Work Stories from a Kennel Tech

All the below pictures and stories are mine

I spent this summer working at a Kennel in Texas. Just to clarify, the kennel I work at does daycare, boarding, and grooming. We're not the place where animal control drops off rescued dogs. Daycare is for people who drop off their dogs because they don't want them to be lonely or they don't want the dog to destroy their house etc. Boarding is when someone needs their dog taken care of for a few days to a few months like if the owner is going on vacation. We've had dogs stay for months on end before. This is by far the best job I've ever worked because of the people I work with and the animals. Thought I'd share some stories and some of my pictures with you. WARNING: LOTS OF POOP STORIES. Also the German Sheppard puppy pictured above is Jack, he's 3 months old.

SO. MUCH. POOP.

One of the only downsides to my job is the large amount of shit that I have to deal with. During the summer, we'd have usually around 80-100 dogs boarding and another 50ish come for daycare. That many dogs can easily fill a trash can full of shit, I know this because I've seen it. I've seen all forms of poop from solid as a rock to mostly water. I've also seen a dog poop out a glove, a martini olive (lol) and a pair of panties. Pictured above is Lua, my manager's dog.

Funniest thing that ever happened while I was on the clock?

We have this dog that frequently comes for daycare. His name is Jake. Jake is a sweet dog but he's not the brightest dog. He eats shit, A LOT OF IT. I keep a mental list of all the dogs that are known shit eaters in my mind so I don't let them lick my face. Jake is at the top of said list. One day I show up to work and they put me in the inside yard with all the daycare dogs (my favorite place). I take note that Jake is there. Also there is a 6 month old half grown white lab named Darcy. After about 10 minutes in the yard, Jake starts walking around sniffing the ground (universal sign that a dogs about to drop a load) so I move towards the scoop. Jake squats down, meanwhile Darcy moves in about a foot from Jake. Jake releases a fire hose stream of liquefied poop hitting Darcy squarely in the face. Darcy being the puppy she is, goes on minding her own business with a stream of shit implanted on her face. I'm on the ground laughing for a good minute before I regain my composure and realize I have to clean that up. Darcy is taken outside and cleaned off. Jake-1, Darcy-0. By the way, pictured above is Stitch (Sorry never snapped a pic of Jake or Darcy)

So many flies!

During the summer heat, the fly population inside the kennel sky rockets! On slow days I'd grab a fly swatter and hunt down the bastards. Summoning the power of Baron Von Richthofen, I'd drop them like flies (heh). My record so far is 16 during a single shift. Ace in a day, your move flies. A few days ago however whilst I was in the outside yard, I witnessed two dragonflies buzzing the yard. Soon the dogs were chasing after them and even leaping 6 feet into the air trying to grab them. This went on for the better part of 30 minutes before the dragon flies flew off. It's the little things at this job that make it awesome. Pictured above is Willie, when I first started working, he hated me. He wouldn't go near me. Now he's my best friend in the yard. I call him my "Assistant" because if there is ever two dogs playing too rough in the yard he'll jump down from the play set and break up the dogs.

Irish wolfhounds aren't the smartest.

If you don't know what an Irish wolfhound is, google it. They're massive dogs that can get as big as a full grown Great Dane, sometimes bigger. When I had shown up for a morning shift once, the wolfhounds had shit all over their kennel and rolled around in it. Both of them. The stench was horrendous and I almost lost my breakfast to it. Eventually one of the bravest among us volunteered to clean the kennel. A true soldier. If you read this my friend I salute you. Pictured above is Angel and Ruben with Willie behind them.

Hardest day at work?

My hardest day at work wasn't a day when I was busy or swamped with dog poop, but instead a calm and slow day. Pictured above are Thoreau (on the left) and Blossom (on the right), As you can see by the whitish color of their faces, they're older dogs. I quickly bonded to them because they were very calm dogs and very, very sweet. One day at work, Blossom showed up for daycare alone. This was odd. Later on when I talked with the people who managed the front desk and interacted with the owners, I found out that Thoreau had gotten cancer and it did not look good. That day was extremely hard for me as a 19 year old kid in college because every time I looked over at blossom, she was looking around for her brother. I'm really happy I snapped this picture before all that happened because yesterday I learned that Thoreau was put down. Even though these are other peoples dogs, you feel partly responsible for them. These are animals that give their unconditional love to the people around them and it doesn't get any easier seeing another one go.

Random things

Favorite types of dogs? German Shepherds and Huskies. Most common dog names at my work? Jack, Stella, Bailey, Zoey, Buddy, Sadie, Max, Beau, Bandit. Some interesting names of dogs at my work? Pop tart, Stratus, Gremalina. I have this fantasy that one day I'll see one of your dog tax's and say "Hey that's so and so, I took care of her last week." When I see a dog that was abused, it breaks my heart. Since someone mistreated the dog when it was younger or before it was rescued, it will forever have trust issues towards other humans and other dogs. I've been bit, pissed on, humped, knocked to the ground, and had the wind knocked out of me. All that and I still love my job. Pictured above: White American Bulldog is Atticus, Not sure who the dog he's making friends with is, behind him is Zeus (Black German shepherd) and his sister Brava (Tan German shepherd) Up against the wall is Tucker, and the lab is Chance, Behind chance is Blossom with the late Thoreau.

Willie and his Girlfriend Auri

Here are some other pictures from my work. Sorry about the quality, my phone isn't the best.

Front to back

Jack (Brown and white), Watson (Brown curly), Bandit (White with black spots), Karma (pure white), Oliver (tan and white) and Cami (Black)

Zeus and Brava

Maverick the Sleepy Head

Dozer reigning over his kingdom, Willie hiding

OhshitIwokehimup

Introducing Buddy to the wonders of Pink Floyd

Dog Tax

Molly and Murphy experiencing snow for the first time!