The animal control officers at the ARL receive all kinds of calls to retrieve animals in various situations.  But one day last week was very unusual.  A restaurant in Reading called to ask us to get a cat who had fallen out of the ceiling in the middle of the night, setting off the alarm.  Thinking it was an intruder, imagine their surprise to find a cat instead!  This poor kitty must have been living there for quite a while because she was very thin and very sickly.  The staff at the ARL brought her back to the shelter and gave her lots of water, food and TLC.  Wrapped in a warm blanket, she shivered but still managed to purr in appreciation for all of the attention.

The next day, it was obvious that this sweet kitty was very ill.  Despite having drank a lot of water, she had not eliminated at all.  The veterinarian examined her and determined she must have been in kidney failure.  Bravely, the staff made the decision to humanely put this wonderful girl to rest.  But it was not an easy decision.  She had already won everyone's hearts. 

It's amazing how just one life can make a world of difference to others.

It’s a new beginning for me and a new blog for the ARL.  Let me introduce myself first so you know who is behind the blog.  But this is not my blog – it’s the ARL’s.  I’m here to share information about all things going on with the organization.

My name is Chris Shaughness, Media Coordinator at the ARL.  Prior to joining the ARL on May 12, I was self-employed as a Certified Pet Behavior Counselor and dog trainer.  I have extensive experience with resolving behavior problems with pets, and working with families to ensure their pets stay with them happily and safely.  My specialty is the rehabilitation of dogs rescued from puppy mills and hoarders.  I have had several articles published in magazines, and have been a columnist for several newspapers.  I also co-produced the film, Uncaged: Second Chances for Puppy Mill Breeder Dogs, and produced a dog training and behavior DVD called Successful Dog Makeovers.  I hope to bring this experience to the ARL.

On my first day here, I sat at the front desk and watched in amazement as the waiting room filled with people arriving for various reasons.  The ARL staff was pulled in several directions at once:

-          a woman was surrendering her dog because she had no time for him and a man was surrendering his cat because they had a newborn baby – both of these people were in tears and the ARL staff tried to console them,

-          a man needed a dog license,

-          a woman was picking up the ashes of her cremated dog (someone else who needed consoling),

-          a woman brought in a stray cat,

-          a dog was coming in to be groomed,

-          and someone was picking up their dog from boarding.

While all of this was happening, the phones were ringing constantly.  In between calls and helping with visitors, one of the front desk staff was calling to check on references of a potential adopter. 

Did I mention all of this was going on within just one hour on a Monday?  I understand that Wednesday evenings are much busier.   I’m already getting a small taste of how very hard the staff works here.