May Clinic observations from Sonya

My weekend helping at the May Spay/Neuter clinic on the Red Lake Indian Reservation was certainly an eye-opening experience. I knew going into the clinic that I would see things I had never imagined and also come to understand another way of life. All of this was true. I spent the majority of my time at the clinic split between getting cats and dogs signed in and working in the Animal Ark van as a Vet Tech trainee.

I was elated to see how many people showed up for the clinic anxious to have their pet’s altered and vaccinated. While everything was extremely chaotic it all came together each day. It was very difficult for me to “let go” of my go, go, go city attitude where I always knew what was going on and I tend to have everything planned out; I quickly learned to just go with the flow and do whatever I could to make the dogs and cats more comfortable and assure everything their animals would be well cared for.

About 25% of the animals brought through the clinic appeared to be cherished companions who were well fed and tick free! Yay! The other animals brought through the clinic were outdoor pets covered in ticks that we had to bribe and push into kennels. The most interesting thing to me as an animal lover is the passiveness of animal owners. There were multiple people who came into the clinic with dogs and cats they had found recently and decided to keep or rather they plan on feeding them since they happen to be on their property. Of course I was happy to see them taking initiative to have these pets altered and feeding them, but it was definitely out of my norm.
I had a lot of fun working with Dr. Charlie and Mary from Animal Ark as a Vet Tech trainee. I learned a lot about the amount of work it takes to spay an animal and how invasive it really is. Being able to help these animals’ hands on was a blessing. I was impressed with Dr. Charlie especially; if a pet is over 1 lb he will spay or neuter it… this may be their only chance to be altered! There was a 1 lb Min Pin puppy that I doubt was even 8 weeks old. This little puppy came out of anesthesia so quickly that she was walking on the operating table 10 minutes after her surgery. The exact science needed to handle the littlest patients is truly amazing!
This clinic was a great experience, the work of Karen and all of the RLRR volunteers are truly making a difference! The dedication of all of the Akin Hills and Animal Ark staff was fabulous; all of us non-medical volunteers were appreciative of their efforts. I hope All Dog Rescue can plan a future trip to help out RLRR again… I know I will be a part of it!

Sonya