I Got My Pants Dirty!!!

That is a first since I have begun wearing my uniform to work. Although, I am not excited that I get to do laundry, but that is superseded by my awesome day working out in the field. The day started out pretty normal and we had a list of calls to do, many of which had to do with skinny or injured horses. I definitely learned that I need to learn more about those magnificent creatures! I did get to interact with a couple, but I have no idea how to read a horse, and that is scary when they are bigger than me. As we were leaving the area we saw a small little critter running down the road following behind a lady that was also walking down the road. We stopped when we realized it was a little doggie and I got out of the truck and was able to pick up the dog. The poor little matted poodle mix was very friendly, but she had a bad skin condition where he was missing a patch of hair and had an open wound on his back. The lady the dog was following had no idea the little girl was behind her and it was not her dog.

Then we received another call about an injured baby deer that had gotten attacked by some dogs. We made it out there and the person who called it in had the deer in her bedroom. She said that she would go get it and carry it out for us. By the time she made it outside the fawn, who was probably about 30 or so pounds was kicking her back legs into the lady’s legs and throwing her head back into the lady’s head. I went up behind her and grabbed the rear legs as they appeared to have some force in those kicks and the other officer was able to come up and control the head. We got the deer into the truck safely. The poor thing had shallow wounds on his head and side, but obviously still had some fight left! We called about 10 wildlife rescues, but no one was able to help us with finding a place for the deer to go. We brought it back to the shelter and the vet (yes, there is a vet!) look at him. He thought the deer might be in shock, but did not feel the injuries were life threatening. The officer I rode with was able to find someone that would look after the fawn and had accommodations for it. So for now the little deer is there and will hopefully heal. Not sure yet on what will happen with him. I am hoping that they are able to keep him wild enough for release, but with him only being a month or two, and no one to learn from, I’m not sure what his future will be.

After that we received a call about an injured kitten and we went out to that call. There were three people standing around the poor kitten that was breathing heavily from the side of the road. The poor thing had probably been hit by a car and was obviously suffering, so the officer euthanized the cat quickly. Kind of a sad ending to the day, but the deer was definitely the highlight, and I got dirty :)