ClarkFarm
08-16-2006, 02:32 PM
During the time I worked at an animal shelter, a close friend and I often volunteered to help close and make sure the dogs and cats were all fed. It was odd one evening to realize we were the only two people left there with the exception of an employee in the rear of the building. We made the rounds, sadly giving a hug to the dogs we knew we would not see the next time we came. Each one was fed on the adoption side. My friend realized the dogs kept on the hold side hadn't been fed yet either and we debated about whether or not we should be feeding them as well. You were not supposed to really have interaction with the dogs on the hold side until they were moved over to the adoption section unless you were a hired hand.
Unable to leave knowing there were hungry animals, we decided to just hurry up and feed them as well. As we walked up and down the row, we noticed a very aggressive rottweiler who looked amazingly just like one on the adoption side, who happened to be a big baby. Every marking, the weight, the size, it all matched perfectly except of course the aggressive one was trying to bite our faces off through the chain-link kennel. We tossed some food in quickly, latching the door securely as we had found it and continued down the hall. It had been only moments ago that the friendly rottie had been kissing us and wriggling all over. As we were feeding, we suddenly heard a great eruption of barking. The noise level was deafening. And then we turned around to see a massively built rottweiler charging straight to us. It was impossible to tell which dog was coming for the charge was void of any visible signs of emotion. I looked at my friend and said "oh ****" and she tried climbing up the chain link kennel wall. We were cornered. I had no time to do anything because suddenly this huge dog had leapt onto my chest and I fell over backwards trying to cover my face. I actually had the breath knocked out of me. She was screaming, adding to the dogs' roaring barks.
And then I felt the warm tongue of the big baby rottie, his kisses leaving my face soaked with slime but I didn't care. I was so glad it was him and not the aggressive one that I hugged that dog and he wriggled all over. We both laughed but were shaky. If you have ever had a 100 pound plus dog running straight towards you with unknown intentions, it is frightening.
"Rottie" as he was simply called until he was adopted (and he was, to a great family home) followed us the rest of the evening until we had to put him back into his kennel and go home.
We still joke about that time, which happened more than 5 years ago now. It was the only time I ever remember feeling that helpless. The event didn't hinder us though and my friend and I still do volunteer work, though we are both at different places now.
Unable to leave knowing there were hungry animals, we decided to just hurry up and feed them as well. As we walked up and down the row, we noticed a very aggressive rottweiler who looked amazingly just like one on the adoption side, who happened to be a big baby. Every marking, the weight, the size, it all matched perfectly except of course the aggressive one was trying to bite our faces off through the chain-link kennel. We tossed some food in quickly, latching the door securely as we had found it and continued down the hall. It had been only moments ago that the friendly rottie had been kissing us and wriggling all over. As we were feeding, we suddenly heard a great eruption of barking. The noise level was deafening. And then we turned around to see a massively built rottweiler charging straight to us. It was impossible to tell which dog was coming for the charge was void of any visible signs of emotion. I looked at my friend and said "oh ****" and she tried climbing up the chain link kennel wall. We were cornered. I had no time to do anything because suddenly this huge dog had leapt onto my chest and I fell over backwards trying to cover my face. I actually had the breath knocked out of me. She was screaming, adding to the dogs' roaring barks.
And then I felt the warm tongue of the big baby rottie, his kisses leaving my face soaked with slime but I didn't care. I was so glad it was him and not the aggressive one that I hugged that dog and he wriggled all over. We both laughed but were shaky. If you have ever had a 100 pound plus dog running straight towards you with unknown intentions, it is frightening.
"Rottie" as he was simply called until he was adopted (and he was, to a great family home) followed us the rest of the evening until we had to put him back into his kennel and go home.
We still joke about that time, which happened more than 5 years ago now. It was the only time I ever remember feeling that helpless. The event didn't hinder us though and my friend and I still do volunteer work, though we are both at different places now.