Doggie Notes

2026

July:   23  00  00  00

New day - new gig.  Dogs for Better Lives - located on upper Table Rock Road & Wheeler Drive. It's a fabulous location with huge fields, majestic Table Rock very close by, and a peaceful serene landscape. The facility is large and well kept. People are wonderful. This is a completely different experience from the short time I spent at the Humane Society dog shelter. This supervisor, Hannah, is a very cool lady. The whole vibe here is awesome.

Dogs for Better Lives is an organization that trains service dogs. They have sister facilities in Texas and Georgia and work closely with them to place service dogs with new owners. The local facility even hires pilots who can help transport service dogs all over the country. I'm just starting ... with great expectation that this will be a gig I can do for a long time. Lots of opportunities. My kind of place. Watch this space ... more updates coming soon.

2024

July:   23  00  00  00

Monday. November 4th

I've been volunteering for 2 weeks @ So. Oregon Humane Society - walking dogs and such. Quality doggie time. I came in all gung-ho enthusiastic, wanting to serve in as many ways as I could!

Today - without warning - I got a phone call.   I've been fired.   I have no idea what happened.

"Not the kind of person we want here at the shelter"
"What you've been putting out"
     ... What happened?   Can we please have a discussion?
"Please return your T-shirt"

HUH? I haven't heard another word from them. They don't answer calls or emails.

No details. No discussion.   WHO DOES THAT?   Shabby way to treat people, #amirite?

I am gobsmacked & heartbroken.   Feels like I stepped into an alternate reality.   Humans - ugh.

UPDATE

My dear friend Laura O .. at lauraosteen.com ... has been plugged into volunteer organizations, animal refuge places, etc. for many years. She explained the mindset of people in those places, especially ones who let everyone know they've been there forever and, at this point, are sort of on auto-pilot. They are greatly disturbed when a new volunteer shows up with huge energy & enthusiasm, and many talents, and wants to really contribute. It's like a tidal wave upsetting the status quo comfort level. So what do they do? Either overtly, passive-aggressively, or secretly sabotaging you behind the scenes, they treat you terribly, put you in a straight jacket and make you so miserable you end up either leaving or getting fired. After all that was explained to me, I could look back at various jobs I've had in my life where that very dynamic had played out. Dang! I'm so glad I'm retired and don't have to work at a job where you are stuck with that type of human ego nonsense. It's so soul-killing. And I'm so glad that I have a few valuable friends who can explain these things to me. What I do know, is that I was very satisfied with the quality time I spent with certain doggies. I could feel it was valuable. Sometimes, we only need a fleeting moment with a special person, to completely change the trajectory of our reality.
In the end ... it's all good.