MONDAY JANUARY 8 2001 Interviews continue for new kennel helper

We know it's going to take a lot of interviews to find a new kennel helper, because it takes a really special person who truly loves and understands dogs to be able to work with them. We are now caring for 51 dogs, who are all sweet and gentle, and all of whom have different personalities, so we know that it will most likely take many interviews before we find the right person to help us care for the dogs at our Happy Home for Strays.

TUESDAY JANUARY 9 2001 New employee , K, comes for her first day

The day started out to be cold and windy and didn't get much better. Not a great day to start out a new employee, but newly hired employee, K, appeared to be a real trooper as she walked along with Juan in the morning while learning the order of the dog walks, and then she accompanied me this afternoon as we went in to visit with each pair of dogs during final rounds to finish out the day. The dogs all liked K a lot. Let's hope she can "hang in there" during this cold weather!

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 10 2001 Email message from our volunteer doggie sitter, Marci, about a very neglected dog

The Dallas SPCA emailed to Marci (a friend of ours and one of our doggie-sitting volunteers during our Saturday Adoption Days in Dallas) photos of a very neglected Great Pyrenees the SPCA had taken in. (Marci also volunteers her time at the SPCA.)

This precious big dog had been brought into their shelter with a severe case of mange all over his body, and what little white fur he had left was so matted it had to be shaved off. His toe nails were so long and curled it was difficult to trim them. The SPCA had sent the pictures to several people they knew (including Marci), and Marci, in turn, emailed the pictures to us. I didn't know if they were trying to find a place for the dog or not.

Our shelter is full, but after seeing the pictures of this poor dog there is no way we would refuse to help him if the SPCA needed help in placing him. Not knowing if they actually were trying to find a place for the dog I emailed them back saying that if needed, Straydog would help the dog in any way we could.

Anita (from the SPCA ) later emailed a nice note back to us thanking Straydog and saying that they have plenty of room for the dog at their shelter (I think he is in the hospital annex). They are treating the dog's mange problem, giving him lots of good food, love and attention, and Anita said that he should be fine soon and available for adoption.

New employee, K, gets her second taste of working outside in bad weather

We tell all new employees to "Bundle Up!" in cold weather, and we have a good supply of ponchos on hand for those who don't bring them for the rainy days. Caring for the dogs IS a rough job in cold wet weather. It can be just as rough in the summer on the sizzling hot days too, but the job has to be done. This was a real test for the new person today. It was cold, wet and windy. Another lousy-weather day for all of us people, but the dogs love it! Bad weather like this can either make or break any new employee.

At the end of this cold, rainy day K's less-than-enthusiastic goodbye made me wonder if she'd be back tomorrow. I had a strong feeling that the cold, wet weather was too much for her.

THURSDAY JANUARY 11 2001 K doesn't show up for work and doesn't call

The most aggravating part of my job is when employees don't come to work and then don't even call to let me know they will not be in. I stress the need to call if they cannot make it in (which one would think is a very simple thing to do) so that I will be able to plan the day around their absence.

But this morning new employee, K, did not show up for work and she didn't even call me to say she wouldn't be in, and she did not answer her phone when I tried calling her. I suppose this means she has quit?

Second person, R, coming for interview at 1:00 p.m. turns out to be yet another no call/no show!!

Would you believe this next person, who made an appointment to be here at 1:00 p.m. for his interview, did not come and did not call to say he wouldn't be here. Geesh! A simple phone call is not so hard to make. [I believe the stress of running this place is getting to me.]

FRIDAY JANUARY 12 2001 Danny Boy gets loose and unwittingly high-tails it over to Angry Neighbor's place!

This has not been such a good day! Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Then to top it off Danny Boy got out of his fenced yard and headed down our hill and over toward our Angry Neighbor's place!

It all happened about 3 p.m. when I was outside showing another prospective new employee around the kennels. As we were walking past Angel and Puppy's kennel near the front of our kennel compound, it was just sheer luck that I suddenly saw a huge 85-pound streak of reddish golden fluff go flying by the front end of the kennels and head down the hill. It was Danny Boy! (He is the Big Red Chow/Golden Retriever mix who moved inside last September due to his panic attacks whenever he hears thunder or gunshots). How the heck did he get out of his fenced yard?! Danny looked at me as he went flying by, but he ignored my calls to him to come back as he took off running full speed down our hill toward the Angry Neighbor's property. I dropped all the stuff I was carrying, leaving the interviewee standing there, and I took off after Big Danny, running as fast as I could down the hill to try to catch him before he made it to Angry Neighbor's.

I kept calling his name, hoping he'd stop and come back to me, but he would just turn his head quickly to look at me while he ran, picking up speed as he headed straight toward Angry Neighbor's. This was a horrible situation!

Danny didn't even hesitate when he came to the road at the bottom of our hill. Thank God no cars were coming! He flew across the road and headed straight to Angry Neighbor's driveway and squeezed through the bars of the closed cattle fence gate. Once through the gate he took off running across Angry Neighbor's yard, which sent the startled chickens scattering in all directions. Nothing could possibly be worse than this! I expected to hear gunshots any second.

Angry Neighbor's big old Chow dog had been lying in the middle of their yard, and he was so taken by surprise when Danny ran by him that luckily he chose not to confront Danny. Instead Angry Neighbor's chow got up and moved further away, deciding to watch this big intruder from the side of their barn. By this time I had also squeezed through the bars of the locked gate and into Angry Neighbor's yard.

Danny continued running toward the back of the Angry Neighbor's partially wooded property and was suddenly out of sight. Panic set in then because I didn't know where Danny had gone, and if Angry Neighbor was out in the back somewhere, Danny would not have a chance. I kept calling Danny's name, figuring that even if Danny wouldn't come to me, at least Angry Neighbor, if he was out in his wooded area, would surely hear me and would know this dog belonged to someone who was trying to catch him!

Then all of a sudden Danny appeared again, bursting out of the trees. He came flying back my way to the front yard, whizzed right past me and headed toward Angry Neighbor's house, consumed with fear and panic. Danny ran right up the steps and onto Angry Neighbor's in porch! I was right behind Danny this time, and I cornered him and caught him as he started back down the steps again.

No leash in my pocket! Unbelievable! So I took off my red apron and tied the apron string securely around Danny's big neck. We walked across Angry Neighbor's yard, past the chickens and the old Chow dog, who was back in his scoopy hole, and we both squeezed through the bars of the closed gate and walked home. Both of us were pooped! I've never run so fast for so long in my entire life! (And I'm 60 years old!)

Angry Neighbor must have been gone for the afternoon (thank heaven), or surely Danny and I would both have been done for!

Our interviewee was still standing at the top of our hill where I had unexpectedly left her. She had watched the entire episode as it unfolded down below.

How did Danny get out of his yard?

This was the next problem to solve. Rhonda, the interviewee, came with me as I walked Danny back to his kennel yard. I couldn't imagine how he'd gotten out. Just one quick look at the bottom of his torn up heavy duty chain link fence (which is right against our house) and the two big holes in the skirting along the bottom of our trailer house, explained the mystery. Danny has great strength. He is a big, powerful, unbelievably strong dog, which we have known since the day he arrived at our Happy Home for Strays. Danny is so gentle and affectionate, tho, that it's hard to believe how strong this big fellow can be.

It must have been the sound of gunshots in the distance that Danny could hear (but that we did not hear) that frightened Danny into a panic, which made him want to get out of his yard and "away" from the threatening sounds. Had we heard the shots we would have immediately put Danny in the house, which would have calmed him. If we had had a doggie-door on Danny's house door, he could have gotten into the house by himself, and this never would have happened. We will be getting a doggie-door soon!

Danny Boy had gotten out by pulling loose a big piece of the fence which stands just one inch from the side of the house. Then, as he pushed through that fence hole to get out of his yard, he just continued pushing a big hole through the three foot high plastic skirting that runs around the bottom of our mobile home, which got him under the house. Then this smart dog walked under the house several more feet toward the end of the house, which got him past his fenced yard and he pushed another hole through the skirting to get out from beneath the house. Once "free" he began to run.

We made Danny Boy a house dog last October (see *Links to Previous Weeks on our Homepage) because his fear of the sounds of gunshots in the distance and thunder caused him to panic so much he would tear at his outside kennel fence to try and get out to run away from the sounds. Now this big furry fellow has the whole back half of the house with his own entrance into that half of the house. We'll put a doggie-door in Danny's big door ASAP, so he will always be able to come into the safety of our house whenever loud noises spook him.

Danny Boy is secured in our house again, and the interview continues!

With Danny once again safe in our house, Rhonda and I continued with the interview. She likes our shelter and the great care we give the dogs, and even after her first experience of "the unexpected things that can go wrong here," she is still interested in the position. (What a hectic day!)

SATURDAY JANUARY 13 2000 Saturday Adoption Day: PUPPY BUNNY IS ADOPTED!

The adoption of Puppy Bunny really made for a great day! She went to wonderful home and has an adorable little Aussie mix puppy named Harley for a new little friend.

Near the end of our day at Petsmart a young man came in with his sister, and he was drawn immediately to four-month-old Bunny, one of the three Rottweiler/Black Lab mix puppies we took in a few weeks ago. The man filled out the adoption papers and then went shopping for "goodies" for his new little companion. Dr. John Pippin (Big Dog) made the home visit with little Bunny, and told me later by phone that Bunny will be a much loved, very pampered little pup!

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OUR WONDERFUL DOGGIE-SITTERS! Your help makes it possible to find wonderful homes for our many furry friends. Thank You!