Random Bits from the SPCA

Before my shift in the cat adoption shelter on Sunday, I tried sneaking in early to take a picture of Ruby. Sadly (for me anyways, but much better for her) she was no longer at the SPCA. I hope she's in a happier home.

The dog I want to walk next: Bowie! Also a German Shepard, he seems like a very excitable dog (last week, as soon as all the volunteers starting getting the dogs out for their walk, he was jumping around and whining and barking impatiently). When I left on Sunday, I walked by his kennel. He was whimpering a little, so I gave him a few pets. He immediately lay down and smooshed himself against the fencing, so I stayed and petted him some more. Poor boy.

A cat in the adoption room made me realize how sweet and nice my little Zina is (even is she is afraid of being touched and cuddled sometimes!) Early in the afternoon this kitten was content to hide out in her box, but after a few hours and some attention she came out and let herself be petted. When it was quiet, I thought she'd like to get out and walk around the room for a bit. I let her out, but people started coming in so I needed to get her back in her kennel. As soon as I reached down to scoop her up, she let out a creepy "HIISSSSSSS" that made me freeze in my tracks. From then on, she was on to me as I tried luring her back in with treats and distracting her with toys, but to no avail. Furthermore, she hissed at all the other cats that were in their kennels for no reason! When my colleague finally was able to scoop her up, she was quiet for about a second until she let out this unearthly shriek, combined with the hissing and the protraction of every claw on her paws. I kid you not, it was like something out of the Exorcist. Creepy...

One more sad story about how pets can sometimes end up being neglected. The woman who ran the volunteer orientation told us how she had gotten one of her dogs from a rescue shelter. Apparently, the dog was from a backyard breeder who had adopted her out to an elderly woman. The woman had Alzheimers, and eventually, forgot that she owned a dog! As you can probably deduce, that meant that she also forgot to feed the dog, clean up the dog, etc. When they found her, she was literally close to death (the dog, not the woman), the hair had fallen off her tail so that it resembled a rats tail, and she was essentially skin and bones. She was nursed back to health, and is now lives with three other dogs in a better home.