Owls and puppies and kittens, OH MY!

Had a pretty busy weekend...kayaking with a group of friends, and then Wizard of Oz Festival with the kids Sunday.  You'd think I'd have a ton to blog about, but my mind had just drawn a blank, which is what usually leads to me abandoning my blogs early on.  Then it hit me...

While at work tonight, I decided to take my friend Katies son, Jeremiah, on a photo tour of my work.  I work at an Animal Hospital, and I know a lot of kids find what I do "interesting" and "cool" and, well...fun.  We board animals at the clinic as well, so we have a constant flow of furry traffic through our doors.  While we have our "regulars", we have new faces every day.  I love my job.  So in tonights blog, I am going to share with you who we have with us as of today...and introduce you to each one....fasten your seatbelts.

This is the photo that started it all.  I'm always a bit excited to see an owl come in, sadly it's always because they are injured.  This is a Barred Owl, and all I know is that she was a HBC (hit by car) case.  We think she has head trauma, but we are hoping we can treat her and release her.

These are Max and Cooper.  They are brothers.  Turns out, Max is a bit "anxious".  He runs in circles, all day, all night.  Last time he boarded, he managed to eat his tail, nearly off!  His brother is much calmer, but HATES water.  Any time I turn on the hose to fill ANY water bowl or clean a kennel or floor, he freaks out!  I feel bad for him, because we use the hose a lot!  Both are VERY sweet dogs!

This is Merlin.  Merlin is with us through a Shar Pei rescue group, boarding until she is better and can be adopted out.  She is suffering from a stomach parasite right now.  When Merlin first came to us, she had been in a Chicago shelter for several months.  She was obviously abused, and had wounds from fly bites, as well as an imbedded collar.  She also tried to eat me.  And Dr. Steve. And she terrified me.  Merlin was just very scared.  We moved her to a larger kennel and she is MUCH happier.  She is still very scared around new people, but she bonds VERY quickly with those she sees often.  She has perked right up and is one of my favorite dogs now.  She has learned "sit" and "shake" and is just so full of energy and excitement and just loves to be loved!  

This is Bella.  She doesn't want to be here.  She is the only dog I've ever seen that has managed to whine WHILE eating too.  She is SUPER sweet, but man she wants to go home!

Molly is a sad case.  She has been with us since September of 2010.  Her owner is terminally ill, and goes back and forth from the hospital to hospice.  Molly is VERY old and suffers from several medical issues, including severe arthritis.  The owner elects not to use humane euthanization, and instead for her to continue to board with us.  Molly gets TOTALLY spoiled, as evident with the little sweater we keep on her so she doesn't get a chill.  You probably can't see it too well, but both sides of her kennel are lined with different foods, just to keep her happy.

Belle and Butter.  They are just....awesome!

Bo and Cassie, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.  I always wanted a dog of this breed.  They are SO cute, and soft, and loving, and, well...I just wanted one.  Until I got this job.  Then I learned about all the medical issues associated with this breed, and several other reasons.  So now I get to love all over the ones that board with us, and I am perfectly alright with that!

This is Lily and she hates us.  She hates being here.  And I have NO clue what Lily actually looks like because she hates it here so much that she will never, ever, come out of that corner.  I feel bad for her.

Kitty Kitty.  He hangs his head in shame, because his owner had nothing more clever than "kitty kitty".  He is a cool cat though!

Wilma.  She is another HBC, but she lives at the clinic.  She only has one eye, and she can't see out of it.  She is the sweetest cat, and TOTALLY spoiled.  To the point that she gets the window kennel, to see the birds...yet, she is blind?  She has her own special bed in the pharmacy so that she can be around people all day too.

Yo...dats Tom.  Tom Cat.  He got his nails did.

Azreal.  He is having surgery tomorrow, but I didn't look to see what for.  He is another super friendly cat, despite his grumpy face here.

These are the resident Chinchillas.  Zilla is in the top photo, Chewy in the bottom one.

Geezer, the resident Bearded Dragon

Elenor and Tooter.  The OTHER resident Bearded Dragon and our tortoise.

Pebbles and I can never remember the other name...Resident Tortoises.

So, this is what I get to work with every day.  It's a fun job, despite some of the messes, and as you can see, I always have PLENTY of company!

edited: Per Ms. Katies request, this is the crazy beatch that works there:

gotcha again, katie