I just realized I haven't blogged about what I've been up to lately. Life has been so busy with so many different things and I'm hardly home during the day now which is good but also just means by the time I do get in, I am busy with Avery until bed time and then I'm ready to crash when she does.
So as some of you know, the morning I got Janie I had went to the Denton Animal Shelter and started volunteer orientation, something I have been wanting and waiting to do for quite some time. My initial thought was to help out with the dogs since we had gotten to know the dog coordinator during our 3 month adventure of finding our own family dog. However due to my schedule, I can't come when she mainly needs volunteers which is in the afternoon and evenings.
Plus, I fell in love with the cat room. Currently there is no cat coordinator and a sweet volunteer is semi taking over so they can get adoptions, fosters and rescues better. It's a lot of work! I started volunteering 2 weeks ago and it's turned into a part time job! I go in the mornings and sometimes end up staying 5-6 hours at a time. Apparently this was noticed by a LOT of people and I was approached with an offer. To become the Rescue Efforts Coordinator.
What this basically means is that while doing my volunteer duties I am also creating a database of all North Texas cat rescue groups, fosters and adoption centers with contacts to help ensure that if we get full, need a cat rescued, or kittens fostered....we have a organized and detailed way of finding that and better assuring our kittys get out of the shelter as quickly as possible. If a need comes in, it's my job to find placement and work out transport, etc.
Sounds easy, right? Yeah....
This is such a challenge, there are so many groups and rescues but hunting down their info and contacts is like PI work. It truly is all about who you know in this industry. Me being a bit of a newb, I don't know as many people or groups or sponsors and this week I was tested big time when we had 2 litters of week old kittens come in in need of foster care. I literally spent 10hrs on the phone and email trying to contact people and find people to take them in. I got it down but it drained me and I went into several stages of emotions.
Plus, add in the emotional attachment you find yourself getting with the cats. I currently have 17 babies I love on everyday and some have been at the shelter a long time. I even love my ferals and they hardly get rescued so some mornings I come into an empty cage and it breaks my heart. We are not a no kill shelter but our percentage of euthanizing is below 15%.
Yesterday was my first hard experience with this when I was the one that had to inform an officer of one of my sweet, docile, shy girls behaving oddly. She went from being able to hold, pet, brush and love on to being a hissing, drooling, foaming at the mouth wild animal in a matter of 48 hours. She was not the same cat and they tried to asses her to see if we could get her to the vet but it was clear....she needed to be euthed. Making that call was hard for me but I know it was what needed to be done. I didn't stay much longer after that, I was so defeated. When I went home Evan just reminded me I can't save every animal and that it's a reality I need to keep in mind if I plan on doing this.
I'll try to post a few pictures and stories of some of my sweeties past and present. I will say if you live in the Denton area, do yourself a favor and come see these amazing animals. It's puppy and kitten season so we are full, full full! Even if you don't adopt, you can come play with them, they love it!
Try volunteer work to, it's amazing what a difference you can make just by a few hours a week.
Happy weekend,
Brittnye
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