So this week I've been working on my own and, on top of road kill, I also do drop-offs/pick-ups from vets and animal hospitals (yes, that's right, I pick up road kill and am also a gopher).
More than just for already dead things, sometimes there are also calls out for almost dead things. Actually, one of the other officers told me a story about when he went to pick up a fairly smushed groundhog --and it turned around and snapped at him.
Anyway, but last week an officer and I got called out to attend to an injured grey cat that was in some lady's back yard. When we got there she was sprawled out in a bush on her stomach, head swaying, pupils dilated, and entirely unable to stand. From what we could tell she'd sustained some sort of brain injury, she definitely had some neurological issues. But because she was only almost dead instead of actually dead, we put her into a carrier and off we went to the vet.
When we got there the vet told us that she was most likely too far gone, she couldn't even regain her balance to lift her head let alone sit or stand.
But today I got a pleasant surprise.
Rather than the usual death that I deal with, I show up to the vet clinic and there she was -the same grey cat we'd brought in last week and she was certainly very much alive.
Despite having told us that she'd most likely be put-down, apparently after we dropped her off the vet reached in to her cage and, although she was barely able to move, she slowly lifted her head ever so slightly and rubbed it against his hand.
--Well that was it, from then he had to save her.
And there she was in my carrier. Biggest blue eyes you've ever seen. Still loopy mind you, there is definitely some lasting brain damage there. But she's so cute with her bad balance and spaciness. Such a sweet cat -and I don't even really like cats all that much.
It was really neat. Everyone thought she was all but dead. She's still got another week of recovery ahead of her, but it was astonishing to see her now compared with when we pulled her out of the bushes.
I guess even lost causes can still surprise you no matter how far gone they seem.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
What Would Grissom Do?
Weirdest morning of my life.
We started the day in a graveyard... at a shallow grave... digging up a dead cat.
I don't even think I have words for this one. Most unnatural feeling ever.
I mean, at least they put it in a bag -but a clear garbage bag? C'mon... use some common sense people... things go mushy. Bad choice.
We started the day in a graveyard... at a shallow grave... digging up a dead cat.
I don't even think I have words for this one. Most unnatural feeling ever.
I mean, at least they put it in a bag -but a clear garbage bag? C'mon... use some common sense people... things go mushy. Bad choice.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Neck Bone's Connected To The...
FAQ: How do you know where all the dead animals are?
-Well, as they're not exactly able to call us up themselves, passer byers generally spot the animals, call or email the Humane Society, and then the lovely ladies at the front desk radio out to the officers, and then the officers attend to the calls.
I know I've mentioned that I worked at the Humane Society in the past, but you see, it was one of those relatively clean jobs where I didn't exactly have to 'get my hands dirty'. Anyway, when I started back again this summer, a lot of people seemed to be surprised that I'd gotten the position and didn't really expect me to stick around long. The women at the front desk are both hilarious and amazing, but they also have a particular fondness for giving me some really weird calls.
-Oh I've got a good one for you!
-Uh oh, what is it?
-Well, we're not exactly sure... but I can tell you that it won't have a head!
So off we go, looking for a mystery animal on X street with no head.
It's a busy street, so we park around the corner and just walk up the sidewalk. It isn't long until we see an animal sprawled out across the sidewalk about half a block up. Good news: it is a chipmunk.
Side note: Chipmunks are the best! They're small. Easy to bag without the gag, larger animals can be much more difficult and awkward.
Yet only until afterwards did I realize how abnormal it was to find myself walking down the sidewalk toward a dead animal thinking "Please don't have a head, please don't have a head, please don't have a head..."
It didn't.
Win. Mystery headless animal was just a chipmunk, no sweat.
Wrong.
When I get back to the Centre and share the good news with the ladies at the front desk they show me the actual email that they received. Apparently some woman was out rollerblading and came across a mostly decomposed 'large animal' and she thought she'd let us know about it. A fox, wolf, or dog by her guess. So she took the skull because she thought it might be of some value.
-Excuse me?
Yeah, that's right, she took the head home with her.
What I find interesting is that she was out rollerblading, found the head, and then had to rollerblade home carrying a head.
I hope she enjoys her "wolf skull" -aka. dead raccoon head.
But next time you feel like you're losing your head -don't! Trust me, I've seen what it looks like and it ain't pretty!
-Well, as they're not exactly able to call us up themselves, passer byers generally spot the animals, call or email the Humane Society, and then the lovely ladies at the front desk radio out to the officers, and then the officers attend to the calls.
I know I've mentioned that I worked at the Humane Society in the past, but you see, it was one of those relatively clean jobs where I didn't exactly have to 'get my hands dirty'. Anyway, when I started back again this summer, a lot of people seemed to be surprised that I'd gotten the position and didn't really expect me to stick around long. The women at the front desk are both hilarious and amazing, but they also have a particular fondness for giving me some really weird calls.
-Oh I've got a good one for you!
-Uh oh, what is it?
-Well, we're not exactly sure... but I can tell you that it won't have a head!
So off we go, looking for a mystery animal on X street with no head.
It's a busy street, so we park around the corner and just walk up the sidewalk. It isn't long until we see an animal sprawled out across the sidewalk about half a block up. Good news: it is a chipmunk.
Side note: Chipmunks are the best! They're small. Easy to bag without the gag, larger animals can be much more difficult and awkward.
Yet only until afterwards did I realize how abnormal it was to find myself walking down the sidewalk toward a dead animal thinking "Please don't have a head, please don't have a head, please don't have a head..."
It didn't.
Win. Mystery headless animal was just a chipmunk, no sweat.
Wrong.
When I get back to the Centre and share the good news with the ladies at the front desk they show me the actual email that they received. Apparently some woman was out rollerblading and came across a mostly decomposed 'large animal' and she thought she'd let us know about it. A fox, wolf, or dog by her guess. So she took the skull because she thought it might be of some value.
-Excuse me?
Yeah, that's right, she took the head home with her.
What I find interesting is that she was out rollerblading, found the head, and then had to rollerblade home carrying a head.
I hope she enjoys her "wolf skull" -aka. dead raccoon head.
But next time you feel like you're losing your head -don't! Trust me, I've seen what it looks like and it ain't pretty!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Just a Reminder
Life is busy. It's easy to get caught up in it. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, it's common to forget proper perspective on life. And thus, from time to time, it's important to remind ourselves of who we are and where we came from no matter where life takes us.
For example, I went to university for 5 years, and worked pretty darn hard while I was there, in order to get a job that would allow me to apply what I've learned and do something I enjoy. Makes sense right? However, pre-degree-me didn't really expect to be crawling around on a deck on my hands and knees looking for a decaying squirrel. We couldn't find it anywhere --it was supposed to be under a loose board but, as much as we looked, there was no sign of the squirrel. And so, I found myself having the following conversation with the officer I was working with:
-I can't see it anywhere.
-It's gotta be somewhere, you can smell the dead.
-Oh I know, and I can see maggots so it's definitely around.
-Ew...
-Wait, I think the maggots are the squirrel...
...and so, with long tongs, the officer I was with pulled out a squirrel-sized wriggling mass of slithering maggots (with a small tuff of fur poking out at the end). Nice eh?
Anyway, at the end of the day we were responding to a call about a squirrel that a woman found in her garbage can. We got to the house and saw a can with a note taped to it "Not for more garbage. Humane Society is coming for the dead squiral inside!"
So I open the lid to see a black squirrel, belly up, and maggots squirming from its middle. I took a breath and reached in, garbage bag over my gloved hand, and grabbed the smelly little critter as I winced, looked away, and exclaimed "I AM AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER!!"
This was, of course, just in time for the woman homeowner to come outside and hear me.
For example, I went to university for 5 years, and worked pretty darn hard while I was there, in order to get a job that would allow me to apply what I've learned and do something I enjoy. Makes sense right? However, pre-degree-me didn't really expect to be crawling around on a deck on my hands and knees looking for a decaying squirrel. We couldn't find it anywhere --it was supposed to be under a loose board but, as much as we looked, there was no sign of the squirrel. And so, I found myself having the following conversation with the officer I was working with:
-I can't see it anywhere.
-It's gotta be somewhere, you can smell the dead.
-Oh I know, and I can see maggots so it's definitely around.
-Ew...
-Wait, I think the maggots are the squirrel...
...and so, with long tongs, the officer I was with pulled out a squirrel-sized wriggling mass of slithering maggots (with a small tuff of fur poking out at the end). Nice eh?
Anyway, at the end of the day we were responding to a call about a squirrel that a woman found in her garbage can. We got to the house and saw a can with a note taped to it "Not for more garbage. Humane Society is coming for the dead squiral inside!"
So I open the lid to see a black squirrel, belly up, and maggots squirming from its middle. I took a breath and reached in, garbage bag over my gloved hand, and grabbed the smelly little critter as I winced, looked away, and exclaimed "I AM AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER!!"
This was, of course, just in time for the woman homeowner to come outside and hear me.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Oh Wait, There's More!
In reality, that's what the officer said to me after shovelling most of a maggoty, gut-wrenching, putridly smelly raccoon... or possum... (we couldn't really tell anymore at that point) into the garbage bag that I was holding out for him --but actually, more happened today that I thought I'd quickly sum up!
I saw the insides of a turtle!! --Franklin books lied to me. There were no miniature lamp stands, chesterfields, or pictures hanging on the walls. I don't think I can ever read those books the same way again.
My sister sent me a text message about a smushed bunny. --I was not impressed. That is not how the system is supposed to work, but I went and got it anyway. It was in multiple pieces. At first I thought about bringing it home for her, but I soon realized that it would only be amusing for the initial reaction and then we'd be stuck with a extremely dead rabbit in a garbage bag at our house.
A group of children helped me find a dead cat. --There was a call for a cat that'd died under a shed at a community centre, it had been dead at least a week I was told. We couldn't find it, but knew it was somewhere (ah, thank you smell). But soon after arriving a group of kids ran up (three of them, about 7/8 yrs old) who told us where it was, and then wanted to stay and watch. I told them they probably didn't want to see it but they insisted on staying anyway. Thankfully, this cat had been gone at least 6 months, meaning it wasn't maggoty or mushy anymore, but the kids' reaction was still hilariously adorable. To them, for those few brief moments, we were by far the coolest people in the world. Haha, I wish more people could look at the world in the same interesting way as they did when they were 8.
And finally...
I folded a maggot infested raccoon in half today in order to fit it into a garbage bag. --Yep. I think that one pretty much explains itself.
I saw the insides of a turtle!! --Franklin books lied to me. There were no miniature lamp stands, chesterfields, or pictures hanging on the walls. I don't think I can ever read those books the same way again.
My sister sent me a text message about a smushed bunny. --I was not impressed. That is not how the system is supposed to work, but I went and got it anyway. It was in multiple pieces. At first I thought about bringing it home for her, but I soon realized that it would only be amusing for the initial reaction and then we'd be stuck with a extremely dead rabbit in a garbage bag at our house.
A group of children helped me find a dead cat. --There was a call for a cat that'd died under a shed at a community centre, it had been dead at least a week I was told. We couldn't find it, but knew it was somewhere (ah, thank you smell). But soon after arriving a group of kids ran up (three of them, about 7/8 yrs old) who told us where it was, and then wanted to stay and watch. I told them they probably didn't want to see it but they insisted on staying anyway. Thankfully, this cat had been gone at least 6 months, meaning it wasn't maggoty or mushy anymore, but the kids' reaction was still hilariously adorable. To them, for those few brief moments, we were by far the coolest people in the world. Haha, I wish more people could look at the world in the same interesting way as they did when they were 8.
And finally...
I folded a maggot infested raccoon in half today in order to fit it into a garbage bag. --Yep. I think that one pretty much explains itself.
Cat + Pool = Fail
So we get a lot of calls for squished things, splatted things, mushed things, liquefied things, bloated things, intact things, dragged out things, melted things, etc --all of which, surprisingly, are quite unique.
But today I discovered another: waterlogged.
It's really not ideal. Some neighbourhood cat did not mix well with a family's pool. And to think, I used to think of dead as just dead.
Quote of the day:
"There are so many different forms of dead that one never really knew about"
But today I discovered another: waterlogged.
It's really not ideal. Some neighbourhood cat did not mix well with a family's pool. And to think, I used to think of dead as just dead.
Quote of the day:
"There are so many different forms of dead that one never really knew about"
Monday, June 22, 2009
Poor Puppy Parenting
Alright, so we got a call in about a dog locked in a car. Normally, that's not something that I'd be dealing with but, because I'm still training, the officer I'm working with needed to respond.
Apparently this young couple left their two puppies in the car while they went inside to buy little life jackets for their dogs... brilliant, I know. Let's go buy little life miniature jackets for our dogs because we just care so darn much about our pets --but how about we leave them in the car on this super-hot day so they've got a chance to die in the mean time.
For those who are curious:
Even in the shade, the interior of a car can be 10 to 20 degrees hotter than the temperature outdoors, and cracking the window open has almost no effect. A dog's normal body temp is about 39 degrees and, as most people know, dogs cools themselves by panting. But when a dog's surrounding temperature exceeds its body temperature cooling becomes incredibly difficult. Anyway, it can take less than 15 minutes for your dog's body temperature to rise above 41 degrees, risking brain damage and potentially death to your pet.
*cue star-swipe*
Now You Know...
Apparently this young couple left their two puppies in the car while they went inside to buy little life jackets for their dogs... brilliant, I know. Let's go buy little life miniature jackets for our dogs because we just care so darn much about our pets --but how about we leave them in the car on this super-hot day so they've got a chance to die in the mean time.
For those who are curious:
Even in the shade, the interior of a car can be 10 to 20 degrees hotter than the temperature outdoors, and cracking the window open has almost no effect. A dog's normal body temp is about 39 degrees and, as most people know, dogs cools themselves by panting. But when a dog's surrounding temperature exceeds its body temperature cooling becomes incredibly difficult. Anyway, it can take less than 15 minutes for your dog's body temperature to rise above 41 degrees, risking brain damage and potentially death to your pet.
*cue star-swipe*
Now You Know...
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thank Goodness It's Friday
Okay, I realize that I only started work on Wednesday, but that doesn't make me any less grateful that it's Friday. Three day work week sounds pretty good to me.
I met my nemesis today: the fly. Actually, I met lots of them.
I know people are bothered by maggots, but the flies are able to get near my face and that just freaks me out. Then again, I haven't really had to deal with the maggots... yet... oh goodness.
Anyway, after shooing away the flies I came to a bunny. For the record, there's a pretty effective technique to getting these critters cleaned up as fast as possible.
step 1: put on gloves (usually thick ones are the best choice... less feeling the death and all)
step 2: put hand in garbage bag
step 3: grab hold of animal
step 4: pull bag inside out over animal
step 5: tightly tie off the bag
It's kind of like picking up after one's dog... except with maggoty dead things instead of just poop. Poop doesn't sound so bad anymore eh?
Anyway, this seemed to go not too bad for the most part, until the back leg started to come off in my hand.
Yea... Thank goodness it's Friday.
Quote of the Day:
"When trying to flip the intestines into the bag, make sure that you aim the flipping away from your face"
--advice stemming from another officer's personal experience
I met my nemesis today: the fly. Actually, I met lots of them.
I know people are bothered by maggots, but the flies are able to get near my face and that just freaks me out. Then again, I haven't really had to deal with the maggots... yet... oh goodness.
Anyway, after shooing away the flies I came to a bunny. For the record, there's a pretty effective technique to getting these critters cleaned up as fast as possible.
step 1: put on gloves (usually thick ones are the best choice... less feeling the death and all)
step 2: put hand in garbage bag
step 3: grab hold of animal
step 4: pull bag inside out over animal
step 5: tightly tie off the bag
It's kind of like picking up after one's dog... except with maggoty dead things instead of just poop. Poop doesn't sound so bad anymore eh?
Anyway, this seemed to go not too bad for the most part, until the back leg started to come off in my hand.
Yea... Thank goodness it's Friday.
Quote of the Day:
"When trying to flip the intestines into the bag, make sure that you aim the flipping away from your face"
--advice stemming from another officer's personal experience
Thursday, June 18, 2009
My Man-Pants
Today I shopped for Man-Pants. They gave me a men's work shirt, but I still needed uniform pants and so during today's shift another officer took me shopping (paid for shopping = win). However, apparently it is ridiculously difficult to find women's work pants --and then when you finally are able to find them they're significantly more expensive. So, seeing as everyone's on a tight budget these days, I sucked it up and got some cheap Man-Pants from Wal-mart. At first I thought it'd be fine but I was wrong. I hate my Man-Pants. They are quite uncomfortable. Yet fortunately or unfortunately I have a sneaking suspicion that my job will supply me with larger concerns in order to distract me from the comfort level of my uniform.
For example, I touched my first two dead things today: a rabbit and a bird.
The rabbit was first... it was... open. And it was at my old elementary school; actually, it was on the corner where I used to be one of those crossing guard helpers. I felt like stopping in to show some of my old teachers my recent accomplishment, but oddly enough I hardly think that it would have improved my chances of getting hired on as a teacher there.
For example, I touched my first two dead things today: a rabbit and a bird.
The rabbit was first... it was... open. And it was at my old elementary school; actually, it was on the corner where I used to be one of those crossing guard helpers. I felt like stopping in to show some of my old teachers my recent accomplishment, but oddly enough I hardly think that it would have improved my chances of getting hired on as a teacher there.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Day 1
Well that was interesting.
So today was spent buying two sets of gloves for me (one thick leather for feeling less of what I'm touching, one waterproof for...well apparently things can get a bit juicy). After that I simply observed as the other officers did the dirty work. From what I can tell I will be incredibly grateful for the gloves we purchased today.
Key lesson of the day:
How to tie a bagged skunk outside of the vehicle so that it does not stink up the van.
But truth be told, the skunk didn't look or smell much like a skunk anymore. Instead it kind of looked like a dried up and very flat furry hat that had been run over about 500 times. The groundhog, on the other hand, was a bit of a different story.
I was told to just observe from the van, but the furry rump of the groundhog was closest me and even closer to the vehicle was its intestines and further in front of it I spotted a few organ bits.
A shovel was necessary.
Oh goodness, what've I gotten myself into...
So today was spent buying two sets of gloves for me (one thick leather for feeling less of what I'm touching, one waterproof for...well apparently things can get a bit juicy). After that I simply observed as the other officers did the dirty work. From what I can tell I will be incredibly grateful for the gloves we purchased today.
Key lesson of the day:
How to tie a bagged skunk outside of the vehicle so that it does not stink up the van.
But truth be told, the skunk didn't look or smell much like a skunk anymore. Instead it kind of looked like a dried up and very flat furry hat that had been run over about 500 times. The groundhog, on the other hand, was a bit of a different story.
I was told to just observe from the van, but the furry rump of the groundhog was closest me and even closer to the vehicle was its intestines and further in front of it I spotted a few organ bits.
A shovel was necessary.
Oh goodness, what've I gotten myself into...
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
...Makes You Stronger
Alright, so I'm giving this blog-writing-thing an honest try. As a kid I tried to keep a diary and never managed to keep it up -but I have a feeling that I'm about to stumble across some stories that will virtually beg to be recorded and shared.
Today I received a phone call that has sent my summer in a very interesting direction. Yesterday I found out that I hadn't gotten a job I was extremely excited about and everyone kept reassuring me that 'something else would come up'. Oddly enough, today the phone rang with a call from one of my old bosses. You see, I used to work at the Humane Society and I was offered the chance to go back and pick up some hours over the summer, but I don't think that it was the 'something' that people had in mind.
"It's going to be messy..."
--uh oh...
"I don't know how you're going to feel about it..."
--I've got a pretty bad feeling about what you're about to say...
"But how about picking up some road kill for us?"
--Oh gosh.
So, after graduating university with high distinction for my Honours BA & BEd, what, might you ask, was my response to such a question?
First I laughed out loud --really, it couldn't be helped. Then I said,
"Well, I went to the bank yesterday and I had $5.24 in my account. So, what the heck, sure."
I start tomorrow at 9am.
Today I received a phone call that has sent my summer in a very interesting direction. Yesterday I found out that I hadn't gotten a job I was extremely excited about and everyone kept reassuring me that 'something else would come up'. Oddly enough, today the phone rang with a call from one of my old bosses. You see, I used to work at the Humane Society and I was offered the chance to go back and pick up some hours over the summer, but I don't think that it was the 'something' that people had in mind.
"It's going to be messy..."
--uh oh...
"I don't know how you're going to feel about it..."
--I've got a pretty bad feeling about what you're about to say...
"But how about picking up some road kill for us?"
--Oh gosh.
So, after graduating university with high distinction for my Honours BA & BEd, what, might you ask, was my response to such a question?
First I laughed out loud --really, it couldn't be helped. Then I said,
"Well, I went to the bank yesterday and I had $5.24 in my account. So, what the heck, sure."
I start tomorrow at 9am.
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