Damn the Roaches, Full Speed Ahead
Roaches are ancient, likely older than dinosaurs. I read there are over 300 species of roaches out of about 4,600 types that associate with people, and each individual roach can live a year, during which…
Category Archives: Animal Welfare
Elephantine Memories
A downtown parade was among the most exciting events of a childhood spent in a small Texas town. In our old family albums are photos taken by my grandfather of the…
The Biting Cat
The call came in for Animal Control. The hospital reported that a cat had bitten a child rather severely. Because any animal bite is a public health matter, animal control officers are required to investigate. Texas at…
Verbie the Volunteer
Volunteers are a staple of community organizations such as animal shelters. We rely on them and were always grateful to have them….except once. Verbie came to us one day in a flurry of high-pitched giggles,…
Cat Day Afternoon
The man’s voice sounded agitated. “Kin y’all come pick up m’ folks’ cats?” The person on the front desk explained to the caller we had a policy of not picking up owned animals and he must…
Frank, The Weenie Dog, Straying From the Truth
Frank was a red dachshund I met one morning when a man I know brought him to the shelter, tucked under his arm. The dog had no collar and no identification. The man was Chester,…
Deck The Halls With Gerbils
It was Christmas and our two youngest children each asked for a gerbil from Santa Claus. I had gone to the local Wal-Mart to buy two, careful to choose different-looking ones so the children could tell…
Dwayne and Dogs
Animal shelters are rarely found in the best part of town. Ours was no exception. This “animal control facility” was on a triangle of land bordered by a railroad and a pit for gravel and tar. …
Tilly
This story isn’t about my own beloved Tilly, it’s about another Tilly, a funny-looking terrier mix with a mind of her own and the ability to convince a family that wanted a chocolate Labrador retriever to take her…
Edgar the Teacup Poodle
One of the questions animal shelter people face every day is whether they can “promise” a certain puppy will stay small. That is impossible to guarantee. Whenever tempted to compromise, to fudge the truth just to…
Animal Welfare as Punishment
It is on this blog that I can tell my stories about life in animal rescue. I guess “dog eat dog” might be an inappropriate title for my 18 years in animal rescue and my experiences with the…
