Tuesday's Activities!

Hello Friends

 

Wow, what a day!  I think we got to sleep at about 8:00am.  At 3:00pm I reported for duty at the front doors of the building at the “volunteer” and “owner” table.  There, people who want to work with the animals sign in and get a specific volunteer wristband.  Then they report to the area where they would like to work.  So far, small dogs and cats are getting the most volunteers.  The big dogs in the barn need a few more volunteers so tomorrow I will urge people to sign up there unless they have a fear of large dogs.  All the dogs here are super sweet.  Some of the sweetest of all are the pit bulls.  There a so many of them and I have yet to see one even remotely vicious. 

 

The other part of the front door work is checking in owners who are able to visit their pets.  Many of the owners are located here in shelters in Baton Rouge, some even staying at the shelter on campus.  Others are staying with friends and family nearby.  Of course others are scattered all across the country.

 

It’s great to talk to these people.  They have amazing spirit even with all they have been through.  They are understandably thrilled to be able to spend time with their pets.  I’m sure the pets feel the same way.

 

Several people came in and checked their pets in for us to watch until they get stable housing where they can be reunited.  It is hard for lots of them, but I think they realize that their pets are getting the best possible care.  They are very grateful.  It makes it all worthwhile. 

 

After that, I ran back to the rig to freshen up and pick up some cat toys having noticed that many of the cats had no toys in their cages. 

C-SNIP offered all of their handmade cat nip toys.  I brought a huge bag of lovingly hand crocheted and hand hand-sewn kitty toys with love from Michigan.  I started at one end of the cat area and made it completely through giving each cat a toy.  I had to wake most of them up to do it, but they were all so happy to have a toy to relieve their caged boredom.  When I passed back through, the place was buzzing with kitties high on catnip and remembering what it was like before the flooding.  So thank you so much C-SNIP for all the toys and thanks to Emma whose kitty gave some of her own toys which made it possible for every cat to get one!  If it weren’t for the extra toys that Emma insisted on donating, I would have had to walk away from the last cages without giving a gift. I felt like kitty Santa.  It was so far the best part of being here.

 

Last night I really bonded with 4 kitties that were in the barn.  I was sad to see they weren’t in there when I returned this afternoon.  I figured they had been taken to Lamar Dixon,(the other big shelter).  But when I was giving out toys, I found them all placed among the other cats.  Seems I received a little faulty intelligence and they were in the barn for a bit to be quarantined from the rest of the cats for a couple of days, not to be taken away.  They were not showing signs of sickness so they were allowed to leave the dog area and I can assure you they are much happier away from all the stinky dogs.  Nothing personal doggies…but you are kinda stinky when you all get together in one building. 

 

Some wonderful people are bringing in delicious food which is placed in a volunteer room that is air conditioned.  It feels so good to walk into a cool room after sweating like a pig.  Speaking of pigs, there is a pig in the barn and also a couple of ducks and chickens.  Not sure of their story, but I bet it’s a good one!  I am going to have to write a thank you note for the cooks because cooking is just totally out of the question and wasting time to go out to eat is also not on the program. 

 

Gabby spent another day rigging fans from the ceiling of the kennels.  Climbing 8 foot stalls like a monkey all to keep the dogs cool.  It’s grueling work because it’s really hot in the barn and the only fan blowing is the one that he is directing on the pooches.  So, no relief for The Gabb.  But boy is it fulfilling.   There are 500 stalls in the big barn, and so far 460 of them have fans installed and running.

 

Tomorrow I am going to continue working the front door and Gabby will install the other 40 fans.  I think once we both have a good night sleep, we will feel much better physically.  But right now, emotionally, we feel we really did the right thing by coming down here.

 

Please keep the animals displaced by Katrina in your prayers (as well as their humans).  The stories flow in to us about how many animals are still out there awaiting rescue and how other shelters are not as well organized and maintained as this one.  No matter what though, the animals are not being forgotten.  Everyone is doing their best to help mans best friends and cats who I call “man’s best reminder that they are only on this planet to serve them”.   Dogs have owners… but cats have staff!

 

Love from Baton Rouge,

Carol & Gabby