September 15
Day 2 at the NRG Arena
Today was a little easier than yesterday. Maybe I was a little more prepared for what was to come but also, to know that so many of you are praying and sending strength and positive energy is huge! Thank you all, you have no idea how much that means!
At 8am it’s time for every dog to go for their morning walk and the dog care units are teamed up with about half of us walking while the other half of the team cleans the crates and cages, replaces the bedding, fills up water, and food and places a new toy in their crate. There are dogs here with stomach issues. Others are just very stressed out over the situation and as a result, they have upset stomachs. But they all have one thing in common…they get so excited when they see us and make sure that we can hear them!
Well, all except little David. He is blind.
One thing keeps nagging at me…with so many dogs waiting to be taken out, do I just ignore them for now and take my time with the one I’m currently walking, or do I head right back in as soon as he or she is “done”? I decide to take my time. After all, they need to stretch their little legs and get a break from the environment they are confined to 24/7.
Check out the video above, for a tour of the NRG Arena, turned into the Pet Reunion Pavilion.
So I find this little haven under a tree on a grassy area, about 4’x8’. It becomes my ‘secret’ place where I sneak away with my assigned pups. Some of them are so excited about being outside and just want to jump, run, play…whatever comes first.
But some are very shy and timid and rather have some one-on-one quiet time just being held instead of getting treats.
This is where I take the little guy, whose cage has a note “not eaten since 9-12” on it. All cages and crates have notes if there is anything specific we need to know. Some are escape artists and need 2 people to get a leash on.
Some are very shy and need extra time to be “talked out of” or bribed out of the crate.
While inside, I try to get him to take some treats but he’s not interested, so I put my leash on him and pick him up. He’s scared and won’t walk on his own down the aisle with barking dogs.
We go outside to my little “haven” and end up sitting out there for about 30 minutes. It seems that’s what he needs.
All of a sudden he perks up, want’s to play, pokes his head under my legs, and starts planting kisses all over my face. These are the moments that give me the strength to keep going. I decide to have a little ‘talk’ with him and promise him I’ll be back every day as long as I’m here to take him out to ‘our’ place if he promises me to eat, even if just a few bites. It’s funny, he gives me this look and I could’ve sworn he understood what I was saying. Well back inside, I put him back in his crate after a few more kisses and reminds him quietly about our ‘deal’. To my surprise, his nose dives right into his dish and he grabs a few bites. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, maybe I’m too optimistic, but I feel like I won the lottery.
So today was a lot of changes. We assembled (that’s a very liberal ‘we’, I can’t take a lot of credit) over 100 of the new cages that came in yesterday and they are set up. They are super nice and each has its own ‘roof’. They will give the dogs much more space and also be big enough to fit the beds we just got in (which still need to be assembled)
Somebody donated collars in all sizes so each dog got a real collar assigned to them!
Of course, I had to find out how the very pregnant momma was doing, that, thank God, was transported to a foster home last night. Turns out she was actually in labor at that point and ended up having her pups early am! I hear different stories, but she either had 8 pups and one was stillborn, or she had 7, with one stillborn. However, mom and pups are doing great and the proud poppa is kept in the same foster family. So yes, there are happy moments here 🙂.
Just like tonight, as I walked in to pay a visit to the kitty area. The message on one of the crates just gives me goosebumps all over. “I found my person!”. That is the best news we can get here!
And as for the little lady dog who had me in tears yesterday, the skinny one who has had way too many litters and would not respond to love or treats? Well, as I walked up to check on her this morning, she actually wagged her tail for a moment. Yep, it wasn’t for long, but it wagged…I had to shoot a quick video just in case I started to doubt myself. 🙂
And R.I.P.? Well, he was very nervous today and wore a stress jacket. But he gets a lot of kisses and treats throughout the day and hopefully, he will find a foster or adoption home soon.
What else got me excited today? Well, first of all, everyone here is so nice you just want to take them home! The doctors come up to shake hands and introduce themselves to the volunteers. AND, our lunches are vegetarian. I like that!
Image: The veterinarians and medical staff and medical supplies. This is the first stop for every animal coming in.
So did I have my moments today? Of course, I did. You would have to be a pretty cold-hearted individual if you could walk through this place for a day and not be emotionally affected. But I’ve come to realize that’s our pets’ gift to us. They make us a little more humble. They put things in perspective for us when we lose ourselves. They bring us back to reality, and they make the clouds go away.
I can’t speak for the other volunteers here, but as for me, I fell in love about 15 times today. I’m adding photos of some of the subjects of my affection here. They are all wonderfully hairy and slobby and loud and I pray that they all will be going home soon.
Donations – many of you have asked how you can help. Best Friends actually has a link on Amazon with a wish list, that will get shipped directly over here – here is this link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/WXNNMA2C8Z1U and of course monetary donations are always needed as well.
If anyone has any questions about anything pertaining to the Harvey pet/owner reunions, just message me and I will find out what you need to know.
More to come tomorrow.
A couple of images of fellow volunteers, having a moment with a very special friend.
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