All Day Long We Talk About Mercy

I would say I was a pretty active volunteer at the humane society back in grad school. I tried to get up there at least two weekends a month and when I was involved with training it was every Saturday. The Rancho Coastal Humane Society basically constituted my ideal volunteering activity: I spent time outside, in the sun, hanging out with dogs. The level of human interaction was minimal and I could take the dogs on long walks in the nearby park and neighborhood. Sadly, I wasn't so fortunate with the local humane society. I guess my county doesn't have a lot of stray or surrendered dogs- there is actually a waiting list for volunteers interested in being canine companions. When I tried to sign up to help out with pre- and post-op in the clinic I was told the that only available times were something like 10 am or 2 pm on weekdays... too bad I have a job.

So, with the imminent arrival of spring and my "do some good" and "hang out with dogs" instincts itching, I decided to fill out foster applications for a couple shelter relief organizations. And that is how I wound up with a new friend for the next couple weeks. Meet Sadie- She's very much a mutt, probably with a fair amount of border collie heritage. Originally a stray, Shelter Support Services took her in from a shelter that is overcrowded to the point of euthanizing 300+ dogs a month. She'd been assigned the name "Jadda" but she's not used to it yet, and it makes me think of Will Smith's lady. I thought within ten minutes of meeting her that she seemed like a Sadie, so that's what we're going with for now. She weighs about 20 lbs, but I could tell from how ribby she got when I bathed her that she could stand another 5-10. She's fairly timid, but a total peach. Right now she's passed out on a towel-bed behind my big leather chair. I think she will be fun to hang out with until she finds a more permanent home.