Struggling With Play Time

[Animal Freak]

No, not right at all. It's so weird to me that they would be so casual and laughing about their child being bit like it's nothing and yet still returning the dog. If it was nothing, then why return the dog? If was serious then why laugh about it? Doesn't seem to me it's right for the dog or the child. I didn't meet the two dogs when they were in the shelter before, but from what I've heard they were very codependent and both very shy/nervous. Maybe after a year they've both become independent enough to be okay, but if they're that attached to each other then I'd imagine it could be hard for them to form a relationship with a person and if they don't have that relationship with a person then how can anyone help them build confidence?

Talent is a great boost, but, in my opinion, not necessary. I do think there is a link between talent and motivation and desire to do something.

I hope so. Or maybe the lady will just keep him. Sounds like she has enough cats. What's one more? You barely know he's there. The foster does a lot with bottle babies and feral kittens, so she's probably the right person to take him. I kinda miss the angry little boy though. Who else will meow at me, hiss at me, and then reach out and touch my finger?

Apparently, Moose was adopted again. Seems kinda quick to me. I'm happy for him, but it just seems odd that it took so long to find the first home and now he's gone again in less than a week. I hope this dog doesn't keep getting passed around.

Roscoe needs a lot of training. He needs it seven months ago.

I don't get a ton of ads on this site. Might be worth trying a different antivirus? I know I saw a difference between Avast and Eset with preventing pop-up ads and the like.

I always miss the animals. Three of my favorites got adopted this week without me being there to say goodbye.

 

[calicosrspecial]

They were casual and laughing????? ARGHHHHHHHH Yes, I can understand your concern but sometimes that actually can help form a relationship with humans. BUT maybe it depends on the humans more...................................... :/

Fair point and agreed.

Oh my................... She sounds awesome. Oh wow, she really sounds awesome!!!! Yes, he will be missed. But hopefully he has found his forever home!!! I hope. There is something special about a cat like that. I had a feral that never became a part of the colony but came for food that was like that.

Interesting. I think it is good. I hope he isn't in and out. Moose does seem like a good dog so it should work out.

:/ Yep :/ But fundamentally he seems like a good dog.

Yeah, I don't get a ton BUT when one shows it takes really long to load. I do agree, I think this anti virus is not working for me. And they are always trying to sell another service...................................

Yes, saying goodbye is NOT easy. BUT thy (hopefully) are finding a better life. But it is hard to say goodbye. It is easy to get attached. :/

 

[Animal Freak]

It sounded like a terrible situation. Yes, it could be helpful if the people have a good relationship with the other dog. Like I think my dogs could certainly help teach a more fearful dog to be confident and trust, but my dogs have a good relationship with me and are confident dogs without a previous relationship to any other dogs I'd bring in. If they were fearful themselves then I wouldn't expect them to be able to help and could possibly create more fear. I don't know where her sister's confidence is at now, so I don't really know but others have voiced their concerns too and they're people whose opinions I take seriously.

I've only met the foster a couple of times, but she did drop everything and come help us feed a tiny bottle baby that was picked up off the streets who we were told was older than she actually was. Unfortunately, we do have a litter of kittens who are kind of going down Keanu's path. One of the four is totally fine. Super friendly and social. The other three are absolutely terrified. The fact that we had to give them all meds for several days probably doesn't help. One gave me a pretty good scratch down my arm when I did meds once. I'm trying to find time to work with them and did get all but one to eat some food from a spoon for me. They're not as aggressive as Keanu was. He would swat, these guys just cower.

Moose is a great dog. He pretty quickly became a favorite of the shelter once he opened up.

Oh, yes. A fantastic dog. Very sweet, affectionate, loving, devoted, eager to please.... Just no impulse control whatever. I worked with him a bit yesterday. He sits well and has mostly mastered dropping the ball. I've been working on him sitting instead of jumping. He understands the concept, but just has such a hard time controlling himself. We've also worked on down, roll over, and leave it. He catches on fast and did better at leave it than I expected him to. Loves the tennis ball, loves treats, and really just loves attention. He's great, but I couldn't handle living with him.

I only have one horizontal bar across the top. I've never used Norton, so don't know anything about it, but a change might be good.

It's hard when you don't get to say goodbye too. I like being there when they go rather than just never seeing them again. Caleb was adopted yesterday though and I was there when they made the decision. So happy for him. I hope it works out. They were cautious sending him home with kids or other dogs and these people had both, but apparently the meet went really well. Now we just have one long timer dog left.

We did get a cat named Noel. She was not in good shape. Thin, missing fur, eyes didn't look quite right. She wasn't eating much of anything and on Christmas she was vomiting and having diarrhea. The next day she still wasn't doing great. Our vet isn't there on weekends. Fortunately, our most recent hire has worked as a vet tech assistance so, after talking to the vet on the phone, it was decided she'd give Noel fluids. I held the cat and we had someone else hold the IV bag. I had to leave shortly after that, but she didn't get any better and was taken to an emergency clinic where she spent the night. Unfortunately, the next she passed away. She was a sweet cat. Deserved so much better. I hope she was comfortable when she went.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Terrible is an understatement. Agreed. Ohhhhhhhh, not good. HOPEFULLY her sister is better.

She sounds great. Yep. It happens. And giving meds to kittens like that is really hard. :/ It is sad.

Awwwwwwwww

Wow. Smart. Well, hopefully he can get out of it or at least have it more manageable. Sounds like progress. Well, maybe not yet. But if he keeps making progress he could be really good.

Oh, I get them on the sides as well. :/ Yep, I think you are correct. :/

Yes. Caleb went home?!?!?!?! GREAT!!! Oh my, well, I hope it stays good.

Ughhhhhhhh, SO SAD.

 

[Animal Freak]

Yes, I hope it all goes well, but I have a hard time looking optimistically. I tend to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. They may not bring her back if the only problem is being nervous, but if neither dog can open up when together then I'd say it would be best that they did bring her back and let her have a chance to find her own place in life. But here's hoping it all works out.

She's definitely been helpful. Yes, it's not easy. Most of them just wanted to get away and didn't scratch or anything, but one was going to get away no matter what it took.

Very smart. I haven't seen many dogs catch onto things so quickly. I think he just needs consistent exercise and consistent work. The consistency in training is the hard part though because most people won't take the time to work with him. He's difficult for me to handle, so it's a bit hard and progress is slow. He's picked up the training quickly, but the basic manners are difficult for him. Well, scratch all that. I just checked our database for all the animals and apparently Roscoe was adopted. I did not know that. Guess I'll be missing that pain in the butt too.

Oh, yeah, I don't have anything on the sides. The site is actually pretty good about not having a ton of ads for me.

I know. I'm so happy for him and I hope it all works out, but it will be strange not having him in the shelter. He came to us exactly two weeks after I started working at the shelter.

Yes, it was very sad. We didn't have her for very long, but it was hard to not form an attachment to her with all the worrying and trying help her. Watching her go downhill was hard. It's been an emotional week for sure with a lot of ups and downs. We have another cat who hasn't been eating though she acts fine. Very sweet, social cat. Just wants attention all the time. We can't figure out why she won't eat.

 

[calicosrspecial]

s an:/ Understand. :/

Yes. I like people like that. Yep, that is how a lot of cats are. :/

VERY smart!!! Yes and yes. Someone strong needs to adopt him. Yes, sometimes smart dogs do think they are above manners. :/ Whoa, adopted?????? OK then........................... I hope it is someone that can handle him.

Interesting................................

Yes. Awwwwwwwwww. Pretty cool.

Yes. There are always those downs. It is hard. But hopefully the ups carry everyone through. Awwwwwww, well, maybe she is just unsure. As long as she is acting fine. Hopefully it is just he adjustment. Did she come from a home or the streets?

 

[Animal Freak]

Two of the shy kittens have taken food from my hand. One is still too scared to take food. The one social one got adopted though.

I think he just had the mentality of a four-month-old puppy. He didn't get to really be a puppy, so he was making up for it. I'm kind of surprised he got adopted so quickly, but then not really. I knew he'd get apps and people would want him but wasn't sure anyone would want to deal with him. He's a very eager-to-please type of dog though, so I don't think it's a matter of refusing. He's just incapable because he doesn't know better and he can't control himself.

I still forget Caleb isn't in the shelter. He'd been there for so long.

The cat acts fine which is what is so strange. She doesn't seem scared or stressed. Very affectionate. She was an owner surrender. They gave her up for peeing outside the box. She's supposed to be getting a special diet (same as Ash's), but she hasn't been eating it. We've finally gotten her to eat some dry food, but it's not her special diet and she doesn't eat very much. She's kind of a chunky cat too, so she had to of been eating when she was in the home. She's been with us for almost 2 weeks at this point.

So we got two new dogs. They were put in the database as medium sized black and tan dogs. I was thinking maybe hound-types or possibly terrier-types. What I was not expecting was two very large German shepherds. One is a beautiful long-haired GSD and the other has floppy ears. The long haired is really big. Maybe not as quite tall as Osiris, but probably pretty close and definitely a lot bulkier. Look like show-lines though. They both have the sloped backs.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Awwwwwww, PROGRESS!!!! Food is the best way.

Awwwwwwwww. I do know the type. I will admit, I do kinda like that in dogs. :/

:/ You miss him

Something was causing her to go outside of the box. Was she cleared medically? Something might be going on. Though odd she acts normal. Hmmmmmmmm Poor thing.

Awwwwwwwwwwwww. How did they end up in the shelter??????? They will not last long.

Happy new year!!

 

[Animal Freak]

There's a little white one that's very scared though. I'm just hoping that the other two getting better will help that one because that one just runs if I move anywhere near him. The other two won't let me touch them, but are getting quicker to accept food.

Roscoe certainly had a lot of great traits. I love working with the dogs who are genuinely eager to work with you. But that craziness was way too much for me. He was just way too big and strong to be acting like that. He could do some damage to people and himself. I've seen him land less than gracefully a few times when he was jumping like crazy.

Caleb was a good dog. I did hear there were some issues with him spraying in the house and causing the other dog to spray, but hopefully it was just an issue for the first couple of days and things have settled. I haven't heard anything else and he hasn't been brought back yet.

She was put on a UR diet, so she was seen at some point, but I have no idea what the vet said. The diet obviously doesn't work if they surrendered her because of the peeing. I don't know if our vet has done anything or not. Probably not. The cat has peed in her bedding at least a couple of times but seems to use the box most of the time. I do smell urine when I walk past her cage a lot but can't seem to find where it's coming from. I don't know if her litter box smells that bad or if there's more in the bedding that I haven't found.

They were owner surrenders, but no one has put up their owner surrender form in our database yet and I forgot I was going to look for it when I was at work yesterday. I'll try to remember today. I think at least one already has an app, but we've been close since Wednesday because we've had people get Covid. They're sweet dogs, but total opposites. The long-haired one is pretty good in the kennel, but excitable when you take him out. The floppy-eared one seems very anxious in the kennel (barking, howling) and is difficult to get out, but is much calmer once he's out.

Happy new year!

 

[calicosrspecial]

Hopefully. It does help to see siblings get along. But some cats are more skittish. Keep trying.

Yes, he seems like a really smart great dog. Oh, I know, it is scary. I have had and been with dogs like that. It is scary for smaller people. :/

Yes. Oh wow, spraying? :/ That is not good. I am surprised. Well, I hope it works out.

Oh poor thing. Hopefully the vet can take another look. :/ Could be stress, fear, etc though. Heartbreaking.

I wonder why they would surrender. Might have been unpreventable though. Interesting. I am sure they are both great dogs.

Oh my, stay safe. This Omicron is really contagious I guess. But it does sound like the vaccine keeps it from getting too bad in most people.

Happy New Year!!!!

 

[Animal Freak]

I will, but I don't always have time. The two definitely seem like they'll get there eventually though they may always be a bit skittish. I do worry about the little white one though. Could be another Keanu. Not as mean though. Lol.

He was definitely smart and really did want to work with you. When he could settle down and think properly. It's definitely difficult. Boy, one of the GSDs, can be a little crazy too, especially when initially getting him out of the kennel. He was neutered recently, so limited to walks and I don't think it's enough for him. Not as difficult as Roscoe though.

From what I heard, it was just one time so hopefully that was it. He did pee on me once and never did it again.

Well, she'd been doing it in her home too, so I don't think it's specific to being at the shelter and she really seems okay. And I found out why I kept smelling pee but couldn't find it. She's peeing on the wall behind the cage and the blankets/sheet we hung up on her cage to give her privacy. It does seem to be mostly around the litter box. Like she's getting in it, but then peeing too high up.

From what I heard (may or may not be entirely true) the owner had to look after a family member and surrendered both dogs. Bubba (long-haired) did get adopted the other day. Boy has a meet Saturday. One lady who goes through the applications said there was a lady interested in him who is a trainer who does agility and obedience and has shepherd experience which sounds great for him. He is a little more anxious than his brother was. Doesn't do as well in the kennel. Very sweet though. He did punch me in the throat when I sat in his kennel with him though...

We finally got our Covid people back and now someone else tested positive. We just bought a couple of test kits, so I'm going to be getting tested. I've already taken three extra shifts and will probably volunteer to take Saturday as well. And I start school Monday.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Yes, time is an issue. :/ I know. Poor little white one. Let's hope someone comes around and adopts................

Yes. Oh my. He (GS) wasn't neutered before???? Arghhhhhhhhh

Good, hopefully one time only.

Oh, she could be one of those cats (high pee'er). :/ Hopefully it is that and not territorial insecurity. Poor thing. Is she a big cat, long?

Oh, that makes sense. Wow, that prospect sounds great for him!!! Yep, I have been hit many times............... not fun but not there fault either.

Ughhhhh. Yep, this omicron is so contagious it is crazy. It is really scary for people like me. Oh my, you are so busy and school starts. Stay safe firstly and try not to work too hard. Hang in there, the time will go quickly. :/

 

[Animal Freak]

Yes, it's not always easy. A volunteer has been working with them too and has gotten further than I have. Unfortunately, the shy ones don't have very good adoption rates. We have one (Archie) who is actually very sweet, but a little bit skittish and he's been here for several months now.

No, neither of the GSDs were. It's pretty common.

Yeah, I hope so.

She's not particular a particularly large cat, but a bit chunky. The litter boxes we use in cages are pretty small, but then she was having issues in her home too. I would hope they thought to use larger/taller boxes before surrendering her since they claimed to have 'tried everything.'

Yeah, I think it sounds good too. He definitely needs a little help, and his anxiousness shouldn't deter a trainer. They should be able to work with him. He's a good dog overall. Haha, yeah. He got a little too excited and felt the need to jump on me even though I was already on his level. Got me right in the throat. It hurt.

The one who is sick now had gotten tested after the others tested positive and was negative, but now apparently she retested and came up positive. It's been a lot, but I already told my manager I wouldn't be able to help as much after school starts. This will probably be the last time for a little while. And it's our newest hire that would be working by herself Saturday. I didn't want her to do that.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Yes :/ Oh that is really good. Two is better than one in a lot of ways. Yes, but there is a home, they just need to match.

Wow. Really? Common?????

Yes!! Sounds like it probably was.

That could be the easy reason. So sad. Hopefully it is the easy reason.

Agreed. Oh, I know it really hurts. The "jaw bang" is bad too especially when the teeth collide. Been there and done them all too many times............................ I am glad you are ok.

Ughhhhhhh, I think that happens often. I was told by someone that everyone is going to get omicron at some point. It is really scary. Well, you can't. Ughhhhhhh, the new hire alone. But what else can be done? It is just horrible what is going around.

Stay safe above everything!!!

 

[Animal Freak]

Yeah. The volunteer is there a lot. Definitely more than me. She works almost entirely with the cats which is good since apparently most of staff aren't cat people. It just seems that the longer the cats are here, the older they get, the harder it is to find them homes. Right now is the best time for them to be adopted, but no one wants a skittish cat. We really need to work with these guys because Keanu has already proven how difficult it is to adopt out a cat who isn't immediately friendly.

I can tell you most of the dogs that come from Arkansas aren't neutered when we get them. Owner surrenders are probably more 50/50. A lot of people do get their dogs altered, but a lot don't.

Heather, the cat, is definitely peeing around the litter box. They put puppy pads in the cage and hooked up to the back behind the box. I haven't noticed it anywhere else. She also does sometimes pee in the box, so she's not consistently peeing high up. I put a taller box in there the other day, but she had a short one again yesterday, so it didn't do me any good. I'm going to try to switch the box at the beginning of my shift today so I can keep an eye on it the entire time I'm there.

Ah, yes, that's not fun. Boy has to wear a cone right now because his neuter incision split open and I hate it when they have to wear cones. I always get smacked with them and they get shoved into my legs. Boy did have his meet, but they opted to not take him. The lady was looking for a dog for her elderly parents and was afraid he'd be too much for them. I understand that, but I am very worried about him. He is an anxious dog. He's excitable. He lacks focus. He's going downhill fast. He's been peeing out of excitement a lot, but also for some reason when we go to get his bowl after he eats, he runs around and cowers and pees everywhere. He threw up yesterday. I just don't think he's going to do well.

We have another dog, named Tucker, not doing well either. For the most part, he's a good, friendly dog, but he's been acting very aggressive if we walk by his kennel after he eats. The other day he did it before I'd even fed him.

Well, so far so good. We picked up some at-home Covid tests from Walmart and I've tested twice now, both times negative. I did pick up the Saturday shift. I wouldn't leave the new hire to work alone. And we just hired a new kennel staff today.

My term at college started Monday and yesterday they started having technical difficulties. Today their difficulties finally reached me and apparently we won't have access until this evening or possibly tomorrow. And there's supposed to be a couple of assignments due today that I can't get done because of this.

Sorry if some of this is weird or doesn't make sense. I started typing it a few days ago and didn't have time to finish it.

 

[calicosrspecial]

It is so great they have volunteers. And it is great they know what they are doing. Agreed. :/ It is hard to find enough of the "right" people for those cats.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

:/ I am interested to see what you find out. It is good she sometimes uses the box. I just wonder if it is medical.

He is a GS though. He will find as great home and be ok. It breaks my heart to see a cat or dog react like that. Someone like us will come along.

:/ Poor Tucker. What kind of dog? Food aggression is it?

Whew. Stay safe and make sure you have a good mask that fits really well. Oh you did do the Sat shift. Yes. :/ Good you hired another person.

Ughhhhhhhhhhh. Well, THAT is a good reason for not getting them done. It IS better than "my dog ate my homework"!!! You are probably not in the mood for jokes but I hope it lessens the stress a bit.

Weird or doesn't make sense????? Nope. Makes total sense and nothing weird at all. A lot going on. Some of the negative shelter experience is happening. Just try to hang in there and do your best. You are making a positive difference. I know it is tough to see Keanu and Tucker and Boy and the skittish cats. But try to think of all the successes.

And good luck with school. I hope the technical difficulties get resolved soon.

 

[Animal Freak]

Well, some know what they're doing. Some think they do. She gave up pretty quick on Keanu and said they "had a mutual dislike" for each other. He was terrified of the world and went after anyone he thought might hurt him. It wasn't specifically her.

I'm thinking more behavioral. Looks to me like she's getting in the box, but then peeing really high up. She had to have been seen by a vet to be put on this food and, since it didn't stop, I'm thinking the food was just a last resort to try to fix it without knowing what the issue is. I'd like to try a really tall or possibly closed box, but she can't be in the rooms while on a special diet and there's not enough room in her cage. Plus all the boxes would need to be like that and we don't have many like that.

Boy did get adopted. Unfortunately, don't know anything about them. I hope it works out. I'm glad he's out.

He's a mix for sure. Don't have much to go by to guess his breed. I'll try to find a picture when I have time. Medium-sized. Definitely food related, but not when he actually has food. It's usually when he's done eating, but the other day he did it before I fed him too. I'm pretty sure he'd bite too. He has a history of getting snappy when being restrained.

Will do, of course. Oh yeah. I wouldn't leave her to work alone. I just waited in hopes someone else would.

They rescheduled the start of the term, so we're restarting next Monday. I just didn't like that they weren't saying anything about our classes. I would assume they'd have to delay deadlines, but with such short terms, there's not much room to work with. Guess that's why they decided to just restart. We wouldn't have been able to finish.

I just wasn't sure if it would be disjointed. I haven't had a ton of time, so didn't redo it or really even read through everything to know what I'd already said though I did skim and try to check to avoid repeating info. It was a lot for a while, but got a little bit of a break and now I feel like I'm missing out on everything at work.

We had a cat get loose. Really scared, unfriendly FIV+ cat. Apparently the top of the cage was broke and he got out. I was the one who noticed he was missing and that the cage was broke, but not there for when they managed to catch him.

We also got nine new dogs from Arkansas and another new one yesterday, so 10 dogs I haven't met yet. One is a husky. I'm excited to meet that one.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Yes. Oh, that is odd of her................

:/ Well, it can be a space, size issue. But agreed, if a cat is on that food then a vet must have recommended it. Poor thing. Ughhhhh, poor thing. Could be medical, pain, etc. So many things. I hope someone can look into it.

Awwwww, I would think a good home. Not surprising but happy for him.

Yes, a pic please. Well, that can be handled by the right family.

Good. I know you wouldn't. Smart.

That is good.

Oh no, it was perfect. I would have never known. Oh my, just take a step back and try to regroup. It sounds like you were really busy.

:/ Oh my, it happens. I hope he didn't get into it with anyone.

Oh my. So many from Arkansas................. :/ Oooooooooo, a Husky!!!! Now you have a lot of dogs to look forward too!!!

 

[Animal Freak]

I thought so as well. I think she likes to 'fix' animals but doesn't like feeling like she's failing or unable to.

I don't honestly know if our vet has looked at her or done anything. I know a request for her to be checked out was put in. I don't know if anyone else knows more about what the vet the previous owners saw said. I really don't know much of anything. Just going on what I've observed and what little I do know, I don't see any real signs of it being a medical problem. The special diet isn't helping and she is going in the box. Not like Ash when he has a UTI and pees on towels, laundry, etc. Would certainly be nice to know. A medical issue would be an easier fix. It'll be hard to adopt her out if it's behavioral.

I hope so. GSDs go fast which is good for their mental well-being, but can be a bit concerning too since you have to wonder if it was really the best fit. A lot of people like GSDs, but that doesn't mean all of them should have them.

I'll post a pic below. I don't have any of him that I took, but I can find one. He's kind of an odd dog. His reaction is pretty severe. I kind of feel like sending him to a home like that would be irresponsible of us because this is a dog who has proven he will bite. We don't need him coming back with a bite history.

Okay, now school has started. For the second time. Hopefully the last time for this term! It's been weird. Lol.

It was definitely a bit hectic for a bit, but calmer now. The last person who got Covid wanted to pick up extra shifts, so she took my shift today. I worked yesterday and won't work again until Saturday which is weird.

I don't think so. He's in a room with three other cats now. He's just scared and hiding.

Plus two returns! We got a dog back yesterday who was adopted as a puppy. His name is Dax. Medium sized dog. Has apparently bitten seven people including the wife and their three children. Very attached to the husband, didn't bite him. He has drawn blood, but no serious damage. Would growl at kids when they walked into the room, etc. No obvious triggers. And guess who happened to be the nearest staff member when he came in! Me, of course. So I got to deal with the potentially aggressive dog. Except he seemed fine. I walked just barely within reach since he was on leash and stood sideways to him. He came up, sniffed me, wagged his tail, etc. I didn't touch him though. Shortly after an experienced volunteer approached him, tossed him a treat, which he sniffed and then walked past. He went up to her, head down, tail almost tucked, sniffed her, and then growled and lunged at her. The lady who brought him in jerked him back, no contact made with the volunteer. The owner walked him back to the kennel, so I didn't have to take his leash, but led them back and walked right by him at one point. No issues. He was growling at pretty much everyone from his kennel though, but he was definitely very scared. Our trainer was there yesterday evening, so did work with him a bit, but wasn't able to get him out of the kennel. She went back this morning, but I haven't heard anything about it. I'm worried it might be genetic though. These people have had this dog since he was a puppy. Unless they really just messed up with socialization and did literally everything wrong, I don't see why else this dog would end up like that other than genetics. I'm certainly no expert though.

On a brighter note, the husky is adorable, of course. Lol. Very, very pretty dog. A little on the smaller side. Makes growling noises when he's happy, apparently. Did not initially know though, so he's given a couple of people a bit of scare with that. He's somewhat aloof with both people and dogs, but friendly.

 

[Animal Freak]

This is Tucker: