As of this moment I have been awake 36 hours, 47 minutes. Prior to that I had 4 hours sleep.
today was surgery day. Yesterday evening, all of my fosters came back to the house to stay so I could drive them all down an hour away to our surgery clinic.
Where was I yesterday evening? Working- I was called in to work a 16 hour shift because of "employee troubles". I came in at 3pm after calling volunteers to man the house and check in fosters (God bless Kay, my best volunteer, I'd be dead without her) and left at 6:30 AM the next morning.
I drove home, nodding at the wheel, drank three cups of coffee as I am litterally RUNNING around the house and gathering animals (Have to be there at 8.. gotta be there in an hour..and its an hour drive) and putting them in crates in the van. The boxer pups are SCREAMING at the top of their lungs and I am trying to get them quiet before they wake up the neighbors who are already not pleased with me this month. I throw a blanket and pillow into the van and figure i will drop off the pups and then sleep in the parking lot for 4 hours or so while they are getting altered.
I pull out of my driveway.. and the van dies.
Great. Now what? Can I fit 8 dogs into my tiny little PT Cruiser?
The answer, suprisingly, is yes, if you sacrafice sanity and crates.
I am now FLYING down the highway with 6 4 month old boxers in the back, a shih tsu and a cocker mix on my front seat, and I have 30 minutes to make an hour drive. I actually almost make it- but luckily they are behind and havent started yet.
THANK GOD there was a wonderful woman I know who works for animal league of gaston county, and who volunteers with me sometimes, and happened to be taking in two of her dogs. she helped me unload, tag, weigh, and cage all the dogs. It only took an hour this time.
Man, they are busy this morning and I cant figure out why- until I see the vet who has her leg in a cast. Oh no! And I hear from one of the techs that they overbooked the clinic by several dogs and are short on hands, and I start to wonder if this is a bad time to mention that I have vet tech experience.
I end up assisting, for I really don't know how many surgeries and how much time- finally I think about 2pm I said I couldnt do it anymore, I hadnt eaten, slept or had coffee, so I went and ate lunch, drank four cups of coffee, then took a 30 minute nap in my car.
Then, I went back, carried all my half drunk animals out to the car, paid my $450 tab (Now you know why I helped- 8 dogs altered, vaccinated, microchipped, examined, HW tested and fecals done for $450- these people are amazing) and began the trek back home.
Back home, it's now 6:30 pm. I leave the dogs in the car for a few minutes with the windows all the way down (They are all asleep) and I go let the other non surgery dogs out and feed them, then clean and set up crates with new blankets, something I usually do ahead of time but didnt have time to this morning. I carry everyone out, walk them to pee, then crate them and carefully regiment water. I walk my dogs, feed the birds, the cats, do litter boxes, clean out the nasty blankets in my car and run a load of wash...call all the foster moms and tell them they can come pick up their pups. I organize vet work, make copies, file them appropriatly. I cook a big pot of rice and mix it with broth and yogurt, chicken and scrambled eggs, and take it out to the surgery dogs (The ones staying the night) for dinner. While I am feeding them, foster moms come and get their dogs, and I go through all the post-opp stuff and pass out vet records. I make sure everyone eats, dole out medications, come inside and eat a quick bite of chicken and rice myself and look at the clock- 10pm. I have 30 minutes to shower...and leave for work.
so now, I am at work. But only 7 more hours... and then I can go home, and do it all over again...before I have to be at the vets at 2:30 with Slinky.
HAVE THEY INVENTED A WATCH THAT STOPS TIME YET?!??!