days starting early do not generally bode well. it means i am giving up some of my oh-so-precious sleep. today's sleep loss happened because i had agreed to pick up a very large dog from paws and bring him to work so that he could be neutered today. so. i picked up my helper all bright and early, and off we went. only to find that the dog had been fed! (despite large notes requesting that this not happen). see, if a dog has food in its tummy, we can't do anesthesia. so there went a wasted trip, a wasted chunk of scheduling at my office, and a waste of missing out on sleep. i really wish i was allowed to "fire" volunteers who can't/don't read notes or follow instructions. blah! so i started to mellow out by late morning, when our euthanasia appointment showed up. i choked and nearly hurled right there in the lobby. i have never seen a dog in such horrible condition. ever. the poor thing was an absolute skeleton except for one massive tumor or a ham leg. he could barely hobble, but the poor trooper still tried to wag his tail. tried, and it was a pathetic attempt. and it was his loving owner who brought him in. this poor, emotionally distraught man who had allowed his best friend to become so miserable before helping him out. i was torn between hugging and strangling the poor man. so i took the dog. took him and weighed him (he'd lost 40 pounds in a few months) and told him we would make it as quick as possible. and we did. and the poor guy finally isn't hurting any more. and we all choked back our tears and tried to be strong for li'l "butch".
and then i got to deal with the woman who cancelled her dog's spay appointment because she had heard that she could get it done cheaper through a paws voucher. yeah. but see, i'm in charge of issuing paws vouchers, and i don't give them to people who can afford to purchase a purebred puppy and just don't feel like shelling out a few more dollars to ensure she doesn't reproduce. i save 'em for people who take in a mutt off the street and have been saving up to get some vaccines.
and then i got to meet up with a kind foster soul who had poor elbe (former paws dog) dumped on her with the lie that paws refused to take him back. i don't know why the adoptive owners felt like they needed to lie or avoid giving elbe back to people who love him and will find him a new home, but hey. so i got to check him back in to the shelter after work. he has some kennel rage issues and set off the big new dog (who did not get neutered today). so after i set up elbe's kennel, i spent a good 20 minutes wrestling the big guy until he stopped trying to attack his gate. poor idiot. he's just a big galoot who would behave if he had any idea how.
and i gave up counting today the number of people who wanted advice, but not medicine, or wanted medicine but refused an exam (how do we know what medicine is appropriate without the vet examining an animal? my crystal ball is broken).
which reminds me, that, although my cats have broken a total of one glass thing ever (that i can recall) for some reason today was shatter day, and i lost both a drinking glass and a little vase to some kitty shenanigan. there were little shatters all over my counter, sink, floor, chair... and i'm sure i'll find some more as time goes on. wonder what happened.
and i'm sure i forgot some stuff, but i finished my bowl of leftover alfredo, so i'm gonna go to bed now.
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