Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Welcome to Hell - 2 hours at PACC intake

The Help Desk was set up to help give people other options to find homes for their "unwanted" pets. The shelter is past capacity with over 1000 animals right now.

I'm not naming names here. I just need to vent.



Here's a picture of silly dog outtake to help take the edge off....

It's something I've really wanted to do. I signed up and took the training. I love it but at the same time, it's not easy. It's not easy in the least bit. 

I hear the same excuses for dumping animals:

I'm moving
I can't give him/her enough time
I can't afford his/her medical treatment
They don't mesh with the other animals.

Today was really hard for me and I've had a difficult time putting my finger on exactly why. 

I guess it didn't start out the best...


There was an old boxer and the man had come in to euthanize him. He didn't have a leash on him but I soon discovered he didn't need one. The dog just pulled itself along with it's front legs as its back legs were useless. The back legs were covered in friction burns from being drug and the flies were just sitting on top of the wounds. He wouldn't keep the dog still and it kept moving around to one customer to another to another almost looking like he was begging for help. Soon he would collapse from exhaustion. A few minutes later, the dog was up again doing his rounds.  

How long had the dog been doing this?
About a month.
Have you taken him to a vet?
No. He's 10. I want him euthanized. They aren't supposed to live much longer than that anyway. 

One lady returned a puppy. She told me that the puppy was sick, was getting better but she just couldn't take care of him anymore. She had taken the dog to a vet and he had given her antibiotics. The dog wouldn't take the antibiotics so she took all of the pills, crushed them up and mixed them up in two ziplock bags of dry dog food. I asked her how she knew that the dog was getting the correct amount of antibiotics each day and she stated, "Well as long as he eats all the food, he will get them all and be fine". I knew there was no sense in correcting her and felt honestly that she was too stupid (sorry, not professional) to own a dog.


Later while driving home, my mother told me that the same woman told her the reason she was returning the dog was because she was going on vacation and had no one to watch him. She was not willing to give us any time to find a new home for the puppy.

A couple came in with two small terriers. They didn't "mesh" with their current dogs. They were both from ex's. Neither my mom or I could get a straight story out of them. The woman said that she does rescue so she knows what "all of this is about". She laughed and laughed and spoke in broken sentences. Thinking back on it, I bet they were high on something. We could never figure out their relationship and if the dogs were living together or not. The whole thing was really odd. They got tired of waiting and the man she came with decided he would give us a few days to look for a home for his dog. We started getting his information to follow up and then the woman talked him out of it!!!

Another man brought in a lactating German shepherd. He had found the poor thing a few days ago. Every time one of us walked over to her, she would poop. He couldn't keep her because he'd have to lock her up in his garage during the day. I gently suggested that is what is going to happen to her here. He then said his garage wasn't air conditioned. He didn't want any assistance, either.
  
A man and his infant son came in with a cat he found. The son was allergic to the cat and it was so hot and humid during the wait. I felt bad for the kid so I let them go in ahead of the couple with the terriers. As soon as I did that, the guy with the terriers came in to see why the infant got to go ahead of him, I guess. When he saw me, he turned back around and went outside.

After we clocked out, my mom and I walked around for a few minutes looking for a dog I wanted to show her. When we left, the couple with the terriers had pushed their way in anyway and the guy with the infant was still sitting in the corner. I asked if he was being helped and he said "no" and pointed to the couple.

There was a military guy that didn't want our help either. He sat there for a long time and then he got up and left with this dogs. I thought he was going to take the dogs out to pee or something but he never came back. Maybe he changed his mind. I don't know.

And this doesn't include the poor man that held his 15 year old beautiful and blind dachshund on his lap waiting for his turn for euthanasia.  He cherished this dog and had him for so long. All around him were these people "getting rid of" their dogs and cats for stupid reasons.

Not fun. I don't know when I'm going back. We did divert three animals from entering in the shelter so I guess that is something.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm in tears after reading this. I have no idea how you do it, but thank you so much for trying. I would become a raving maniac if I had to deal with any of those "people". -MP

happyhappy said...

Yeah it pretty much sucks when those type of people are the majority of people you see while working at the help desk

happyhappy said...

Yeah it pretty much sucks when those type of people are the majority of what you see while working at the help desk but it's true that the few animals you did help and were able to divert were worth it. <3

Princess Judy Palmer said...

Bless you. I couldn't do it. Remember that at least they brought them in and didn't jump dump them in the streets.

Fransisco said...

Why was my comment not posted????????

Fransisco said...

Why was my comment not posted????????

Fransisco said...

Why was my comment not posted????????

Fransisco said...

Why was my comment not posted????????

Fransisco said...

Pets ARE a settling of the soul. There is A REASON for their ability to comunicate, without saying a word. They Love And Protect without Conditions. They are irreplaceable! *I miss my Katana!! She is SHARP AS A SWORD and loving as a flower!) ='( I will never give up hope of find8ng her. -.- *city of Tucson, Az.* My life us not tye same w/o her! My heart sinks at her picture ....ppl who are so ignorant abt animals ticks me off!! Ugh! Pu! Pu!!

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