"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." - Maria Robinson

The Emu Dances

First of all, I wanted to share this video. Emus, as I have learned at the Animal House, are very curious birds. No matter where I am cleaning or what I am doing, there is a emu by the gate or fence watching me. They follow me and stare at me, but when I look back at them or try to follow them, they turn away as if to say "What are you looking at? I was minding my own business!" The emu in the video, though, I figured wanted to put on a show, but was suffering from stage fright (because he rear end was always facing me unless I looked away).

So much has happened at the Animal House over the last three weeks, I don't know where to begin. I have several happy stories, and one sad but satisfying story. I guess I will give the depressing one first to get it out of the way, and so I don't end this blog with anger in my heart.

Four Saturdays ago, Joel gave me a special job to do. He had me sit in the chair in the office, and then he gave me a blanket. I was a little confused until he brought in a little poodle and placed her in my lap. He had me wrap her up and just hold her for about an hour or so. Earlier that week, her owners had brought her to the shelter. She was 16 years old, and had the symptoms of being a very old dog. Her owners left her because they did not want to take her to the vet to see what could be done and they didn't want to take up the extra responsibility of caring for an elderly dog. While the owners were crying as they left, Joel said he was very reluctantly holding in his anger. The family had had Sophie (the poodle) every since she was a puppy. Every day since she had arrived, he wrapped her up in a blanket and help her. She was in shock of being left in a strange place and not being at home. So that Saturday I got to take over. When he told me her story, I held her close to me and softly talked to her until she fell asleep in my lap. I just could not believe a family would do that. After a dog has been with you for that long, they become part of your family. I just can't see how someone could just throw away a member of their family like that. The next Saturday, I took a weekend trip to Birmingham for my best friend's birthday. When I went back to the Animal House two Saturdays ago, I didn't see Sophie. I asked Joel about it, dreading the answer I knew he was going to give me. She had died during the week. The beautiful thing is she had died in Joel's lap as he was holding her; she had died knowing someone cared for her.

The same day Sophie came in, we received a new addition to the Animal House. His (or her, we refer to him as a he even though we are not sure what gender he or she is) name is Click. He had gotten stuck in someone's bob-wire and they brought him in. He did not have any broken bones, but his wing was tore up pretty bad, so we will keep him and care for him until he can fly again, and then we will release him into the wild. Right now he is still in the small cage, but once he starts trying to use his wing again, Joel will move him to one of the bird habitats so he can build up strength. And guess what! I got to pet him!!! Do you want to know how he got his name? Well watch this video and you will find out.



That is not all that happened at the Animal House the past few times I have been there, but those are two major ones. Every week I come home will several stories and my stash of memories just keep growing and growing!

If I help you win, then I win too! – Denis Waitley

This has gone WAY past crossing the line!!!

 

I really think PETA is based on good intentions, but they have gone way too far in protecting animals! Remember this is coming from an animal lover. PETA is attacking the wrong issues. Now, giving animals the SAME rights as HUMANS??? I'm sorry but animals are still animals. They shouldn't be treated as humans because they are not humans.
When my brother and I were helping clean up a chicken farm after the April tornadoes, my brohter told me that the owner said PETA had came to him and told him to find shelter for his chickens that survived. This man lost his home and everything, he was having to find a place to stay for himself, and they were worried about the chickens?!
Now PETA is suing Seaworld claiming that orcas fall under the 13th Amendment! That is just insane. The constitution was written by the PEOPLE for the PEOPLE. It only applies for United States citizens. Last that I knew of, animals are not citizens of the USA. Another issue is that PETA wants these animals released into the wild. You can NOT release an animal held in captivity into the wild, because that animal will die. It would not know how to survive and will either be killed by another animal or suffer from not being able to take care of itself. Animals in captivity (the one who are cared for correctly, for example the Seaworld orcas) are safe, fed on a regular basis, cleaned, and kept in the best health. Why do you think animals raised in captivity live longer than the ones in the wild?!
Animals in the wild should remain in the wild and animals in captivity should remain in captivity.
Leave the Constitution for the Americans!

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

where i wish i could volunteer

“In the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away.” - Shing Xiong

A Couple of Interesting Things

When I started out at the Animal House today, it was way too cold to spray out the pens, and since Joel had not come over from the other side of the property yet, I decided to say good morning to some of the animals. First I went in to Simba and talked to him. Then I said hi to the wolves. I looked in the capybara's pen and actually saw Capy (which has never happened before outside of feeding time). Then I walked over to Patty and Ocea's pen. Ocea was waiting on me and stalked me as I opened the perimeter gate. When he saw me coming in, he went and his behind Patty's water bucket. He thought I couldn't see him. Hehe. Then when I said "Ocea, I can see you." for about the third time, he pounced up and playfully rubbed against the fence. I talked to him and gave him a kiss, then went back to Simba (Simba LOVES attention). By then I was freezing, so I decided to sit in the sun to warm up. Mouse hopped into my lap, so I played with her. Simba did not like me sitting right outside his pen where he could see me and not come pet him. The video is of him whining and pacing the fence because I would not come pet and talk to him.

After Joel arrived, and we got the housework done, we fed the animals on that side. Well, since it is getting into deer season, Joel is getting deer meat and carcasses to feed the carnivores. Simba will tolerate chicken, but, besides attention, he LOVES red meat. When we fed him, I saw a side of him I have never seen before. To me Simba is one big baby. He whines, craves attention, and is terrified of thunderstorms. Today he was a lion. He got very possessive of his red meat, and as Joel was kicking it under the fence, Simba roared at him. I do not mean a whimpy roar like in the video, but a snarl as loud as any you see on nature shows. This just proves that no exotic animal should be completely trusted. They are wild animals that have to be care for with caution, because at any moment their natural instincts can kick in.
Feeding Hershey today was AWESOME! I got to hand feed him 2.5 gallons of apple slices. When I say hand feed, I mean hand feed. I picked up an apple slice, stuck it through the fence, and then Hershey ate it out of my hand!
Overall it was a great day, and I am ready to go back!

HORRIBLE! Horrible, horrible!

I just could not believe my ears when I heard about the animal escape in Ohio. Ever since Wednesday I have been following the story. My first reaction was complete shock! I thought "What idiots would do this?!" then as the story developed, I kept getting more depressed and more pissed.
The thought of all those exotics dead tore me apart. I know what had to be done was done, and I completely understand why those animals were shot. If I am ever faced with a similar choice during my career (shot my animal or let them kill people) I would not hesitate to shot it. No animal should come before a human life. That doesn't make it any easier to bear.
Then there is the whole extent of the situation. First off the reason why these animals are dead (18 tigers, 17 lions, 8 bears, 3 cougars, 2 wolves, 1 baboon) is most likely because of the owner. Wild animals are just that, wild. They shouldn't be for just anyone to keep, or more incidents like this one will occur because of the stupidity of some people. What makes matters worse, I read one article on this story where the sheriff's department stated that on several occasions responding to complaints, the owner threatened to release the animals! If someone would have taken over this situation sooner, then 49 exotic and beautiful animal lives could have been save.
Below is a news report on a local home for exotic animals, profiling on how these animals are kept contained and healthy. This place just happens to be the Animal House (where I volunteer every Saturday).

Into the Cougar's Pen!

I had a very interesting day at the animal house last Saturday.
First, I think Spec (the leopard) is slowly getting use to me being around. He was sitting on a table against the fence in his pen, and when Shelby and I walked over there, he hissed at her. He didn't even look at me, even though I kept walking closer and closer to him. He just kept his eye on Shelby. We will see if he is more calm when I approach him by myself.
Before we started to clean the cougar's pen, Joel had to had to do something very dangerous, or what he called "an adventure". In Red Man's pen (the mean cougar) there was a broken table. Red Man was injured on his back leg, and Joel suspected it was from the table, so he decided to get it out of the pen. Now, in the cougars' pens there are no traps except for the one that separates Red Man and Flip Flop, so we had to trap Red Man in his house with a handmade trap. Since cougars hate water, I took the hose and started spraying just behind Red to move him into his house. When he went in, Shelby held a plastic board across the door. (FYI we are on the other side of the fence. We are NOT in the pen.) When she had it in place, I sprayed the board with the hose so Red would move to the second compartment of his house. While we kept Red away from the door, Joel went in and got the broken table out. Success!
When all the cleaning was done, and it was about time for me to go, I decided to go say "Hi" to flip Flop, the female cougar. She is sweet and gentle and LOVES to be petted! I started petting her on her back, and then she rubbed against the fence, begging me to pet her head. I think her favorite spots are on her head and neck. the more I petted her, the more she acted like a domesticated house cat.
I just love the feel of a cougar's fur. Even though it is short and kind of prickly, it is the softest fur I have ever touched. I could pet Flip Flop all day long.

Photo: Flip Flop

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. - Michelangelo

Something Different

Today, I am not going to talk about the Animal House (although many out of the ordinary events happened Saturday). Today I want to tell you about another service project (if I should even call it a project) that I am doing. Because I have until January to set a platform for my service work, I think this is a great time to bring up something completely different from working with animals.
I am part of the Language Partners Program at UNA. This basically means I get to hang out with an international student for an hour each week to help them with their conversation skills and to learn about their home and culture. This is another way I want to impact the world through small actions. By being a LP (language partner), I learn a lot about how other people my age from different countries survive everyday life, and I learn about their cultures and traditions. By expanding my understanding of the world around me (because the world does not consist of just Florence, just Alabama, or even just the US), I don't feel as naive and sheltered. With this understanding I hope to (and already have) show other people who hold a prejudice view on a people or culture, that individuals should not be judged based on actions of a specific group, but rather as an individual. This understanding of other cultures and beliefs is the first step to taming the tension between nations, religions, and cultures.

Shelby's First Time

Yesterday Shelby came with me to work at the Animal House. I think she had fun. I hope she had fun. Hehe, lets replace fun with enjoyed, because only crazy people like me would think that cleaning up exotic animal dung and hair is fun.
When we got there at 8 a.m. we didn't get to start with my normal routine. Joel arrived right after we did, which is very unusual because he usually doesn't come to the shelter side until around 9 a.m. He had to answer a call so he stopped by to pick up crates and get us started. We helped him load the crates, and then when he left we fixed the Nature Trail hose and started to clean Nature Trail. Shelby also go to meet Simba! He is the perfect first exotic for Shelby to meet because he is just a big, lazy baby. After cleaning Nature Trail, Shelby and I worked on the inside shelter. Then, when Joel came back, we dewormed a litter of puppies and gave them shots. When we got everything in the shelter done, we went to clean out back where Spec (leopard) and Hershey (black bear) are.
While I was blowing out Specs pen, I had to get between his house in the area where he was trapped off (he was laying on top of it) and his house in the area I was cleaning. Spec did not like me being that close to him. At first he hissed at me, and then he pounced in my direction and threw his paw at me (remember he is trapped off and there is a chain length fence that is cemented to the ground with a fence top between us so I was perfectly safe). You might think that I freaked out and screamed or ran away or even both. I didn't. This past summer I have been sprayed by 2 lions, been in the wolf pen without the trap down (Joel was there with me), and had a tiger threaten me when I was feeding him, so I know now how to expect some behaviors in the animals. I just turned to Spec and said "Stop" firmly. When Joel realized what was going on he walked over and talked to Spec to calm him down.
You see, when it comes to animals, especially exotics, you have to learn to keep calm. If you are nervous and freaked out, then the animals get scared and it puts both of you in a bad position. While working at the animal house I have learned to wipe away my nerves. This has helped me form a stronger bond with the animals I work with and has also enlightened me to a new way of handling animals whether they are a horse, dong, or leopard.

Pictures: Patty the lion and Ocea the tiger (I am not sure if his name is spelled correctly)

A New Person

I am very excited to go to the Animal House this Saturday! Although I look forward to working there every Saturday, this time it is going to be extra fun! Shelby, my friend and fellow Honors student, is coming with me! I am excited to show her what I do there, and to introduce her to all the animals.
While reading Shelby's blog about the Animal House, I found out she had a smart idea. She put a link to the Animal House website so her readers could find out more about the place. Please, follow this link (www.animalhouse.org) and read about the Animal House. It is very interesting to read about how the shelter began.

Today I went to work at the Animal House. Not much happened, but I did get some funny pictures. I got there before Joel (the guy who runs the shelter but he is not the owner) just like every other time I've worked there. Also, just like every other time, I started by cleaning Nature Trail (which is the outside shelter dogs). Then when Joel arrived, I helped him with the inside shelter.Then came the second best part of working there... FEEDING! Feeding is when we give the exotics their yummy meal of raw chicken. We fill 5-gallon buckets up with however many chickens each animal needs, and then we go to their pens and throw or kick the chickens in. The first exotic I fed was Simba, a male lion. Now, you need to know that Simba is lazy, a big baby, and loves attention! Well, when I got to his pen, he was laying down with his back towards me. I put his chicken in his pen, and then I told him "Okay, Simba. Time to eat." You want to know what he did? He turned his head towards me, looked at me with a face that said "whatever" and went back to sleep. Well about 20 minutes later when I went back to check on him, I found him in the exact same position (he had not moved an inch) with his chicken untouched. He is such a lazy cat. I also got to feed Tara (tiger) and Hershey (black bear).

About the pictures: The first two are Simba. I have seen him sleep in many awkward positions but this one is by far the funniest! The third one is a litter of puppies at the shelter. Yes, that one puppy is sleeping in a food bowl, and yes, it still has food in the bottom.

Blog

For my Honors Civic Engagement forum at UNA, I am suppose to keep a blog on my community service experiences and the speakers from each week. Keeping a blog will not be that difficult for me. I already have another blog, www.shoesofamyjane.blogspot.com, so I am already a little bit comfortable about writing a journal where everyone can read it. The thing I know I will have problems with is posting to this blog regularly, because on my other blog (as you can see) I am not very consistent with posts. I just post whenever my brain has a need to express itself to the world (in reality only to my 10 followers). This will be a challenge, but I am ready to face it!
You might be wondering what on earth does the title of my blog or even my background picture have to do with service to my community. Let me start with the title. I am the type of person that doesn't want praise for what she does. I want to, as Steve Jobs puts it, "put a ding in the universe", but my way is subtle. I don't want to leave my mark in life by smashing it with a hammer and making a racket that everyone can hear. I want to brush it with a whisper that people will always remember. Helping a lot of people all at one time is great, and I support everyone who does this. Sometimes, though, you came make an even greater impact by changing the life of one person, even if it is just giving a complete stranger a smile and a simple "hello" while walking down a street or helping a child adopt a friend who will never let them down. I am going to make my home a better place by small works that, I hope, influence people's lives.
My background is a reminder to me and a representation to everyone else about what I am passionate about and a major goal in my life. To say I love animals is very cliche and vaguely describes my passion, but when I try to put words to how I feel I come up very short. I am working towards a career working towards captive wildlife and through my community service this summer I know this field is where I belong.
As I begin to volunteer this semester, I have already decided my aim is going to be helping animals. I am already volunteering at the Animal House in Moulton, Alabama. There I get to interact with, feed, and take care of exotic animals. The Lawrence County Animal Shelter is also run by the same person, so I also get to help with the shelter animals, adoptions, and the needs of the shelter. I also want to try volunteering at Turtle Haven and PAWS.