New Job is Blowing my Mind (animal lovers, GET IN HERE)

[MikeyFingers]

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OK, this is a bit of a long read, but I think it's worth it. It's basically a summary of my new job, but in the end it says a lot for humanity in my local community. I am genuinely moved. Read if you like.

This past Monday I started working again, at long last. I've been in a pretty bad rut as far as work/money goes for most of 2010, so this was a great break for me and it came less than a week before Christmas, so ho ho for that.
I got a full-time position at a local animal shelter thanks to a friend of a friend. It is the only no-kill shelter in Nassau county, and oddly enough it's also the only non-profit organization of this kind anywhere in the area, running entirely on donations and the generosity of the public. I guess the local government doesn't care so much about the animals that aren't being killed
The job is pretty cool, except for the mornings. The first 2 hours or so is the disgusting part, when I get to clean out the dogs' cages and deal with all the sights and smells you might expect to find there. But the rest of the day is awesome. Walking the dogs, playing with the cats, and general upkeep (and there's a lot of it that you don't really think about until you're in there behind the scenes). It's a fairly small shelter, so it's pretty laid back and the staff is awesome...not to mention entirely female aside from myself
But now for the meat of the story, the things that really amaze me.

1: Quality of care. I cannot believe how well these animals are taken care of. Anywhere from 10-15 dogs at a time and something like 200 cats, and every one of them lives like a king in this place. They are extremely well-fed and their living quarters are thoroughly cleaned every day and exceedingly comfortable. Part of the job is "socializing" the animals. Which literally just means we get to play with them for a while every day so they stay friendly and used to human contact. This is fun. It's run more like a resort than an animal shelter. And the pooches living in those cages? Must be cramped right? Not at all. Firstly, every pen shares a common back-wall against the side of the building, which can be opened to allow the dogs into an outdoor section of their pen. Then we have 2 large yards outside. The dogs are rotated into the yards in half-hour turns throughout the day, in addition to walking them all regularly. This, combined with the efforts of our volunteers (who I will address later) gives each and every dog well over an hour of outside time every day, playing and running around all they want.

2: The people. The staff is incredible. I've had a lot of jobs in my day (including 3+ years in an operating room) and I've never seen dedication like this. 200+ cats? They know every one of them by name. 14 dogs? They know the eating, sleeping, and playing habits of all of them. Not to mention health concerns and dietary needs for every animal in the place, plus 2 vets on-call 7 days a week just in case. Every member of the regular staff is a die-hard animal lover and takes it so seriously, it borders on crazy. They treat these animals like people. In reality, they are just fuzzy little orphans. And thanks to the efforts of these extraordinary people, they are living well above what I expected to see.

3: The generosity. I could never have imagined how much people would come through for these animals. As I said, this place runs almost entirely on donations. Well, 4 or 5 times a day I have to clear out the office because there are PILES of dog food, cat food, kitty litter, cleaning supplies, blankets, toys, and every other kind of miscellanea you can imagine; and that's in addition the monetary donations. Cash and check donations come in daily, sometimes 20 bucks, sometimes several hundred or more. On top of all this, we have 4 or 5 volunteers who come in regularly (unpaid, in their own free time, because they want to), plus occasional community service workers. They help us with EVERYTHING. They clean, they do laundry, wash dishes, play with cats, walk the dogs, feed the animals, you name it. They are every bit as amazing as the staff themselves, if not more so.

Working here, even just for a week now, has shown me a side of humanity that most people never get to see, at least not on any regular basis. It's something that I haven't seen in a long time. The kindness, generosity, and passion that these people put into this work is absolutely staggering. I am blown away, and I will be more than happy to clean up some stinky-poo every morning just to be a part of something like this.

Oh yeah, and happy holidays, everyone.

[Relic]

This is a great thing to read - thanks for posting it.

I cannot say enough good things about no kill shelters and the dedicated folks at (the good) animal shelters in general.
My dog owes her life to small public dog pound in South Carolina - they had her since she was a pup and she was scheduled to be put down because basically no one wanted her and she had been there almost for a year. The folks at that pound however did not want to put her down because they all felt that she was a great dog. So they called around and around until they finally found a no kill shelter that would take her....in Princeton NJ. Someone there cared enough to drive her all the way from SC to NJ so she would have a chance.
We adopted her shortly after than and she's been like an angel since.

Congrats on the new job BTW!

[MikeyFingers]

Originally Posted by Relic

This is a great thing to read - thanks for posting it.

I cannot say enough good things about no kill shelters and the dedicated folks at (the good) animal shelters in general.
My dog owes her life to small public dog pound in South Carolina - they had her since she was a pup and she was scheduled to be put down because basically no one wanted her and she had been there almost for a year. The folks at that pound however did not want to put her down because they all felt that she was a great dog. So they called around and around until they finally found a no kill shelter that would take her....in Princeton NJ. Someone there cared enough to drive her all the way from SC to NJ so she would have a chance.
We adopted her shortly after than and she's been like an angel since.
Congrats on the new job BTW!

That's the kind of people that this job attracts, it really really is amazing. One of our dogs has been in the shelter for nearly 7 years, she's like royalty in this place. It's really sad in a way because it's almost a sure thing that nobody is going to adopt an old pound dog like her, who's never even seen the inside of a real home. But at least we take good care of her. If it were any other shelter around here, she would have been dead years ago.

OH yeah, that reminded me of our director. The director of the shelter is an absolute dog FREAK! We have this cute little terrier that was found wandering in the parking lot down the street. We didn't have an available pen to keep him in, so the shelter director took him home, no questions asked (and I'm told she does this all the time). She had the vet look him over, and brought him home until either someone claims him or we have an opening for him. And she already has 3 or 4 dogs at home.

[IconBasser]

sounds like you have a great thing going for you. Merry Christmas

[Skitch it!]

Thanks for sharing the vibe : )

Sounds like the perfect situation for you, good karma, coming back at ya ; )

[warwick.hoy]

Cool story.

Just to relate to #2. Dedication is the key. I worked for a vet that had boarding when I was 15 and irresponsible. I'm embarrassed to say that I neglected to check in on the animals one weekend and was canned the next day (I only worked there for a week). Can't say I blamed them and I grew up a lot that day. That said,...your morning routine was the same as my "upon arrival" routine (worked after school) and was pretty much why I couldn't be dedicated to it. All that feces.

[MikeyFingers]

^Yeah man, it's gonna take some getting used to. Fortunately, most of the dogs manage to control themselves and use the yard or at least the outside portion of their pens. But 2 or 3 of them just go right on the floor, or their beds....then they'll step on it and jump all over the place. So I have a few pens to clean up that have....stuff....all over the walls, the beds, the blankets, the food bowl, etc.
It's disgusting.
But like I said, that portion of the job only lasts about 2 hours or so and most of it isn't nearly that bad. I can gag my way through it, just gotta look forward to the fun part of the job when I get to take them outside and play around a bit.
And PS, didn't mention it in my first post, but probably the best part of the day is when one of them goes home with a good new owner. We introduced a pitbull/mix to a really nice couple today and they're probably taking him home in a few days, as soon as the references check out.
It really sucks that so many stupid ********'s ruined the reputation of pitbulls. They are wonderful dogs when raised and trained properly. I'm glad these folks saw that, they're about to have an awesome new dog.

[Kipaste]

Congratulations on the new job! And on a more selfish note, this post was a really generous christmas present. Thank you for what you're doing, sincerely.

I've also worked with animals my whole adult life. It's a lot of work and theres no money in it and there's so much cleaning of poop that it will definately make one question it all but I wouldn't change any of it. In time, you will most likely see horrible things and shed a fair share of tears, but every day you will work with some great people and animals that love you for all you do. I hope you enjoy your time and get to experience the unconditional love that seems to be a dying breed amongst humans.

[shadowtippy]

I have 4 cats because my late wife was involved with an animal rescue group. The oldest is now 8 and was feral. He was trapped and we took him in to get him neutered when he got old enough. When that time came, I had to catch him and put him in a pet carrier to take him to the vet. He did not want to be caught and had no intention of being put in the carrier. I was bleeding from several scratches and bites before I got him in the carrier. Coming home from the vet was much nicer because he was still sedated. It took another year and a half to get him more or less "tame" but he has become my favorite. He's still afraid of most people but likes to be with me and has mellowed out a lot.
Sorry about the ramble...I'm glad you and others are able to help make a difference for so many animals.

[MikeyFingers]

^It's awesome that you were able to take in a feral cat. We have a whole room devoted to them, and yeah they don't like people so much. You have to get them very young in order to make decent pets out of them.

I just got home from the shelter now. I had to do a half-day on Christmas, which sucks. But I'm getting paid for the whole day as a bonus, which is kicks ass.

Those freakin dogs are just too awesome, and I must be a dog whisperer or something, haha. Check this out.

I was playing with the "aggressive" one today. When I first got hired, they told me that Lucy (a pitbull-mix who has spent 7 years in the shelter) is very wary of new people and most likely won't be friendly with me for a long time, if ever. Today AND yesterday, less than a week after meeting this dog, I had her rolling around on her back, rubbing her belly. No problems at all.

And another dog, named Max (a big spectacular looking Coonhound, only about 18 months old), has been giving some of the girls trouble. He almost bit the manager, Tara, on the face when she was trying to put him in back in his cage. Apparently he has what they call "Cage Rage". He hates being in there and he always gets crazy when they try to put him back. And that's not very surprising, he's a hound! He's a freakin hunting dog, he should be outside running around in open fields chasing rabbits or something.
But once again, I have tamed the beast. I've been taking him in and out every day for walks and time in the yard and I guess he likes me, cause he's been absolutely perfect with me. I think if I had to pick a favorite, it would be him. I would have taken him home on my first day if I had room for a dog like that, and he is really a beautiful dog. I'll try to put up some pictures later in the week.

I am now officially the only person in the whole shelter who can get along with every single dog.

PS, if anyone in the New York City/Long Island area is looking for a dog or a cat, let me know. We have some great animals over there and I'd love to hook you up with a good pet. These guys need homes!

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by Relic

This is a great thing to read - thanks for posting it.

Absolutely - wonderful things to report on so many different levels. What a great Christmas post! Well done, Mikey.

[Lady Kayri]

Great post, reminder of what this 'season' should be about. Got two cats at present, both rescues, plus both spayed / nuetered thru the shelter, too. Sometimes I think they're so happy to no longer be in a cage, they spend the rest of their lives saying 'thank you.' Two of the most loving, cuddlesom cats I've ever had over the years.

[MikeyFingers]

Originally Posted by Lady Kayri

Great post, reminder of what this 'season' should be about. Got two cats at present, both rescues, plus both spayed / nuetered thru the shelter, too. Sometimes I think they're so happy to no longer be in a cage, they spend the rest of their lives saying 'thank you.' Two of the most loving, cuddlesom cats I've ever had over the years.

I noticed that about the shelter animals. I think they spend so much time alone or just sitting around in cages that when they do get adopted, or even when I just walk around the shelter and pet them, they are incredibly grateful for the attention. There's this big gigantic fluffy black & white cat we have, he's in the first cage as soon as you walk in, and so he's the first one I see every day. As soon as I walk in the door, he starts doing that funny cat thing where he rubs his entire body (face-first) along the side of his cage until I open it up and pet him for a minute. I love it, but I feel so bad that I can't take him. Him and these 2 black kittens in the next cage over, I would bring them home today if I could. The friendliest animals in the world.
Fortunately, he's "pending", so he should be going home with someone this week.

[superfunk47]

You have my dream job - congrats.

I would seriously do anything for a job like that. I've spent so many years cleaning up after dogs, it really doesn't bother me anymore. On top of that, nothing makes me happier than working with animals (not even music), so I can only imagine how it must feel getting to do that every day.

Glad to hear someone's giving them a Merry Christmas.

Any advice for a young guy on getting closer to that kind of gig?

[MikeyFingers]

Originally Posted by superfunk47

Any advice for a young guy on getting closer to that kind of gig?

Just go to your local shelter and ask if they need help. There's no special training required, they'll show you how to do everything (and it's all pretty simple anyway).
If you can't find a paying job at one of them, they will almost always accept volunteers if you're willing to help them out.

[superfunk47]

Originally Posted by MikeyFingers

Just go to your local shelter and ask if they need help. There's no special training required, they'll show you how to do everything (and it's all pretty simple anyway).
If you can't find a paying job at one of them, they will almost always accept volunteers if you're willing to help them out.

I figured. Just wondered if there were any special qualifications that would help in addition to a history of volunteer work and a love for animals.

[MikeyFingers]

Originally Posted by superfunk47

I figured. Just wondered if there were any special qualifications that would help in addition to a history of volunteer work and a love for animals.

If you have a history of volunteer work with this kind of thing and you love animals, you're in. I have absolutely no previous work experience with animals (I've always had pets, but never officially worked with them), but they gave me the job based on a good reference and an interview. If you're interested, just start asking the shelters in the area if they have any openings.
Chances are, they'll take you in no problem. From what I can tell, these places can't have enough help.

[MakiSupaStar]

This is great thread. Thanks.

[Ziltoid]

Awesome!

[DanAleks]

My wife & I donate to the local shelters on a regular basis, but I could never do your job. It would break my heart daily.

Bless you for taking care of the critters!!