Archive for the ‘humane society’ tag
Volunteering with dogs (or cats)?
Hi,
I had been planning to volunteer at my local humane society when I turned 14 (on the 20th 
) but when I went there to ask about the volunteer program and to tell them that I was planning to volunteer, they said that they were filled with volunteers and that they wouldn’t be open to volunteers until March or April!
So then I tried the shelter next door but they don’t allow any volunteers under the age of 18.
I tried looking around for places for me to volunteer at, but it seems like everywhere requires that you be 18 or older.
Do you know of anything that I could do that involves volunteering with animals?
Thank you,
~Emily
Oh, and before anyone suggests fostering, I live in military housing which imposes a limit on how many animals you are allowed to have living in the house. They say no more than two larger household pets (like dogs over 25 lbs.) and no more than three smaller household pets (cats and dogs under 25 lbs.) . Three animls is the maximum.
I have two dogs (50 lbs each) and one cat. So I am unable to foster dogs (or cats).
How to deal with the loss of your pet?
I have a story to tell if anyone is interested:
About three years ago,I moved out on my own and my wife(she was my girlfriend at the time) got me a dog so I wouldnt be alone. I had her for about 3 weeks when my wife rescued another dog. She told me she went to her friends house to visit and there was a loose dog and came up to her and just was as excited as could be. Her friend said that he was the neighbors dog,but they never took care of him. The owner,ironically,was a cop who got the dog at a shelter because his kids wanted one. The lady at the shelter told the guy that the dog was in that shelter for about 4 months,got adopted,and was pickup up again and brought back to the same shelter and she didnt want to see that again. The dog was always loose,not in a fenced in yard,never had any food,so my wife’s friend let him sleep in their outdoor kitchen at night and gave him food. The final straw was when the neighbors went on vacation,and left the dog behind,no one to watch him,no food,or anything. My wife’s friend called her and said that if she wanted him,to come pick him up,so she did. He ended up staying with me and I told my wife I couldnt keep another dog,so we would find him a good home,but I got attached so we kept him.
His hair was matted,and he stunk because he probably havent had bath in years. So,I gave him a nice haircut(even though he HATED the clippers) and a bath.After that,he seemed happy. Both of my dogs stayed inside most of the time and they always had food and treats available.
We took him to the vet because I’m sure he’s never had a vet visit and everything checked out fine,except he tested positive for heartworms. The vet wanted to schedule him to get treated for heartworms,but me being a college student and only working a few hours a week,I couldnt afford it. The vet told me to call the humane society to see if they could help with the cost. I called them and unfortunately,they could not help because they had a waiting list of dogs to be treated,but she gave me a number of a lady to call that could help me. I called her and she suggested herbal treatments and I bought a 3 month supply. She said that herbal treatments are better because the arsenic treatments they give at the vet’s office can cause cancer,and also yor pet has to be restricted at all times. The herbal treatments were natuaral and our dog could play all he wants.
I did the herbal treatments religiously and started seeing signs of improvement. Before treating him,he weighed 11lbs and didnt eat alot. After a few weeks of the treatment,he was more energetic,ate more,and gained 5 lbs. He seemed happier.
After I got married,I built a large outside cage for my dogs. Thinking the heartworms were gone,I started him on heartworm preventative,when I should have taken him to the vet to make sure.
He was fine up until a few days ago. I went outside in the morning to let them loose before I went to work and even though he seemed happy,he wasnt running as much and I saw that he didnt eat as much,but I didnt want to be paranoid so I let it go. I came home that afternoon from work and normally when I get home,they bark until I let them out. I didnt hear a bark. Thinking the worst,I ran towards the cage and he was there,happy as could be,but couldnt bark,and his food bowl was still full,which is not normal. I put him inside for the night,so we could monitor him.
The next morning,I opened the door for him to go outside,and he didnt want to.I had to pick him up and bring him and when he urinated,it was all blood. I told my wife and we hurried to the vet. The vet said that his kidneys were failing and that he was anemic,due to the heartworms. He gave us some antibiotics and gave him some shots to try to boost his immune system to get him feeling better. We brought him home and I went outside every 10 minutes to check on him.
I had to go to a wedding that night for my best friend.If he hadnt asked me to serve in his wedding,I would have stayed home to watch him,but not thinking the worst,we left. We came home about 6 hours later and found him nonresponsive and very stiff. My other dog,was laying next to him not knowing what was going on.
I buryed him the next day,underneath the tree he loved to lay under when it was hot outside. It hurts so much because when I go to the kitchen sink to wash dishes,I look outside and I dont see him. I see my other dog,all alone and confused.
He was a wonderful dog. Even though he was little,he had a big heart. He didnt like any dogs coming into his yard and he let them know. One day it was raining and he would not go into his igloo.He just kept barking,I went outside and put him in his igloo and I walked away. I turned around and he was back out,barking. The reason why is because the igloo opening wasnt facing the house to where he could see. So I turned it and he went inside and layed down.
He was a true mutt. A mix between a yorkie/poodle/maltese,and cocker spaniel. Wha