Tater and Gregory

I'm not supposed to say how I got them... hence this being a preferred post. If you are my friend don't tell on me. Don't mention this to other people. I don't know how big of a deal this is, but I can't afford for it to cost me my job.

At PetSmart we have a room where we keep animals that are not able to be sold... they're "not perfect" and so that means that obviously no one would want them. *rolls eyes* We have a few one-eyed hamsters and such in this room and also the two rats that I brought home were from this room... they were beat up and scarred pretty bad... one was even bleeding, though he was all alone. I'm sure his wounds were itching and he just scratched them.

I guess some of the smaller animals don't always get along with their housemates or probably even some of them just come in with little abnormalities. Anyway... PetSmart has an image to protect just as most businesses do.

When I saw those rats back there all alone and shit I just couldn't leave them. And honestly I don't know what happens to them if they're not adopted by an employee. (PetSmart will pretty much give these animals to employees - but not the public, as far as I know - just to get them off their hands since they can't sell them.) They told me that they didn't get along with other rats which is why they were in solitary and beat up.

Well, I took them both home and gave them all baths (even Daxter - who btw, has seemed really depressed since Jak died) and put them all together. They've been really nice to each other... no squabbles or anything. They even groomed each other and curled up to sleep together. "Doesn't get along with other rats," my ass. I know every rat will not get along with every rat, but that doesn't mean that you have to put them in solitary. That's really bad for a rat. 😟 Honestly on second thought they may have just been so grateful for company that they could now get along with anyone.

Either way they are all doing well socially. Now to heal the wounds. I took Hairy to the vet last week to have her eye checked on again. It's much better, btw. 😀 She has some scratches on her skin (where it looked like she'd scratched herself too much), so the vet gave me a tube of some anti-itch, anti-bacterial cream to put on her. I think I'm going to use it on the new fellas, as well, to see if that helps.

Anyway, I understand why PetSmart wouldn't want the public seeing beat-up, one-eyed little animals (even though shit like that just happens - it's nature), but it sucks that unless an employee takes them home they're just pretty much stuck back there (unless they heal up nicely). Again, please don't go in there asking about pets for adoption because I'm the only one who's adopted a pet in quite a while that I know of so I'm sure they'd realize it was me who said that that happens. If anyone's interested in an unperfect little animal let me know. I plan to find out who all is back there (there's not that many in case I've got you all freaked out), and I'm trying to think of a way to bust them all out. 😁 They deserve loving homes, too. 😊

I cried at work today.

They were happy tears, thankfully. 😊

I went to pick up some food for us back in the salon and when I returned I had a new dog to wash. I went back and then I saw her. I recognized her immediately: Gussie. 😁 Gussie was at PetSmart getting a bath. That could only mean one thing: That she'd found her forever home! 😁😁😁

As most of my friends know I've been volunteering with the shelter for over a year now. When we walk the dogs at PetSmart on the first Saturday of the month I'm usually there. I think I've only missed two or three Saturdays - tops. During this time I've fallen for many a dog. Unfortunately, I don't have the space or funds to take them all home with me; otherwise I would.

Well there's a pretty little doggie that I walked EVERY Saturday that she got to come... she's so beautiful and sweet. I have a picture of her. 😀

She's very shy and quiet. Smart, too. She's not as rambunctious as the other dogs so we would usually go off by ourselves and learn something. She's a quick learner. I would always tell her every time how much I wished I could have her, but that I couldn't. I reassured her that she would find her forever home soon, though, and that it would be well worth the wait.

So today was the day. 😌 I was very happy for her. (So happy I cried. LOL) I'm probably wayyy to attached to animals that aren't even mine, but whatever. I think they feel my love and that's all that matters to me. For whatever it's worth I care, and I hope they know it.

I got to meet her family... she now has two little boys to play with (who seemed surprisingly well-mannered despite how young they looked), and an awesome mom and dad. The dad said that he'd picked her out last week, but was going to be away on business so he didn't want to bring her home until he came back. He talked about how pretty and sweet she was and I told him that he'd picked out a very good girl. She's been microchipped already and is enrolled in training classes. I have a feeling she'll be very well cared for. 😁 Aside from the fact that I couldn't get the shelter funk completely off her, the dad said he'd bring her back just to see me. Shit like this really makes my day. You have no idea. 😁😁😁

Congratulations, Gussie! I can't wait to see you again! 😍

Rest in Peace, Jak :(

I found little Jak dead this morning. 😭 I didn't have him for long... a few months - tops, but I he was a very sweet boy. I'm honestly not sure what went wrong as he showed no signs of sickness or injury at all. I'm thinking he might have just been old... rats don't have very long life spans, unfortunately, and I have no way of knowing his age seeing as how he was given to me. There's just no telling how old he was when his first owners bought him from the pet store, nor how long they had him.

Anyway, he looked very peaceful which eased my mind. It looked as though he'd curled up and gone to sleep and then just never woke up. I suppose I couldn't think of a better way to go. I will miss you little fatty ratty. Have a good sleep.

Dog Bite

First of all I'd like to say "thank you" to everyone who wrote to check on me... it really made my day to see so many messages from my friends. 😊 So this means that you love me! You really LOVE me! 😃

Anyway, so here's the whole story: Yesterday I was about to bathe a little 5 month old Jack Russell Terrier named Snoopy... but before the bath I wanted to get his nails clipped and his ears cleaned. Well, I was doing his nails and got both of the back feet without much of a hassle. Then I moved to the front... he allowed me to clip his right foot, but not without some fussing. He wasn't really growling... just sort of grumbling at me. If you've ever trimmed a dog's nails you know that most of them DO NOT like it. And quite a few of them will grumble at you and fuss and some will even put their teeth ON you... not even necessarily with their mouth open, but they will do that pretty much as a warning that they don't like what you're doing.

So... all I was getting was a little bit of fussing on the first front foot, which I didn't think much about. When I picked up the other front paw he just grumbled some more and lowered his head (which isn't unusual). So I started clipping... and then he went all Cujo on my hand. The first time he bit hurt the worst so I'm assuming that's when he left the puncture wound although I didn't know it at the time. The other few times he bit were a little less forceful probably because he realized that (for reasons I'm not even sure of) it wasn't making me let go of his foot. Honestly, until I saw the wound I thought he was just protesting... I didn't know that he was really trying to prove his point.

So after his tantrum (with me STILL holding his foot), I noticed my hand throbbing and saw the little hole... one of the other bathers came over and muzzled him and I finished his nails. See, if you let them show their asses and get their way they'll just be that much worse the next go round. So I finished what I had to do. I know I didn't hurt the little shit... he had clear nails so I could see his quicks and I hadn't cut any of them. He just didn't like what was going on.

After I finished I got a better look at my hand... it was a small hole, but it was there. We decided that we should probably tell management (since that IS the rule) and so we did. I had to call a nurse who STRONGLY recommended that I go to the ER... mostly because the puppy hadn't had his rabies shots yet. We take them in the salon up to 6 months old without them and he was only 5. Not only that, but I don't have insurance and if I hadn't went when they sent me I would have probably been liable had there been any complications so... I went.

It was GRUELING. I got there before 9 pm and I didn't make it out of there until 2 am. I am on antibiotics and I had to have a Tetanus shot (which is killing my shoulder, btw). Not only that, but the incident had to be reported to the authorities and the health department. It was even recommended that I call Animal Control, but I'm not going to do that. He was just a puppy - probably spoiled to hell and back and not used to his feet being handled. OH, and here's the best part: if we don't go through the proper channels and have him quarantined for 10 days I'll have to take rabies shots. The hospital and health department both have their eyes on me.

So yeah... all this fuss over a puncture that within two hours closed up to be about this long: -- And the moral of the story is: Handle your dogs feet. And have them vaccinated ASAP. It sure would make my life easier. 😝