PUPPIES!

Normally at the Humane Society there are certain people assigned to take care of designated areas. I usually shadow people who work with the cats and kittens because the dogs can be quite a handful, but today there was a shortage of dog workers. When this happens, other staff members fill in to help, and so Melissa and I offered to help Kat (who works with dogs) with the new litter of eleven puppies.

And after that experience, I think I'll stick with cats.

Don't get me wrong, these puppies are ADORABLE, but having to clean up after eleven of them is definitely NOT adorable. Stepping into the Puppy Room your ears are assaulted with eleven deafening howls and yips and your nose is accosted with their odor. There are five girls, and six boys (five girls to a cage, and then three boys to a cage). The bottom of the cages are covered in newspaper and then covered with piles of shredded paper, blankets, and their food and water is in a corner.
In order to be able to clean the cages, Melissa and I had to carry each wiggling puppy from their cage to two crates so that they wouldn't bother us. This alone is a challenge, and their barks only get louder. We have to clean out all the newspaper and shredded paper, remove their bowls and towels, and then scrub down the entire cage since puppies are so messy. We then reapply newspaper to the floor, cover it with shredded paper and blankets, and try to cover our ears from their voices. Trying to get the puppies back into the cage is near impossible, since they all try to jump and climb and nip at your hands that you can barely close the door.
We had to do this three times, and when we get to the last ones the first cage is dirty again, but I guess that's just how it is dealing with baby animals.

The rest of the day Melissa and I attended our usual tasks of cleaning and tending to the cats in Iso, Drop Off, and helped move newborn kittens to a crate in Kitten Iso. These kittens were adorable, and were so young their ears hadn't popped up and their eyes were still closed.

Today was definitely the hardest day yet, but I still love being around all these animals!