seiberwing: (Enemy Mine)
seiberwing ([personal profile] seiberwing) wrote2011-11-11 05:18 pm
Entry tags:

*coughcoughcough*

It has not been a good week at Staldog 13.

Before I showed up yesterday, one of the newer dogs had been shut up in a crate in the basement. Standard practice if it's lunchtime and we're out of crates upstairs. Unbeknownst to us, the dog was also a neurotic mess and clawed at the crate tray until she'd worn her nails down--and then kept going. When my coworker got down there, it apparently looked like someone had killed a small animal inside that crate.

So everyone was already a little strung out when I showed up for my shift. About ten minutes after my arrival, we start taking the mass of dogs out back to do their dog business. Pretty standard practice. Take out some dogs, come in for more dogs, go outside with more dogs, and WTF a puggle's just slashed half his ear open. Blood all over the yard and someone had to rush him down to the dog hospital so he could get stitches. The worst part is that we couldn't even figure out what happened, since it's a clean cut (and if it was a fight we'd hear it), and there's blood everywhere but not in a pattern that would indicate what he cut it on. They brought him back in the evening with a cone, a bandage around his head, and a very mournful expression.

After the ear incident we spent double time out in the backyard (in the cold). Part of it may have been that Dogboss was inside, being stressed, and nobody wanted to be in the same building as him. He didn't yell at anyone as far as I know, bur you could see how stressed he was. We're fortunate the dog's dad was understanding.

So I come in today and due to some schedulefuckery we wind up again doing double time in the backyard, which was not only unpleasant but played merry hell with my worsening cold. When we came back inside a bunch of notes got passed out to each of us--edicts and reprimands from the Dogboss. These included the following paraphrased statements:

1) If you are caught reading a book or newspaper on duty, you will be fired.
2) If you show up more than five minutes late, ever, you will be sent home and fired.

I'm not sure if that's technically legal and I have a feeling the former's only going to apply when Dogboss is in the building, but it still shook me up a lot. I get why he did it, but it's rather harsh.

So I am so, so grateful that I have the next few days off to recuperate.
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[identity profile] kittenmommy.livejournal.com 2011-11-11 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)

Good grief. Dogboss sounds like a real tool.

[identity profile] seiberwing.livejournal.com 2011-11-12 12:00 am (UTC)(link)
He's not, honest. He even brought us pizza right before we left. I think he's just under a lot of pressure.

We're a dog daycare. This is the equivalent of turning your back for a minute and finding that a toddler in your care has stuck their face in the knife drawer. The accident wasn't any fault of ours in not paying attention, but I can see why he'd want to lay down the law.
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[identity profile] kittenmommy.livejournal.com 2011-11-12 12:07 am (UTC)(link)

Yeah, I guess I can see that. I know I'd feel horrible if an animal that was in my care got hurt somehow, even if it wasn't my fault and I couldn't have prevented it.

[identity profile] seiberwing.livejournal.com 2011-11-12 12:21 am (UTC)(link)
And twice in one day, at that.
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[identity profile] kittenmommy.livejournal.com 2011-11-12 12:22 am (UTC)(link)

That's horrible! *hugs*

[identity profile] raisedbymoogles.livejournal.com 2011-11-12 12:28 am (UTC)(link)
Oh man, ear cuts. Those things bleed like hell.

[identity profile] seiberwing.livejournal.com 2011-11-12 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
It's still not fully cleaned up. The yard's covered in gravel, to make...cleanup...a bit easier, so you can still see some on scattered pebbles.

[identity profile] kookaburra1701.livejournal.com 2011-11-12 08:06 am (UTC)(link)
Oh man. I'm glad the dogs' owner was understanding. Mysterious, messy injuries are just part of animal ownership. You could wrap them in bubblewrap and they'd still find some way to injure themselves.

[identity profile] seiberwing.livejournal.com 2011-11-12 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah. The owner really should have mentioned that the first dog was neurotic about crates, though.

[identity profile] ginga270.livejournal.com 2011-11-12 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not so sure that's technically legal either, but I know I'd be stressed out too if two accidents like that happened in the same day. Poor puppies. Unfortunately, it happens. :/

Hope you feel better soon, BTW. Take some meds for that cold!

[identity profile] seiberwing.livejournal.com 2011-11-12 06:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Also the note was in all caps and ended with "IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THESE ISSUES, AND I HOPE YOU DO NOT BECAUSE I FEEL THAT I AM BEING VERY CLEAR HERE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW." One gains the feeling that he only threatened to fire us because it's even more illegal to threaten us with public execution.

I am taking regular DayQuil/NyQuil doses as required.