Category: Volunteering

We’re making a little progress with the prep for our general meeting next month. Have contacted nearly everyone on my list of eleven names, and Kathryn has also been doing some recruiting. We’ve set a date for the meeting – Saturday March 13th at 2pm. Of course one of the people I spoke to (who also happened to be the most outspoken so far) wanted the time changed to 5pm to suit her. There’s always one in every crowd.

There’s been various discussions about what is to be on the agenda. Obviously, election of committee. So we’re chasing nominees and members (to vote them in). There are a lot of burning issues, which will probably be introduced at this meeting, and addressed at future meetings by the elected committee. Relationship with council, fundraising, support of carers (cost wise), microchipping requirements, adoption paperwork and systems. The list could go on forever.

Finally, we’re still looking for a suitable venue. We approached Laidley Community Centre in Mary St. Perfect venue, inexpensive but they ask for public liability policy to be held. Bit beyond the group’s means at the moment. I’ve asked the LCC to reconsider this requirement for us on this occasion, have to follow this up.

Other venues put forward – training room at work (too far away); Gatton McDonalds; Plainlands Hotel; Plainlands Coffee Club; Hattonvale Golf Club.

I’m not sure a really public place would be desirable, particularly after speaking with a couple of the people yesterday who were particularly vehement in their opinion on what the group should and should not be doing. Can see myself ducking my head out of sight if heated discussion occurs.

Got to the pound shelter yesterday, first one there and noticed a box at the doorstep. Then a small head popped up, followed by another one. Some x!y%z# had dumped a couple of puppies onto us.

A lot of dogs are being abandoned at the pound lately, and we’ve had call after call of people wanting us to help rehome their dog, their circumstances no longer allow them to keep an animal. So we had no room for these two, and no carers available either.

Since I was the one who found them, I felt some extra responsibility towards the two little girls, who at first glance seemed to be 2 or 3 mths old, and some cross between chihuahua and mini foxy. I knew hubby was at home today so I phoned him and he quickly agreed to babysit them that day.

I had to find foster carers for them though, being so young they couldn’t be left on their own. Since hubby and I both work our place was out of the question. Fortunately for these two my parents agreed to look after them until homes could be found. Since they’re so young and cute, this shouldn’t be too long!

First thing hubby did when I brought them home was bath the two of them, they were covered in fleas. They’d gobbled a full can of puppy food at the shelter, when he later gave them some porridge they gobbled that down as well and came back for more!

When I got home from work hubby had thought of names for the two of them. The puppy on the left (tan coloured) is Reno (he’d at first thought of Rhino because she runs like one); puppy on the right (black and white) is Shonce (as in the french phrase for good luck “bon chance”).

Took the puppies over to my parents place where Mum had a little corral and crate set up on the front veranda for them. I think there was a little bit of puppy love when I handed them over. They are very cute little creatures and had a big day, all they wanted to do was sleep.

Taking them to the vet on Saturday for vaccination and worming. They also need to be microchipped at some stage, but might be too young for that yet. Will need to check.

Since breaking his ankle hubby has been spending more time on the computer at home and has been hunting bargains on Ebay. One of his purchases was a large C Band mesh satellite dish, which he arranged to pick up from the Gold Coast with help from our friend Paul, who owns a ute.

A few hours after dropping hubby off at Paul’s place I’ve done the grocery shopping and I’m well into the housework when I get the call – we’ve broken down, can you come pick us up! No, I didn’t have to go all the way down the coast, the boys had organised a towie to bring the car back to Ipswich. I just had to pick them up from there and bring them back to our place so Paul could borrow hubby’s truck. Apparently they’d got pretty close to their destination before the ute packed it in, a problem with the radiator. They’re going to try again next weekend.

Sore legs! my right knee has been playing up these last couple of weeks – the same leg I’d turned my ankle and had the slight muscle tear last year. Walking pound puppies over the rough terrain surrounding the council grounds is pretty rough on the body! As well as the sore knee my left thigh was aching from the bruise I’d inflicted at work, ran into the corner of a desk, ouch! I don’t normally walk the dogs on Sundays, but was filling in for Fiona who’d been in hospital recently with a perforated bowel.

We have so many dogs in at the moment, since expanding from six pens to twelve we have been doubling up on occasion and taking in more dogs than I think we’ve ever had. We seem to be getting a run of black kelpies at the moment.

When Miss E. was first rescued, she was found with a litter of five puppies. Hubby and I found some photos on the Brave Dogs site.

I’m pretty sure this is a photo of Ebony. I’ve seen her pull this same expression many times (particularly at meal time):

Brave Companion Dog Rescue is in a poor state at the moment. It’s a very small organisation, very under-resourced. Recently one of the top volunteers resigned because she felt used and abused, and there are similar murmurings from others.

One of the problems is too much work, too few people to do it. The people who are there are absolutely flogged with work. The main problem however is lack of organisation. There is no real management committee to speak of, no regular meetings. The whole thing runs under Ludelle’s direction, and it is a mammoth task.

Ludelle works incredibly hard, taking responsibility for looking after the pound dogs, and handling most of the phone call enquiries about re-homing, She is the group’s primary contact with council, media and other groups, and it’s main liaison between volunteer carers. She is the group’s driving force, she is also the force that drives people away. She is extremely dedicated to her cause, she is also inflexible and unfocused and frustrating to deal with.

Since agreeing to take over the bookkeeping from former Treasurer I’ve felt drawn against my will into doing more for the group, many times I’ve regretted the impulse that took me there in the first place. There is such a great need for people to do things, and no end to the dogs coming into the programme. As well as the bookkeeping, I still go to the pound once a week to walk the dogs, and look after data entry and filing of the adoption paperwork . Since Jenny resigned, I’ve now taken over maintenance of the web site, and keep a check on emails. Today I drove over to one of the carer’s to take photos of dogs for the web site.

I must be going crazy because there is a scheme in my head to put my hand up for the Secretary’s position, and take charge of getting regular meetings happening. It badly needs to be done, although I don’t know how Ludelle will react when the group starts having a greater say in the decisions. She may not like some of them.

For the first time since I started volunteer work at the pound, I’ve been given the morning off because there is only one dog there at the moment (instead of the regular 4 – 5). That’s good news and good timing, I’d double booked myself for a meeting at work and would have had to cancel volunteer work today anyway.