stress

we have some of the most adorable, smart, cute, sassy puppies ever born in our shelter.

helen, the sawed off border collie is the mom to these five pups/ she is the one who a few weeks ago got out of the pen and then got out of the shelter into a play yard and was stuck outside all night in subfreezing weather. it seems her pups are apples who fall not far from the tree. they get stuck where they should not as well. I fear for their safety at the shelter.

one of the pups keeps getting her head stuck in the diamond shaped openings of the chain link fence of thei pen. today, was a close call. had my son and our ever valiant employee, bouge, not been there, she would have been dead for sure. choked on the pen.

seems that she can get her head through the opening and can't get it back out. it is at just the right size opening to allow her to get her head through it, but not back out, then she wiggles and starts to choke.

bouge saw what was happening and got to her in time, he knew to get behind her, after jumping over the top of the pen to the inside (she was stuck in the gate) and gently pull her skin back through and then her head.

if we had the shelter grade pens for all the dogs this would not be an issue. but we don't have the funds, so we have to improvise. tomorrow I will tear up strips of sheets and weave them through the diamonds so the pups can't get their heads into the holes.

improvising and creative retrofitting is a daily exercise for our brains. now, I will sit here and worry about the pups until we can get into the shelter tomorrow morning.

posted by Elizabeth @ 8:21 PM