Online Dog Coach

Photo Gallery of My Volunteer Work with Rescued Pets

2008-08-03T16:38:00.003-06:00

I created a gallery on Online Dog Coach of the few photos I (or someone I know) took while I volunteered in Cedar Rapids. Enjoy!

UAN Shares Volunteer and Pet Stories

2008-07-16T07:27:00.003-06:00

The United Animal Nations blog is sharing many wonderful stories about the volunteers, pets, and people in Cedar Rapids. They have posted one my stories, as well as an update on all of the cats I helped at the shelter on my last day.

When I read Homeward bound posted on July 6, I began to cry with joy over the success of the adoptions. I was especially struck by the story of the pregnant tortoise shell. I remember how round she was when I handled her Friday morning. I felt compelled to make sure she had a deep box with plenty of towels because I knew she was due soon - little did I know it would be the very next day!

Home

2008-07-11T11:43:00.003-06:00

I spent the remainder of the holiday weekend with family in Missouri before returning home. I have now unpacked, done laundry, and begun re-acclimating myself to my regular life.

Little things remind me of everything I experienced while in Cedar Rapids. At the pet store there were two cats for adoption, and petting them through the kennel bars reminded me of all of the cats who can't go home until their families can clean up their home or find alternate places to stay.

A snippet of a conversation, a familiar looking face, or a news story on TV reminds me of the friends I made and things I experienced. By the way, NBC didn't air much of a story. Maybe they are saving it for later??? I plan to share the story and remember the charity and resilience of the pets and people of Cedar Rapids!

Story on NBC Tonight?

2008-07-05T08:36:00.003-06:00

NBC interviewed a family and we were told it will show Saturday night. For many of the people affected, their family and pets are the only things they have left. Hundreds of homes have been deemed unsafe to enter, and will be bulldozed.

I am thankful for the droves of community members who come in every day to help care for the pets. Some come in because they are lucky and want to do something to help. Some come in because they lost something and are thankful for the shelter. All come in because they care about the animals.

I am happy the city shelter, college, HSUS, and UAN/EARS came together to provide shelter for these animals. UAN is looking for donations to their LifeLine Crisis Relief Grants, which help people cover veterinary and care costs for their pets during times of disaster.

Last Day

2008-07-03T20:56:00.002-06:00

I didn't make it over to the shelter, but they still want me to go over and help out. My original plan was to leave this afternoon, but I'll stay an extra half day to do this tomorrow. So my last day is tomorrow...

Good news today is that many cats and dogs are getting to go home. We finally got the pet cats down to under 200 today - a first since the shelter was set up 3 weeks ago.

The Shelter

2008-07-02T22:45:00.005-06:00

I met the cutest dog from the Cedar Rapids shelter today when I was out directing traffic! She's one of those who loves to jump up on you. I greeted her and did a 30 second "sit" and "shake" lesson. She was all over "shake" since all she wanted was for her front feet to be up on me!

About 15 minutes later, here she comes again dragging a different handler. When she arrived, the handler said, "she wanted to come up and greet you." It was almost like she was saying, "come on, come meet my new friend!" She started to jump up and I asked her to sit. She did it immediately and offered her paw. How smart!

The Cedar Rapids shelter was destroyed in the flood. Luckily, the college has space to house the shelter animals as well. The Kirkwood Foundation has set up a fund for rebuilding the shelter. Donations can be sent to Kirkwood Foundation, c/o Friends of the Cedar Rapids Shelter, 6301 Kirkwood Blvd SW, Cedar Rapids, IA, 52406.

I'll be going over to the shelter's building tomorrow (shelter animals and displaced pets are in different buildings) and will try to get a picture of her!

You don't know tired...

2008-06-29T19:58:00.004-06:00

I work side by side with the local volunteers. They are so thankful for everything the shelter does for the community, and they only see part of it.

The organizational volunteers work from 7:30 a.m to 7:00 p.m. every day regardless of the day of the week. They take 15 minute lunch breaks, handle fearful and enthusiastic animals, search carefully for any sign of illness, feed hundreds of animals, cry over the sadness of a pet whose owner is still not found, and cry with joy over the reunion of a dog or cat with his family. And they take vacation or unpaid leave from work and ask their families to make sacrifices to do all of this.

The more tired you become, the more easily tears flow - over both heartbreaking and joyous occasions.

Play with your dog tonight. Cuddle with your cat. Kiss your partner and your children. Give your distant family members a call and tell them you love them. Show them that you care because every living thing is beautiful.

"All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all." (Cecil F. Alexander) And each one is important.

Amazing Volunteers

2008-06-28T23:30:00.007-06:00

The people here are amazing. I find it interesting how I can become such great friends with people whose names I don't already know. I feel like I've been here 3-4 days rather than just 2!

When a family comes in to see their pet, the animal comes alive. This is especially apparent with the dogs. Some are timid and withdrawn, but jump up with joy and take on a totally different personality when their family visits them. Several get to go home each day.

The families are so grateful for the care we give the dogs and cats (other animals are housed elsewhere). One man volunteering at the shelter today said he lost everything in the flood except his cat. Despite his loss, he took time to come help others.

Here is a typical day: The dogs are barking wildly with excitement when we arrive. Volunteers come in from the surrounding community. We walk the dogs, clean the stalls/kennels, and give them clean food and water. When we finish the care around lunch, the place settles down. There is the quiet stirring of an occasional dog barking or cat meowing, but most are still. For a couple of hours, the volunteers take care of special needs, manage the paperwork, and prep materials for the afternoon care. Mid afternoon, the place comes alive again, and buzzes with excitement for the afternoon walks, cleaning, and feeding.

Being the lead of an area means I train the volunteers (most are there for the first time), take care of the special needs cats, make sure veterinarians know who needs care, resolve questions that arise, and get paperwork to the right people. We are the caretakers of family pets who are loved - and this is the main reason we are all here.

Homeless pets as a result of homeless families

2008-06-26T22:38:00.004-06:00

I've finished my first day. As with any volunteer work, you go where you are needed. Because of my past experience with cats, and because the Lead for that area was leaving, they've asked me to work this position. So today I learned the ropes. I've met some great volunteers, cleaned cages, and held many cats craving attention. Now I am settling down in the college gymnasium.

Most of the dogs and cats in the shelter are owned, but the families cannot live in their homes. The floods here reached an historic 500 year high, cresting at 30 feet. Normal river depth is 10 feet. Several neighborhoods and a lot of the downtown district were damaged. The waters have gone down, and clean up has begun.

It's raining

2008-06-26T11:08:00.004-06:00

I'm at a rest stop between Des Moines and Iowa city - and they have wireless!

Can you believe it? It's raining - I'm practically in tears!

I'm almost there

2008-06-25T22:49:00.002-06:00

Today was a long day - finished packing and took off in the car. I will finish the drive tomorrow.

I spoke with an EARS spokesperson who is interested in me taking photos and writing for the EARS blog! Exciting - and now I know of another thing I'll be doing (besides walking dogs).

I'm heading to Iowa

2008-06-24T20:21:00.001-06:00

I got the call this afternoon as I was shopping for "non-perishable foods" I'll need in Iowa. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon, stopping half way overnight at a hotel, and will finish the trip on Thursday. I am scheduled to work June 26 through July 3 with the option of staying longer.

They are unable to tell me what I will be doing. What I do know is that I'll help care for the animals at the shelter. Other possibilities might be working with pet owners looking for their pets, paperwork, and maybe even rescue since I have experience trapping cats.

I'll update you when I get there. In the meantime, check out Online Dog Coach's page on the Iowa rescue efforts. I recorded a personal video message tonight that should be posted by the end of the week.

Flooding In Iowa - Animals need help!

2008-06-24T09:23:00.003-06:00

Any time people are displaced, so are their animals. Yesterday, I received another email from United Animal Nations - Emergency Animal Rescue Service. They have extended the dates for needing trained volunteers in Cedar Rapids.

After weighing my responsibilities here at the office, and the needs of dogs and cats in Iowa, I decided to respond to EARS's request for help. I put my name in their database and am currently on stand by - which means I wait for them to call me, and begin gathering supplies.

Today I am making a list and checking it twice. I am airing out a sleeping bag, and making sure I have enough red shirts to last several days (red is the EARS volunteer uniform color). I am reading up on this disaster, and re-reading the volunteer handbook I received at their training workshop.

I'll keep you posted if I get the call!