It's been a busy/long day... and now I'm losing an hour of sleep?  Shenanigans!

The girls had me up fairly early, and despite rolling back over for a little while I was up and moving by 9.  There was a little housework done, like taking laundry downstairs and finding a bigger screw to get the heat vent reattached to the wall in the kitchen properly so it doesn't rattle or pop lose allowing dust and dog fur into the vent.  Then I headed out to gawk at a few suitcases.  I need a new one, I know I get one free bag for the planned trip, and I want to maximize the size... but I sure don't want to spend as much as I was seeing on the price tags for something I know they're going to destroy.

From there I headed to meet Beff at the Cambria County Humane Society as I too was interested in meeting a little kitty that she was considering.  I'll put this much out there - years ago I offered to help them, they refused because "if people see an animal on a website and come here and the animal is gone they're upset".  I've heard many stories from many people about the rotten way they were treated there and lost animals put to sleep without even a chance to find them.  And you best believe if some of the stories I've heard involved one of my girls if they ever got out.... Lord protect you if you ever do anything like that to my girls.  They've always had an attitude that just didn't sit well with me.

They were the stereotypical shelter I saw too much of during my time working with rescue in NC.  You know, the one that doesn't cooperate with people who are actually trying to help the animals to the point they seem to WANT to put animals down.  They're not hardened from their painful job, they're seem just evil.  So many people have said things were changing there recently, I say not so.  Here's why...

So we're there at noon, when they're suppose to open.  Beff had called yesterday asking about the cat, told them we were coming.  There are plenty of volunteer dog walkers there at that time just down the street. There are even more cars there of people ready to go in when the shelter opens, including one man who knew his lost dog was in there and he just wanted to get his dog back.

I arrived a few minutes early, early enough to see the pizza delivery guy pull up, knock, and hand over his payload.  At noon Beff arrives and we walk up to the door to find a sign stating "due to the influx of animals overnight they will be opening at 1pm".  Seriously?  Your hours are from noon to 5.  You know people are coming.  There are people who's animals you're now holding hostage.  If you're working with the animals you sure can't be eating pizza at the same time.  After Beff knocks one of the more rotten women I've met there in the past answers the door and bitchy (probably because they're being challenged) reiterates their opening time.  I tell her to "enjoy the pizza" and she says "we have to eat too".  I don't know about you, but I'm suppose to have my meals on my time, not work's time, particularly not right at opening time.  In most public interacting jobs people take breaks one at a time for a reason.

Get off your asses and care about the animals (for once) and stop behaving like the public is such a burden.  You've proven nothing has changed.  There needs to be a housecleaning there.  You've underlined why my donations for animal welfare go straight to other shelters in the region.  The shameful part is it only hurts the animals here in this county.

Ok, rant over.  From there I headed for a quick bite and then to a hair appointment and got, for the first time, extensions - beautiful bright green ones and a new do.  From there after spending some time with the girls I was back out to catch another quick bite and to the hockey game.  Yay for free ticket vouchers!  Can't say I watched much.  Still can't get enthused to watch Wheeling.

So here I am.  It's been a long and, at times, emotional day.  I'm losing an hour of sleep, which probably means the alarms in the girl's bums will go off at 6am instead!  *shiver*