Finding Ollie Part 2 – Day 1

While back home, another disaster hit the Pet Pavilion – one of the animals moved from the campgrounds was diagnosed with distemper, despite having been vaccinated upon arrival and receiving a booster after two weeks. On my return, the pavilion has been sectioned into green, yellow and red areas. Green for negative, yellow for negative result but possibly showing signs of infection, and red for positive.

Quoted from their website: “Canine distemper virus is a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease that presents first with upper respiratory symptoms and, depending on the severity of infection in a given dog, may move to the central nervous system, with distressing and sometimes fatal consequences. There is no cure, but prompt symptomatic treatment and support can aid in recovery. 

With a population of around 500 dogs at the Pet Reunion Pavilion, we were looking at a potentially devastating situation.

In traditional sheltering environments, a disease containment policy — euphemistically referred to as “depopulating” or killing all suspect dogs — would have been employed. This was not something we would ever consider. Instead, we sought direction from one of the nation’s leading shelter medicine veterinarians, at the University of Florida, and implemented a rigorous management protocol within the NRG Arena. The protocol segregated the dogs based on test results and symptoms, or lack thereof, and limited access to each group to designated staff and volunteers. Rigid anti-contagion handling and disinfection routines were also imposed.

September 29

NRG Arena, Houston, TX 

Back at the NRG Arena for a while. Not sure for how long, but thankful and blessed that God has made it possible for me, and put me, in this wonderful place to work. It’s a privilege and honor to serve these dogs who have been through so much in the past month, and, of which most are still unclaimed. 🙁   Please keep an eye open for the adoption event, still to be announced. It was scheduled for mid-October but will be rescheduled due to the distemper outbreak. 

Today was my first day back. I would lie if I didn’t say I was nervous about entering in there. You can’t help but get so attached to these little guys and gals and I didn’t know who would be in the red section. I left 10 days ago just before the outbreak.

So much has changed since I left – with the outbreak, there are new procedures. Each dog has his/her own leash and in between each walk, we have to sanitize, put baby powder on our hands to get the gloves on, and change “boots”, gowns, and gloves. No animals can touch as they pass in the aisles. This means less time spent with our babies, as they all still need to be walked and fed.

I planned to go over to the Library before checking in to check up on the little guy I am hoping to adopt, A165. But, as I enter the Library and look over towards his little cage, I see the door wide open. My heart sinks. This could mean that he is infected and in the red section, or worse, didn’t make it.

The girl working there is new and has not seen a dog there that fits my description since she arrived. I check the rest of the cages but he is not there. Amazing Grace is still in The Library but not sure for how long. I had a few moments to sing to her but she was coughing throughout the whole song, but again, I could tell she remembered and cherished it maybe almost as much as I did. I am absolutely going to spend some more time with her tomorrow.

So I’m thinking that if I work the green section, I can walk through the yellow at the end of the evening since I am not contaminated, and possibly have time to walk through the red section after that. But as I sign in, I’m asked to join the red team as they are short-handed and in dire need of help.

Needless to say, my heart was breaking for each of the little faces I left 10 days ago and now are in the zone diagnosed with distemper, but because they are in the care of Best Friends, they have the best chance possible and I know they will all beat this. 

My sweetie Big Baby is there. I was thrilled to see that her fur had filled in and I actually had to look at the records by her pen to be sure it was really her. She looks 1000% better and didn’t even recognize me at first, which first was a little hurtful but at a second thought, a good thing. But as I started to talk to her, she leaned her head and started to wag her tail and I just knew, that there was something there that was familiar to her. We had a great little reunion before I had to move on to the next one.

I’m starting out in the green in the am, before moving on to the red in pm.  The plan is to stop by Amazing Grace and see her in between. I can go from green to yellow, to red, but not the other way around, so I’m planning my days so I get to see them all and give them some love.

I do have a chance to visit all the dogs in the red today, but my little guy is not there. I’m relieved but also worried, thinking the worst, of course. During lunch I checked in with the intake and was told he was a library resident but many dogs had been moved in the last days and the records might not been updated yet. Not much I can do until tomorrow since I am now contaminated.

I’m exhausted, every bone in my body is aching but I can’t wait for tomorrow morning, to do it all over again. What these little guys give back (well, some are close to 100 lbs and not so little), the way they look at us or jump around when they see us walk up to their pen, and they know it’s their turn to go for a walk, get a meal, or a clean pen, toy, and a treat, is worth more than any money in this world. Besides, I will have a chance to go through all the green dogs and walk through yellow at the end of my shift.

I am so blessed and privileged to be able to do this, to love on a few of them today. And I’m hoping to be able to foster and eventually adopt one of the little guys here. I have my foster interview on Tuesday and can’t wait!

Not sure if I’ll be writing every night this time around but will do my best since many of you have expressed interest in how things are proceeding here. I never intended to write last time but it became my lifeline and the only way to keep my sanity, being so unprepared for what I was heading into, and not having the experience to deal with a shelter situation, being the animal lover I am.

And, I had no idea how many people would start to read my posts each night. It was so humbling to hear from you all, many of you telling me you were looking forward to the posts. You all, your texts, calls, messages, prayers, and support helped me through it, so thank you! 

I will try to keep you up to date again this time, as much as I can. You all mean the world to me and thanks to your support, I know I can do this again 🙂

I’m ending with an endnote from Tamis recent posts:

Read Part 2 – Day 3