Alright, I'll be the first blogger. For my may project, I am balancing work between two different organizations. In the mornings, I head to Stray Rescue of Saint Louis. After going through a volunteer orientation, I was thrown right into the mix. They have a pretty open schedule, so I can pretty much do whatever type of service I want. I usually start the mornings by taking one of the dogs on a walk. Many dogs have to go on shorter walks because they are heartworm positive and thus fatigue easily. Nevertheless, walking is a really important part of the day because the shelter is a high anxiety environment, and the walk is a chance for the dogs to get away from the barking. The organization does a great job with dogs, but barking is inevitable, unfortunately. As a result, many of the dogs suffer from high anxiety resulting in diarrhea and do not like other dogs. Anyways, as someone who doesn't own a dog, I am experiencing the ups and downs of having a dog. Cleaning up the poop has to be the worst thing in the world. I won't get into too much detail, but it's a lucky day if the dog doesn't crap on a tree while on the walk. After I walk the dog, I go scrub dog bowls and water buckets. I probably have the cleanest hands in Saint Louis right now because I have done at least 7 hours worth of dishes. My mom wishes I would have the same dedication at home. Besides walking dogs and cleaning dishes, I clean the kennels. Whenever the dogs are being walked, we wash down the rooms and replace their linens to try and make it as comfortable as possible despite being locked in a 4x8 foot room. 

     The shelter has a three-tier system. Red, Orange, and Purple. Red-collared dogs are only walked by certain handlers because they are either new or have severe behavioral problems. These dogs tend to struggle with human contact and/or other dogs most likely due to animal abuse before being rescued and it takes a long time to rehabilitate them. They can only be adopted under certain conditions where there are no children in the holmes or other dogs as well as the potential owner having a staff approved relationship with the dog. The second tier is the Orange Collar. These dogs tend to just have issues with other dogs and need to keep their distance. These can be walked by staff and a few approved volunteers. The purple collared dogs are the goodest of boys and girls. They can be walked by volunteers and tend to be sweethearts. 

   Something I learned was how important foster homes are for Shelters and the dog. It is basically adoption. However, unlike adoption, foster homes are non-committal and don't cost money. This allows for a better chance at rehabilitation as well as space to open up at the shelter for more strays to occupy.