Ah, life at an animal shelter, such a treat, seriously, I remember the days way back when, and we are talking 30 years ago now, when I quit my job and went to work at the shelter. I remember all the people who helped, all the laughs, all the joy, finding new homes for pets, taking care of them when they were frightened, lost, abandoned. Making sure they felt loved. I remember sitting in the cages with the dogs, holding their heads in my lap, feeding them by hand sometimes, cuddling with them before the end of the day.
I also remember the hard work, the minute you walk in the door you are hit by a wall of poopy smelling air, and the goal is to get everything cleaned up as quickly as you can, for the welfare of the animals, they don’t like it, as well as the public, as the last thing you want is someone walking into a building with 30 animals and saying “ew it stinks in here”.
I remember the heartaches too, the man who drove in with 10 puppies in the trunk of his car in 30 below weather, wanting to “dump them,” the farmer who brought in a potato barrel filled with feral cats. When he took the lid off it was like one of those joke canisters where things fly out everywhere, these cats rocketed from the barrel and were climbing walls, curtains, scattering everywhere.
Nothing has changed. Shelter life is the same today as it was thirty years ago. Houlton Humane has a relatively new building, more square footage, a better capability of providing quarantine, a better showcase and home for the temporary residents, but still, shelter life is the same.
The worst of it is the heartbreak. Because compassion fatigue is a real thing. Recently we received a call very late at night by Houlton Police who had found a kitten. This poor baby was in such bad shape the officer didn’t want to put her in a cage and walk away so he called shelter staff who came in at 11 p.m. to meet the officer at the shelter. One look at this poor baby and hearts went right to the floor. This wasn’t a kitty that got sick and wandered off, this poor baby was dehydrated, filthy, eyes gunked, nose filled with mucus and barely able to breathe due to severe upper respiratory infection. She didn’t get this way overnight. Someone failed to care for her and then dumped her, that’s the only conclusion. Rather than spend the money to take her to a vet they just threw her out.
Shelter staff did what they do best, cleaned her up, gave her fluids, and stayed with her till a Vet was available. After being told her condition the vet confirmed that everything that could be done was already being done. She was on antibiotics, in a tent with a vaporizer to help her breath, and loved up to her very last breath. Yes, tragically she did not make it, but in her last hours she felt the love and warmth and comfort of a caregiver who showered her with every known ounce of compassion and medical attention.
So, you think, you guys must be used to that right? No, you never get used to that, you never stop shedding tears for those who are lost because there is no need of it. There is no excuse. There is an individual out there who likely had to have a “free to a good home” kitten, and when it got sick, they didn’t care. You never get used to being the one who picks up the pieces, you never get used to cuddling a critter while she takes her last breath. Whether she has been in your care for hours, weeks, or months, you do this because you are the voice of the animals and when you lose one you feel that you failed. For this kitten, at this moment, your heart breaks.
This is the “other side” of what we do. And when our hearts are broken, where do we go, how do we handle it? We walk back into it, and we work on saving the next one. We educate the public as best as we can, we take care of those who depend on us every minute of every day. And we celebrate every success. Come join us, be the voice of the animals, help us have one more success, and one more. We have 30 animals at the shelter now who need good caring homes, come adopt.
