on her team. It feels so good to think that I'm good with these dogs and am really helping and being validated.
Lastly, someone abandoned a Shih-Tzu-mix, now named Hardy, who ended up at the shelter. He was left in a closed cage on a Laurel Avenue street corner. His fur was so matted that it restricts his movement and causes him pain. It hangs in matted dreadlocks from his face, and is so overgrown on his paws that he's walking on matted fur instead of on his foot pads. To that person, I say with sincerity, go fuck yourself, asshole.
