My first week

I was told I should start a blog on my adventures as an Animal Control Officer. Well I started last Tuesday and quickly learned the value of spaying and neutering pets. I walked into the kennels and saw about 20-30 dogs laying side by side in a row along the kennels. All had been put to sleep due to being sick, aggressive, or just being out of room at the shelter. It was my job to put the animals into big, thick trash bags. After all the dogs that were on "the list" were put to sleep and put in a bag they were loaded into the back of a truck. Then my boss and I took the animals to the landfill, which is where they are going until the incinerator is built. The next couple days were a little better. Had to bag some animals, but not as many and went on some calls. A lot of them were things we couldn't do anything about. Owners not answering doors and stray dogs that were nowhere to be seen. About the only excitement was the lady that came out of her house wearing just a t-shirt. When we asked her to walk around the property so we could check the conditions of her dogs she said she had to get dressed. She turned around and told me and my trainer "no peeking!" NO PROBLEM!!! Then my Friday was really slow. It began with a trip to the fair to watch a kids shooting competition. Pretty neat, but not really animal related. As soon as we went back to the shelter we decided to return to the fair with some other officers for lunch. Finally later in the day I got to go on some calls in the area nearby my house. Then the grand finale. As I was out on calls I received a radio call to return to the shelter. Thinking I was going to watch another training video I didn't think too much about it. Boy was I wrong! Turns out that I had to de-cap a dog so that its brain tissues could be taken to the laboratory to be tested for rabies. Yes, de-cap. I had to literally cut the head off with a kitchen knife. I knew I would have to eventually, but I’m not sure I was ready for it during the first week! So today I got to drive on my own (with the head) to Tucson. I got to practice calling on the radio and learned where the lab was. That's pretty much all I did today, but one of the field supervisors will be taking me and another trainee out in the field tomorrow so that should be interesting. Then on Wednesday I should be starting rotation with one of the officers so that I can really practice being in the field! I just can't wait until I get my own truck so that I can drive it home and back, what a gas saver!