Saturday was the day of the dog. Every one of our furry four legged friends got special treatment. Lady, a shepard mix couldn't give me enough kisses while we played "find it" a game that involves finding treats. Korman, the boxer/hound mix had his tail wagging as fast as he could. He loves just to have someone pet and talk to him and Boris (see picture in Pat's blog) just wanted to sit in Taylor's lap. But the guy that really made me laugh was Ollie the Chihauhau. He wanted to run. So here was little Ollie on a huge leash running through the parking lot with me right beside him. This little guy is as silly as they get. It was a great day. Hopefully as the weather gets nicer we can have more days like this. Better yet lets get these dogs homes so they can have everyday be a Saturday.

Saturday started out as a typical day. The kennels were full and we had much to do. We each went a different direction and started to work. It was going great. I was moving right along getting the outside kennels cleaned, the indoor dogs had all been walked and it was time for the outdoor dogs to be walked. Then it happened. One dog lashed out at another and the fight was on. The dogs came out of it ok. Nothing serious. Do I think this happened for a reason? Yes. Both dogs are sweet dogs and generally mild tempered. But one has been with us for a year now and I believe she is frustrated and this was just her way of letting us know. Her way of saying "please I need out of here". I always knew the day would come when I would have to deal with something like this but it sucked. All the dogs were agitated for the rest of the day and that made me  frustrated. They could feel that I was on edge and that made things even worse. I did learn a lesson from all this though but never fear for next Saturday I will go back wiser and ready for what ever is thrown at me.

For the first time in quite awhile we had time to concentrate on the dogs. Some good one on one time. Infact it was the first time in weeks I had time to walk the dogs myself. Walking the dogs is a great time to see each ones different personality and they love getting out into the tall grass for a good sniff. I find it to be a great stress reliever not only for the dogs but for myself as well. I do wish however people driving down the road would slow down when passing us. There are times I feel like I'm on a race track. I also got to watch Jonathan in action again. He is our dog whisperer. I've seen him interact with the dogs before and each time I'am amazed at how easy it is for him. Saturday he was working with a new dog. A handsome boy Pat named Memphis. It didn't take love for this sweet dog to relax and realize he was in good hands. I love days like this.

Well, the shelter flooded again. All the dogs are back inside the small building. We have so many dogs Debbie had to put some in crates in the aisle. It is so heart breaking to see them in the small crates but at least they are safe for now. Today however was not about cleaning the outside pens. Pat didn't see much point because if the weather doesn't change IT WILL FLOOD AGAIN! Today was about getting the dogs out for a walk and spending time loving on them. It is such a muddy mess that by the time I was done my jacket was brown instead of red. We did get a visit from channel 7 and I hope that the segment they are doing on the shelter will get the dogs the help they need. We also had a nice woman from the Corning Council visit and I got a chance to speak with her. I hope my story of the impact the shelter  has had on my life encourages her to not only get the shelter help but to also come volunteer. On the brighter side Patsy will be going to a foster home and Big Bart now has a forever friend in Linus.

As usual Saturday was a great day. They always are.  However, Debbie let us know that one of the dogs that had been adopted was coming back. We have some of the most amazing dogs and to see them come back breaks my heart. Before people consider adopting they should ask themselves a few questions. 1. Am I willing to take the time to work with my new pet. 2. If I have problems am I willing to turn to Debbie for help. (which she will) and 3. Can I make this life time commitment. This dogs deserve good homes with people willing to take the time to train, care and love them.  We don't know what they have been through before they came to us so giving them time to adjust to their new home is very important. My Bugsy who I took home at nine months had been at the shelter his whole life. He was in our home three weeks before he started acting like a puppy. The first time he chewed up a shoe was a mile stone for him. He is now 11 months and I work with him everyday and yes he does have his moments when he ignores me completely but I wouldn't give him up for the world.!

I knew the kennels and the shelter yard would be bad Saturday, but I wasn't ready for how bad. The water had washed away part of the creek bed putting the creek itself even closer to the outdoor kennels, debrie was everywhere and the mud that coated the kennel floors was like paste. It took all of us working as a unit to get the kennels clean enough that the dogs could once again come outside. However we will still be washing mud out of the pens for weeks. I didn't get to spent much time with the dogs that day, but I did have Tink and Jennings out with me. Tink was his happy go lucky self who was having a great time playing with his ball in the mud, Jennings on the other hand was clearly shaken. At the end of the day I spent 10 minutes just sitting with him, petting him, talking to him and of course giving him treats. It really does make a difference. If you haven't read Debbie's blog yet, Tink has a home and I am so happy for him. He is a great dog. He will be missed but he deserves this more than you know.

It was another great Saturday at the shelter. There was nothing better than getting there to find out two dogs had been adopted and one had gone home. I love my time there. Saturdays have become a favorite day for me and my daughter. You wouldn't think scooping poop, cleaning kennels and walking dogs would make you feel so good, but it does. The dogs are always always so happy to see us. They give us lots of wiggles, kisses and muddy paws. Now some people might not enjoy all this. Especially the muddy paws all over them but for me and the other volunteers it's a sign that the dogs love us for what we do. With the storms coming the dogs really needed us to make sure everything was taken care of so they would be safe and dry. We had alot of things to put away in case it flooded and the new shed really came in handy. With all the rain we will be ankle deep in mud next Saturday but I am ready and looking forward to it.