Love is in the air this month as we prepare to celebrate Valentine’s Day. At CCAS, love is at the forefront of so much of what we do. Even the Beatles said “All you need is Love.” So often people say “I love animals and would love to work at a shelter.” However, what most people think working in a shelter entails is far from the reality of the work of a shelter employee.
I asked people who never worked at a shelter what they envisioned being the highlight of their day as a shelter employee. Here are some of the answers along with the reality….
“I would get to cuddle puppies and kittens all day.” Reality-We rarely get puppies in and when we do they are often surrendered with Parvovirus and other life threatening ailments such as parasites. We fight to shield them from illness and work diligently to heal their fragile little bodies them from the moment they arrive at CCAS. As for kittens, we take in roughly 2,000 kittens every year. Because they all need around the clock care, we rarely get the opportunity to bask in kitten cuddles between providing critical attention. Even a moment of kitten cuddles can feel like a luxury during the summer months.
“My dog could come to work with me and hang out” Reality-Homeless animals come to CCAS without a vaccine history and can carry diseases that the average pet has never been exposed to. Most of us never get the opportunity to bring our dogs to work as our time is spent caring for the shelter animals here as if they were our very own.
“I think it would be a relatively happy job with little stress.” Reality-Working in a shelter has lots of happy moments. However, between those moments is stress, heartache, and exhaustion. We live for those happy moments as they make the incredibly tough moments a little less hard to bear.
“I imagine everyone is happy coming to visit an animal shelter.” Reality-We encounter people throughout every phase in their life you could possibly imagine. New babies, evictions, foreclosures, death of loved ones, domestic violence, substance abuse, house fires…. These are only a few examples. For our adopters, it is a happy and uplifting time to visit a shelter and potentially welcome a new furry family member. But even then, there is a bittersweet component for every adopter that wishes they could bring them all home.
The bottom line is, it takes a great deal of love to do what we do. However, love is simply not enough. Most importantly it takes passion, empathy, grace, and a great deal of strength from the core of your soul. Our work is incredibly fulfilling and inspiring. Most of us would tell you working at a shelter is the joy of our hearts. We would also tell you that there are days after losing a litter of kittens to Panleukopenia or seeing an animal suffer at the hands of a human that we feel broken and unsure that we can experience this heartache for even another day. However, it’s those small miracles that inspire us to continue to do the good work we do….a senior animal gets adopted, we rehabilitate a frightened and abused dog, we provide pet food to a struggling family so that their family can stay together and not have to come to a shelter…and that joyful list goes on. It’s those happy endings and “happily ever after’s” that help heal that brokenness.
So I say to all of you, Happy Valentine’s Day! If you are looking to share the love this month, think of your local shelter, the animals, and the caring staff as well. We too need love to continue on this path of saving lives and sometimes losing them too. -Abbey
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Jericho: Jericho is a big boy with an even bigger heart! This lovable goofball does take some time to warm up to new people, he will most likely require multiple meet and greets but it will be so worth it! His ideal home would be with people who will give him love and have room to let him run around! His requirements are older children due to his size and strength, and as for other dogs, he is dog selective so he and your furry friend will most likely need multiple meet and greets as well. If you think you would be a good fit for Jericho please contact the shelter!
Grasshopper: Grasshopper is a sweet boy that spends most of his day chilling in the window. He was rescued from an awful situation and deserves a forever home! He does love the occasional pet but is usually an independent guy. Grasshopper is FIV positive but cats with FIV can live long and healthy lives. It also in most cases does not affect their quality of life and can healthily co-exist with other cats. In fact, he co-exists with other cats in our breakroom!
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Our volunteers are so important to us and play such a critical role in ensuring the health, safety and well-being of every animal that passes through our doors. We simply couldn't continue our life saving mission without their continued support. We would like to take a moment to thank volunteer, Susan Coale.
Susan has been a volunteer with CCAS since the beginning in 2017. You can often find Susan walking dogs and taking pictures of our shelter residents!
When we asked her why volunteering at CCAS is so important Lisa stated, “Taking it back to the beginning very first dog I loved Hawk. I started volunteering when my son didn’t need me as much and I saw a post looking for volunteers to photograph the animals.
Some say, “I don’t know how you go there, I’d be so sad” when really it’s quite the contrary. Yes it can be heartbreaking but there is so much more to love. The animals will always be there, how sad would it be if there was nobody there to love them. What an honor to help an animal to find a new home or to love them when the shelter becomes their final home.
My goal is to get back into taking dogs out into the community to places where they can bring joy to others. The dogs enjoyed the field trip as much as folks loved seeing them. Oh and my favorite shelter pet..... There are too many to count, printed photographs and files upon files on my computer of animals who have stolen my heart. Diablo, my shelter misfit and CCAS alum comes in on top.”
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Charm has found her human with Didi and is settling in wonderfully. She went from a fearful and shy little kitten to a total love bug and enjoys belly rubs, snuggles, and nap time with her human! |
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A Word from Allie (now Kallie)'s adopter!:
I cannot express the joy that welcoming Allie (now Kallie) into our home has brought to our lives! We knew from our first meet and greet that there was something very special about her, and we all were determined to make this adoption work. It absolutely melts my heart to see her adjusting and fitting in so well with us, her new K-9 brother Kash, and new feline brother Beckham.
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We are so proud of the progress she has made in such a short time, and look forward to a lifetime of being this special girl’s forever family. Thank you CCAS for the wonderful care you provided her, for your patience with her, and for entrusting our family with this wonderful, beautiful baby. We absolutely adore and love her! |
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Three Little Piggies came to CCAS... Three Little Piggies went Home
Our Animal Welfare Enforcement Team received a call about three pigs without proper shelter and in need of a home. A snow storm was coming and our team knew we needed to act fast. We dispatched several CCAS team members who assisted in “hurrying these happy hogs” onto the truck so that we could get them back to our barn just in time for the pending snow storm.
Thankfully these piggies settled in at CCAS. They later found their forever farm in Frederick, MD following their transport by two seasoned CCAS team members who made the journey.
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With our Amazon Wishlist, you can donate items we are in need of and they will be delivered directly to the shelter!
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Tax deductible monetary donations can be made directly to our foundation via First Giving.
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We now have a storefront on Bonfire! All proceeds and donations directly benefit the animals of Cecil County Animal Services! And you get some cool shirts and hoodies! |
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Did you know that you can generate donations while shopping for your valentine, at no extra cost?
AmazonSmile will donate a portion of your eligible purchase price to our organization!
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CCAS is always in need of donations to help us spoil and care for the animals at our facility! We are currently most in need of the following items:
Canned Cat Food(any brand)
Purina Cat and Kitten Chow
Dry Cat food(any brand)
Pedigree Dry Dog Food
Kongs
Nylabones
Purina Busy Bones
Cat and Dog Toys
All Donations can be dropped off in the rear of our shelter building seven days a week!
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Hello Fellow Animal Lovers!
As most of you know, we rely on our fundraisers to ensure no pet is ever left behind in our county and gets only the very best care. We have several events scheduled later this year and are excited for our 2021 events calendar!
We are currently in need of items for our upcoming Online Spring Cleaning Auction slated for March! If you have anything to contribute, items can be dropped off at the shelter anytime!
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Some examples of items include: |
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*Candles
*Gift cards
*Wine/Liquor
*Baskets
*Beauty products
*Jewlery
*Handbags
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*Any new items
*Chocolate
*Teas, snacks
*Wine glasses and mugs
*Homemade items
*Art work
*Anything else you’d like to contribute!!
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We can’t thank you all enough for contributing to our upcoming auction! If you have any questions about contributing an item to the auction, please email us at ccasinfo@ccgov.org.
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Excellent pets deserve excellent care. At Homeward Bound Mobile Vet, we focus on giving your pet the best care available. We understand the hassle associated with seeing a vet, so we give you a convenient, stress-free way to get vet care and WE COME TO YOU. We intend to keep your pet happy and healthy for as long as possible!
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Same day appointments are available!
443.617.
9836
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[CECIL COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES] | [410.441.2040] |
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