by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc.
Did you know it has been one long week of deprived sleep? After two nights, or actually two very early mornings dedicated to saving the abandoned Husky I wrote about last week, I have tried to make up for lost sleep, but have not been able to do it. Lately, there has been no sleeping in for me due to 6am staff texts and all-night repeated fire alarm notifications for the kennel furnace room. At the first alarm notification at 10pm, taking no chances, I immediately asked a nearby volunteer to go to the shelter to check it out. Thankfully, it turned out to be a false alarm. The very next night, the same alarm notifications occurred every hour with follow-up texts from 11:30 pm through 6:30 am. A normal person would have just turned off their cell phone, but I keep mine on 24/7 so I can be reached by on-duty Animal Control Officers and the Police if needed. Also, throughout the week, I have been over-night fostering four special needs kittens:
Dancer, a six-month old black beauty with megacolon who requires medications three times a day, her last dose being before bed until she is old enough to undergo the resection of her damaged intestine; Phoenix is a five-month old ebony sweetheart with a dislocated hip and a spinal injury causing paralysis of her legs, which we hope and pray is temporary; Herbie is a five-week old non-thrifty tiger kitten brought to us with a maggot-infested wound at only a week old. He has been battling dehydration, chronic diarrhea and hypoglycemia, and has finally turned that sharp corner towards recovery; Chopper arrived as a four-week-old kitten with an ulcerated eye protruding from its socket. Never easy to look at, but, in just a few days, the swelling is beginning to go down, and once old enough, that “eye” will have to be surgically removed. Just carting 4 carriers to and fro between the shelter and my house every day is a daunting task. It’s like having a mini triage unit in my house doing multiple mediations, cage cleanings, feedings, baths and blow-dries, In addition, I was preparing for the great event known as Applefest. The morning of Applefest, I had to be up at 5am to take care of these kittens and drop them off at the shelter by 6:30 so I could drive the loaded shelter van to our designated spot at Applefest. Needless to say, it was one very long day until pack-up time at 5pm. Those who attended, whether vendor or visitor, experienced the crowds, the drizzle, and the dampness. It’s exhausting standing for hours on the road, and once the day ends, it’s packing up, loading the vehicles, driving back to the shelter to, then, unload. them. Only to find one more special needs kitten waiting for me: a three day-old infant who will now need to be fed every three hours around the clock!
As Dov Davidoff says “Lack of sleep is only bad if you have to drive, or think or talk or move”.
Pet of the Week:
Adoption applications are available at wvhumane.org or call 845-986-2473 for more information.
