Spay and Neuter Education

[JesseJoe]

Hi, y?all. I wrote something I wanted to post here. It is for all you animal lovers who understand the importance of spaying and neutering companion animals. And for all you animal lovers who still don?t get it. I wrote this for our shelter?s newsletter and call it ?A Day in the Life?? My hopes are to educate and help people to understand that sometimes we do what we have to, not because we like it, but because we care and it is necessary.

As the Special Events Coordinator, it is not part of my job description to handle animals. But I do handle animals. I handle the ones I have taken a particular interest in or bathing, exercising and driving adoptable animals to remote adoption locations where ample volunteers are waiting to ?take them off my hands.? Isn?t that handling the animals? Not by a long shot.

Recently I asked to work for a day as an Animal Care Attendant. I wanted to understand what they really go through each day, thinking it would help me do my job better. Did I ever receive an education!

I was scheduled in at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 15. I awoke at 4:30 a.m. wondering if I would be able to do what I had observed others doing for the over four years I have been employed by the shelter. I arrived at Japonica Street at 5:45 a.m. with coffee in hand. Cathy L?Herisse, whom I would be working with that day, was already there.

After a short while we got started. First, she hooked me up with all the necessary safety equipment: surgical mask and gloves, back brace and ear protectors. Then off we went. I was asked to unlock all the cage doors while Cathy and Cynthia Farin mixed the dog food in a wheel barrel. I later learned that they usually have to open 30 cans of dog food with a manual can opener to mix with the dry. This provides the dogs ?meat? for the day. But there was no canned dog food this day. So they just took the dry, and moistened it with water, stirring it with a shovel. I was still unlocking the cage doors when Cathy started placing filled food bowls outside each cage. Cynthia had gone to start her job of caring for the puppies in Lala. For Cathy and me it was up and down each row opening the doors and pushing the bowls inside. This was the easy part of my day.

Cathy had pulled out three big water containers and a 200-foot water hose. One by one each dog had to be removed from their kennel. That was my job. Put the ski rope leash on them and walk them out, trying to remember to bring out the sometimes still-full food bowl with them. Sounds easy right? Try holding a dog on a skinny little plastic leash when all he wants to do is run and hide. Now try bending down to grab the food bowl at the same time the dog shoots off through the open door. My hands hurt within minutes.

Not all the dogs wanted to run. Because of fear, some didn?t want to come out of their kennel at all. Some came readily out and just wanted to get as close to me as possible. It didn?t take long till I smelled like the kennel floor and my clothes were soiled with their feces. While I was trying to control an excited animal, or comfort a lonely or fearful one, Cathy was spraying the kennel with some sort of disinfectant. She then used hot hot water from the hose and washed the kennels clean. The stench was pretty intense.

Putting the animal back could also be a challenge. Some just didn?t want to go. With water dripping from the wire kennel top, I had to walk, pull, push or carry the dog back inside and often had to fight my way out. I received several of my numerous scrapes, bumps and bruises doing this. I got a little nervous at one point thinking my leg, blocking a dog?s escape, was only irritating him and I was going to get bit. OK, it happened several times. Once safely back in the kennels, with locks in place, the water containers were used to fill the water bowls. After awhile that green plastic container felt like it weighed twenty pounds.

I learned how to use a Control Pole. I often missed the Might Bite or Will Bite written on their kennel cards. Thankfully Cathy didn?t. She was trained to always read the card. In these cases we took the Control Pole, a long pole with a rope strung through it leaving a noose on the end, and collared the dog. Some of the dogs made a game of ?catch me if you can.? They were very good at it. This pole kept the animal at a safe distance. Cathy pointed out just how close I was allowing one particular dog to get to my leg. Serious injuries are a real possibility and you never want to let down your guard or take chances. That is why when the card read DO NOT OPEN DOOR we didn?t open the door. We had to work around the animal.

I can?t tell you how long the last row to be cleaned looked to me. It just went on and on. We had already cleaned 121 kennels and only had 16 to go. That 16 seemed to equal the 121 we had just completed! By this point my hands were killing me, my head was sore from a particularly hard knock, my back was beginning to hurt from the constant pulling and bending, I had had dogs jump up flinging kennel floor contamination in my face, I was covered with poopy paw prints, my clothes had sweat to me and I was beginning to chafe, my feet itched from being wet? and we still had 16 kennels to clean!

I felt relief as we completed that last cage. Then I saw them. Centrally located near the food prep area were huge stacks of dog food bowls needing to be cleaned. I put on my surgical gloves and began to scrape out all the remaining food from the bowls. I was mentally thanking the person who had already washed half of them. I later learned that it was Fleming Winfield who had helped. I washed the bowls in a sink and stacked them for the next day. Cynthia came in while I worked and cleaned up the area, something I was asked to do when I finished.

While I was busy with dishes, Cathy was sanitizing/deodorizing the floors. She poured buckets of solution down each row and squeegeed the excess moisture. Believe it or not, the kennel smelled fresh.

This was the first 3 hours and 37 minutes of my day.

From the kennel feeding and cleaning, Cathy and I moved approximately 3000 lbs. of newspaper from the cargo van to the paper room. I did the math. The paper was donated by the Times Picayune and was tied in 20lb. bundles. Most of it had to be stacked at eye level and above. Such a work out! What complicated matters was one of the carts we were using had low tire pressure all the way around.

From there I went to the euthanasia room. I was so impressed with Jarnell Sharlot?s compassion as she set out to deal with the results of an ignorant community. She patiently answered my questions and occasionally asked if I was OK. I did well at not showing my emotion, although I now have tears in my eyes as I remember the day. I won?t forget the first dog I held in my arms, softly whispering in his ear telling him I understood. He peacefully collapsed in my arms, never to awake again. Jarnell gently turned the animal and stroked his fur. Using a stethoscope she checked for a heartbeat. It was over.

In total I assisted in euthanizing 16 animals that day. What else could be done? We needed the space for those just arriving. We couldn?t just leave them on the streets or in the environment from which they came! No, it is not fair. It just is.

The next part of my day is called Midday Clean-up. Back at the kennels I was prepared to remove all the dogs once again so their kennel could be cleaned. I started unlocking all the doors. Imagine my delight when I learned I only needed to ?pull? the ones that had dirtied their floors. I made a joke about the ones not learning how to work the system. Pooping represented interaction. You don?t poop, you don?t get out at midday. We do have great volunteers who come to the shelter and interact with the animals. At this point in my day, I was just thankful I didn?t have to do it. I was exhausted.

My day still wasn?t over. I won?t give you the details of my last half hour. Suffice it to say that it was as emotional as the euthanasia room and was the completion of the task.

We did take several short breaks and had a half hour lunch. The half hour gave me the time to make my traditional coffee run with 10 minutes to spare. I?ve just got to have my coffee and I really needed the alone time to sort through my many thoughts.

What I experienced in the one day I worked as an Animal Care Attendant is only part of what the job entails. There are also the Cat Rooms that need to be cleaned, over 50 cages. The Nine Rooms, which are quarantine and holding areas, require special care. The puppy area, Lala, must be attended to. Supplies need to be restocked. Animals, arriving as strays or owner surrenders, must be processed, dipped, dewormed, given shots and moved to the main kennel or the cat room. Trucks are unloaded and loaded. Trash is emptied. Laundry is done. Walls are wiped. Floors are mopped. Equipment is sterilized. Sick animals are doctored. Scared animals are comforted. Vicious animals are given treats. And get this, some of the Animal Care Attendants even use their breaks to bathe the dogs.

It is a hard and often thankless job, and it doesn?t stop. It won?t stop until people stop allowing their animals to indiscriminately reproduce. I can tell you from experience that the LA/SPCA Animal Care Attendants are some of the most compassionate and hard working individuals you will ever want to meet. They work with commitment, heart and teamwork. I am proud to call them colleagues.

And, yes, my day with the Animal Care Attendants has helped do a better job.

Jesse

[vickles]

Thank you so much for sharing that. I also believe its important to spay/neuter. I worked with a rescue group last year that dealt with a lot of puppies being born over and over again and the owners just not caring. They were even offered a huge discount to get them done but they didn't care. Shelters are a wonderful place to adopt a dog.

Ok!! I will not try to be a nice person...ok? I will not!!

[Dot Matrix]

WOW

How awful it is!

I keep this at our shop:

quote:

---

Over 90,000 dogs and cats are killed every year in Atlanta area shelters. It is a problem of epidemic proportions. More pets are killed in Atlanta area shelters than in the entire country of Great Britain, New York City or the states of Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Oregon or Washington. Most of the pets that enter Atlanta shelters are family pets that have become lost or have strayed from home, but without an ID tag the shelters have no way of identifying them. Please help us help the homeless pets and prevent more from becoming homeless by spaying and neutering all of your pets, by keeping an ID tag on your pets 24/7, by adopting rather than buying a pet and by making a commitment to keep your pet for its entire lifetime.

---

Here I see homeless animals almost daily and have rescued 5 dogs in the past 9 years. We have all 5. I have helped with a rescue group and these women (mostly) have up to 17 dogs they are taking care of and trying to place. Now, all kinds of counties are cracking down on "too many pets" and passing laws. Yes, there are collectors who are SICK people and they do not feed or care for the pets they are taking in. BUT there are groups dedicated to finding dogs NEW homes and these folks should not be hindered (as long as it is not effecting the neighbors.) IMO

It is so sad.

Dot Matrix

[RottieGrrrl]

I'm NOT ignoring this thread, I just can't read it, I just can't read it. It's too heartbreaking for me to contemplate.

Yes I am a big advocate of spaying and nuetering. I will go back and read this when I feel I can stomache it.

...Ain't no grave, gonna hold this body down..when I hear that trumpet sound...

[mj412]

my town passed a law that no home owner can have more than two dogs.

before you flip let me tell you it is a two mile community and give you an example of the trouble too many dogs in such a small town can cause.

My neighnor had german shepards in a cage in the back yard 4 of them and two small dogs in the house, then the bitch had nine puppies. ok in this town every home can hear the fire siren the siren also goes off for ambulance calls.

these dogs would bark at the sirens now think about it they would on top of their lungs bark and scream at all hours . It was a nightmare for the other houses living three or four feet away. I lived the next street over and they would wake me up in the night if a police car went by their house.

they are one reason why we zoned for two animals per house hold.

I have two cats they are both house babies and they are both fixed . I didnt have to get them both fixed but I think they make a better pet .

I had a cat that when ever she went into heat she wouldnt leave my son alone she would sit on him and whine and cry it was funny, but I tend to think they may be healthier if they are fixed or at least less likely to run away if they do get out. It made my male fat tho.

[JesseJoe]

Rottie? There is nothing wrong with not being able to look at something unpleasant. You are not in denial; you know what is there. Some of our best volunteers will not come to the building, ever. They can?t. They don?t want to hear about it. They don?t ask questions. That is how they protect their heart. They know their limits; they accept them and they do what they can. Those of us who have chosen to work at the shelter are no more or less caring then they are. We each decide our roll and do our part. Some people making it better, some people through their ignorance and apathy making it worse. I really admire you. You are neither ignorant nor apathetic.

Dot, I had no idea that many animals went through shelters in the Atlanta area! We deal with about 12,000 animals annually, which is down from the 23,000 in the mid-nineties. Our shelter can hold between 400 and 450 at a time. That includes strays, bite cases, cruelty cases, and adoptables. About 140 animals are up for adoption all the time. What is sad is, for example, a few weekends ago we had 50 dogs processed. That meant that fifty cages had to be emptied so they could be filled and it is the adoptables that must give up their space. It is such a sick cycle.

I don?t know what we would do with out the rescue groups, like you were involved with Vickles. For every animal taken in by rescue, whether it is all breed rescue or specific breed rescue, that is one less we see. The key is making sure they are spayed/neutered or the problem is perpetuated.

No-kill shelters are a big help to our area as well. Although some do .... me off by portraying us as the killers and themselves as the true animal lovers. God, people are so twisted and ignorant. But let them be self-righteous if it saves even one.

We have a pet limit in New Orleans. You are limited to four. It was really designed to fight against the dog-fighters and their mass production of pits. Plus, situations like you mentioned, MJ. We have a family down the street from my house that has caused me to fanaticize about a No-pet ordinance! They started bringing their three in at night and my neighborhood is peaceful once again. Not everyone is willing to look for a solution and then it is the responsible pet owners and rescue groups who suffer.

Thank you for your replies Vic, Rottie, Dot and MJ. I really see a day when all this madness will end. Thank you for being part of the solution!

Now for all you guys who ?feel? for your dog. CUT THEM OFF! You are not going to bleed. You?re not even going to be less of a man! Maybe you can?t see it now, but try it, you?ll see. I guarantee it! ;)-->

Jesse

[Psalm 71 one]

Jesse, I sure appreciate those of you who take care of the animals in shelters-- I really didn't know how hard the work was, but I do know it would be hard to deal with the euthanasia room.

We still haven't decided what we are gonna do with our Kelly-kitty who is peeing everywhere. It is so hard to get rid of her-- we definately will NOT send her to a no-kill. When I saw the lady we got her from, (She works at a local convenience store), I told her about the delemma with Kelly. She offered me one of Kelly's sister's kittens.

The woman still has the mother, who has had at least two litters since I adopted Kelly, and she couldn't find an owner for one of Kelly's sisters, and now that kitty is having kittens! I was a bit angry with her-- SHEESH! she is complaining about all the kittens, but won't fix her cats! And part of my Kelly's problem is cuz the lady begged me to take Kelly when she was 6 weeks old--against my better jugdement, but she had a 10 month old Rottie pup at the time and she was afraid the pup would hurt the kittens. Looking back, I should have taken my chances and let Kelly be with her mommacat a bit longer :(-->

I couldn't answer the lady with all her kittens, though-- I wanted to scream at her to get them fixed!!

[JesseJoe]

Psalmie, I see you got some computer time. :)-->

You brought up an interesting point ? getting a puppy or kitten to young. Some of the behavior information I have read says that between ages of 5 and 8 weeks is one of the most important developmental stages of the animal. That is when they learn from the mom all about being the animals they are. They learn etiquette like bite inhibition and animal body language.

I did an informal survey at the dog park asking the problem child?s owner when they got their pet. Interestingly, I learned that most of the dog?s that would lash out without the typical canine posturing or the dogs that played to rough hurting other dog?s, had been raised without the benefit of an older larger dog to teach them this behavior was not ok. Not all of them, but enough to take notice.

I imagine cats learn about the ?only one location? by the smells the mother leaves around, Remove the mother and the kitten is left to their own devices, so to speak. Plus there is the whole dominance issue. Who better to teach the young about order than a responsible adult?

Psalmie, for what it?s worth, whatever you decide about Kelly, I support you in the decision.

BTW, why is it some breeders think that if there is a problem, getting a new animal will make it all better? :(-->

Jesse