Friday was the calm before the storm; a gorgeous sunrise, a calm morning, and plenty of exercise and love for the pups. It was my first full walk with Murphy, and again, I cannot reiterate how amazing this big boy is. He has warmed up so very much since I first met him. He has quickly become a favorite among the women volunteers, and the men that are calmly working with Murphy on his own terms are saints. I know I have mentioned his size, but as we were enjoying some quite cuddling on Friday, I snapped this comparison:
I know I have small hands, but still...holy cow! Murphy has so much love to give, and I am thrilled to see him warming up and sharing it, both with those he is comfortable around, and with those who make him nervous. Murphy is a constant reminder of second chances, forgiveness, and the will to do your best. I know that men make him nervous; you can see an immediate change in him. However, he cautiously pushes himself, almost hoping for the best in everyone. It is so magical to see his reaction when that faith is rewarded, and the male volunteers show him that not all men in his life will be bad.
After walking Murphy, I spent some more time with Angus the ball dog. Here was one of my most challenging moments so far. Angus and I have an understanding...he knows I will throw the ball, but he knows that I will ask him to follow some guidelines in return. As such, he now joyfully runs back to wherever I wait, drops the ball, sits, and waits for me to throw it again. I make sure that he is rewarded with as many good throws and behind-the-ear scritches as I can give. Friday, though, our time was cut short. Angus is now attending the Canine Good Citizen class. The volunteer that is working with him requested to take some time practicing with Angus, after he and I had already begun our adventures in Mark's Park. This does not bother me at all; I am thrilled to see that she cares so much as to want to help him learn as much as she can. My challenge was that Angus did not want me to leave. Even when the other volunteer had a ball in one hand, and a big, juicy treat in the other, Angus kept trying to follow me out of Mark's Park. She tried throwing the ball for him and having me "sneak" away, but as he came running back and saw me outside of the gate, he dropped his ball and stood there watching me. "He really loves you!!" she shouted at me. It was so hard to walk away.
This was an eye-opener for me in relation to my cautions and worries about volunteering. Here I was, thinking I was going to be so attached as to be begging to bring a dog home, and instead, I'm finding a dog attaching to me. Angus is a good boy, but he cannot come home with me. I know my little pack, and Carlie would not really do too well with his ball-loving self, and Edward gets "short dog syndrome" around boys that are a lot bigger than him. So what can I do? I suppose the solution is in the balance...it is just as important for me to give my time and love to all the dogs; not just the ones that readily return it. My other take from this is that all volunteers are different, but bring love in their own ways. For Angus, my goofiness in running all over Mark's Park with him, throwing the ball and then moving myself as if to trick him, well, that just clicks with his sense of fun.
This concept was reinforced on Saturday morning for me in the opposite direction, as I found myself with a shivering chihuahua sitting in my lap that refused to walk on her own...but I'll get to that in a minute.
Saturday the rain began. And so did "Rain Protocol". The dogs are brought out for a quick potty break, then put in crates next to their kennels while the staff cleans. Instead of the change of scenery that the Okay Corral provides, it's just a crate. Very few of the dogs are pleased with that disruption of the routine. Once all of the dogs have gotten a quick potty break, we start the walking. However, because of the rain, volunteers have to stay close to the building (in case of sudden downpour) on their walks. Also, the interaction areas and Mark's Park are only for sitting under cover. Muddy dogs are a tremendous difficulty for the staff at the Humane Society, so they have this rain protocol for volunteers to aid in keeping the mess down. The final portion of this is that there is a lot more structure and order to taking the dogs back in. The kennel staff are cleaning, so often, a dog gets put in a different kennel temporarily, and the volunteer leader coordinates with them on which dogs come out when. Not as flexible as a sunny day at all, but I understand the reason why.
"Rain Protocol" is the reason Alice ended up in my lap. She is a little brindle chihuahua, and was scared of the sound of the rain on the tarps overhead. I ended up sitting on the ground, with her in my lap, shivering. Here is where I reflected on what I had learned with Angus. There are volunteers a-plenty that prefer the small dogs. They know how to put them at ease, how to get them to play, and how to hold them (a lot of them want to be held...all the time...). I am not one of those. Small dogs such as Alice frustrate me...I have always viewed them as large rodents that are very noisy. But as I sat there with Alice, I paused for a new perspective. She had needs for affection as well, just with a different approach from the big, snuggly pit bulls. Next thing I knew, I was sitting on the ground, and Alice had climbed up onto my lap, curled into a ball, and stopped shivering. Every one of those dogs has their own unique personality. I have always lumped the small dogs into a category that forces them into a certain expectation, while allowing the bigger dogs to have their own set of needs, wants, and likes. Alice taught me that little dogs might not be too different, as she pushed her little head into my very delicate behind-the-ear scritches. She also taught me that I should be taking pictures of all these dogs, as I didn't get one of her and she was adopted out, so I cannot show you the little pup that taught me such a big lesson.
The bulk of my Saturday morning was spent with my "bubblehead" Zander. This big boy is also a volunteer favorite, for his affection "cup" runneth over. I have learned that he is significantly more interested in cuddling and treats than walks. Saturday, we did a quick potty walk, then spent almost 45 minutes sitting under the eaves, with endless petting for Zander. He and I worked on "down" for a lot of that time, until Zander finally laid down, put his head on my lap (nose just inches from the treat bag) and gave a huge sigh. I could almost hear him say "How about I just lay here and you put the treats straight into my mouth?" So that's what we did. Thank goodness my treat bag has so many kibbles in it; I didn't feel nearly as guilty about giving him that much kibble as I would have if it were, say, biscuits!!
Sunday is normally an off day for me. This week, though, Heather put out an urgent call for extra hands on Sunday morning, as they did not have enough walkers. There was a break in the rain, so dogs would actually get some walking time. I was only there for about an hour, but got in some great ball chasing with Angus, some extra snuggles with Zander, and a quick walk with Lena.
Today was back to the rain routine, even though the showers hadn't started yet. I got to spend some time with Polly. I have to laugh at Polly's description on the EHS site. Polly is a special dog, with a very unique look. She's a pit mix, but her eyes are a little offset from the "standard", and her bottom jaw is smaller, resulting in an overbite look. Neither of these things get in her way, healthwise, but I know that they are a big part of the reason that Polly has been at EHS for over 125 days. As an owner of a googly-eyed dog whose tongue regularly sticks out of his mouth, seemingly beyond his own control, well, I have a special place in my heart for dogs like this. Especially when midway through our walk, Polly showed me her "sit", and then upon receiving her treat, rolled onto her back for belly rubs. She could not get enough.
Polly is an amazing dog; she walks very nicely, is a champ in the Canine Good Citizen class, and loves the other dogs (additional plus: she ignores the cats that we walk by every morning). She has such a big heart, and really needs to find a special place with someone who will see her looks as just another loveable feature of this amazing girl.
I also got to spend time with another little dog today, who was a good reminder of what Alice had taught me on Saturday. Skipper is not at all like Alice. He is a little bit older, and a little more independent; he is quite content not to cuddle, but instead to take a slow easy walk with his nose more or less glued to the ground. He is eager to take in every thing that he can smell, but not in any sort of rush to do so.
Finally, a dog that I know will be gone as soon as he is recovered from his altering: Merlin. Merlin is a big boy, but is so amazingly well-behaved. He walked right next to me for the potty walk, then sat with his head on my lap for some snuggles before he went in for surgery today. Because Merlin looks like a dog that people recognize (boxer), he will probably get adopted fairly quickly. That's purely my opinion, but I have seen two beagle mixes and a basset hound mix find their way out within just a few days. Merlin's a sweetie, and will be a good companion for anyone who knows how much love a boxer can give. I learned that with my sister's boxer, Brock. They are so playful and loving...and if Merlin is anything like Brock, they love sleeping in!
These amazing dogs continue to impress me. I am trying to take as much from each of them as I can. And I cannot wait to see more of them find forever homes.
Here is everyone's info on EHS:
Murphy
Angus
Zander
Polly
Skipper
Merlin
Thanks for sharing. Love to hear about the animals. My mother always contends that animals are not "dumb", (she confuses that word with intelligence rather than being mute), that they are smart, they communicate wordlessly, and each has a unique personality. Of course, most of her experience was with cows, but there was a fair number of dogs mixed in as well. I really look forward to reading your blog. I can tell this is close to your heart and it is going to get tugged now and then.
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