If you’re a rescuer, I bet you recognize yourself or another rescuer in this funy but too true piece.
Thanks very much to Gail Orth-Aikmus (the unflappable and ever-energetic leader of Heartland Weimaraner Rescue for allowing me to reprint her work.
It⿿s 5:30 am , I took the day to get things done! First, I have to feed my dogs and the foster puppies. I get that done…
I decide to clean my house. It⿿s really been neglected since rescue got so busy.
I get out the vacuum, take it to the living room, I look over at the puppy playpen and decide the trays need a good scrubbing.
Phone rings, it⿿s a shelter, they have a weimaraner.
As I start toward the playpen, I notice that the mailman is coming down the street.
I decide to go the mail before I scrub the playpen trays.
Phone Rings, it⿿s an adopter, lost their profile, can we e-mail them another.
I get the mail, lots of rescue paperwork and checks that need to be deposited, put the junk mail in the trash bag, and notice that the bag is full from cleaning out the playpen this morning.
Phone Rings ⿿ No, I would not like vinyl siding, I have steel siding.
Phone Rings ⿿ No, we place Weimaraners, not wiener dogs.
So, I decide to put the paperwork and checks on the counter and take out the trash bag first. Oh, there are spay/neuter refunds I need to get out.
Phone Rings ⿿ You want a show puppy, I⿿m sorry, we don⿿t have show dogs, but would be happy to refer you to our Breeder Referral person, and she will be happy to talk to you and guide you in the right direction.
Then I think, since I’m going to be near the mailbox, when I take out the trash bag out anyway, I may as well write out the checks and send out the spay/neuter refunds too.
Phone Rings ⿿ It⿿s one of our coordinators, foster is sick.
I get the rescue checkbook off the table, and see that there is only 1 check left. The extra checks are in the filing cabinet in the office, so I go through the house to my office where I find the glass of iced coffee that I had been drinking sitting on the TV.
Phone Rings ⿿ Oh, the show puppy person, yes, I have time to talk to you. You can⿿t afford a show quality puppy. You want a senior weim now?
I’m going to get the checks, but first I need to push the coffee back so that the dogs accidentally knock it over trying to drink it. I see that the ice in the coffee is melting, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
Phone Rings ⿿ Do we have what?, No, we are a dog rescue group, we don⿿t have cats available for adoption.
As I head toward the kitchen with the iced coffee, one of the dog beds catches my eye⿿a puppy peed on it. Ok, I need to get that down to the laundry room and wash it.
Phone Rings ⿿ Owner Surrender ⿿ Your weim tore up what!?
I set the iced coffee down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I’ve been searching for all morning.
Phone Rings ⿿ YES, we would love to have you as a volunteer foster ⿿ let me tell you all about it!
I decide I better put my reading glasses back on my desk, but first I’m going to take the dog bed to the laundry room. I set the glasses back down on the counter, grab the dog bed and suddenly I spot the phone off
it⿿s charger. I had left it there last night.
I realize that tonight when the phone rings, I will need to use that phone, but it won⿿t have enough charge to hold a conversation, so I decide to put it back in the charger so it⿿s ready, but first, get the stinky dog bed downstairs to the laundry room.
Phone Rings ⿿ Dinner tonight? Sorry I can⿿t, too busy, maybe tomorrow?
I walk toward the stairs and see that the puppy has left me a present on the floor. So, I set the dog bed back down, get some paper towels and pick up the present.
Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do ⿿ I know there was something important I needed to do. I might as well check my e-mail while I am at this end of the house. ALRIGHT!!! Adoption applications! ! I need to process them! Fosters going home!
YIPPPPPPP! A puppy starts crying, I better go see what⿿s wrong. I run into the living room, tripping over the vacuum, falling to the floor and am attacked by the fostered puppies. Awww, I simply must take the time out to play with them for a while. They are going home this weekend and my time to play and enjoy them is short.
Hmmm, where did the time go? It⿿s 6:00pm , time to feed the dogs again. The phone rings, it⿿s an owner surrendershe is cryingneeds to surrender her senior weim, she is expecting a baby and new husband doesn⿿t do dogs.
At the end of the day:
—-the trays in the puppy pen are not scrubbed,
—-the spay/neuter refunds have not been sent out,
—-there is a warm glass of iced coffee sitting on the counter,
—-the dog bed didn⿿t get washed,
—-there is still only 1 check in the check book,
—-phone is now dead ⿿ it never made it to the charger,
—-I can’t find my glasses,
—-the trash bag is still sitting by the front door,
—-and my house is still looks the same as it did this morning.
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I’m really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I’m really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I’ll try to get some help for it, but first I better check my e-mail someone may be wanting an adoption application.
Do me a favor, will you? Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don’t remember who the hell I sent it to. Everyone needs to be warned, this could be you next.
Don’t laugh ⿿ Rescue will take you there, whether you⿿re ready or not!
P.S. I just remembered. The vacuum is still in the living room plugged into the outlet, better get it before a puppy starts chewing on the cord!
