Aaaaand I'm Back! (Truffles)

Hello friends!

This week we are back to regular scheduled programming, AKA animals! This blog post is going to be another tale of me lusting after an animal that I cannot have. Meet Truffles:

Truffles is a 10 year old, female miniature poodle mix. Shee has been at the shelter for over a month, uncommon for a popular breed like her. The problem is, she's a bit strange looking. When I showed my dad Truffles, he said, "she looks so ugly it's not cute". My mom said she looks like Dobby the house elf from Harry Potter.
I take Truffles out a problematically large amount, and I think the other dogs are a little bit jealous. I'm just kind of obsessed with her, I find her incredibly adorable, in a kind of ugly, dorky way.
Her temperament is so sweet. She's content sitting on your lap, but also loves a game of fetch. She's small, yes, but full of spunk. Her small size makes her easy to hold too.
Truffles has quickly become a staff and volunteer favorite, making frequent car trips with staff, and usually sitting behind the front desk with the volunteer coordinator. Here's her in the car:

Isn't she adorable?! I want to adopt her, just in case that wasn't clear. My family? Not so much. We already have a dog at home, and I sadly don't think my family is looking to adopt another one. 

Truffles is the only gift I'm asking for this year for Christmas, my reasoning being that if I don't give them other ideas, they'll give up and adopt Truffles. I sadly think my parents know me better than that. 

On an unrelated note, happy holiday season! Hope you all have a stress free last 20 days of school! 

Your friend, 

Siena 

Check out these links for more info: 

www.cuhumane.org

www.petharbor.com

This post is as tired as me

This week is a break from the Humane Society. Partially because I have not been going as much, and partially because it’s getting kinda boring.

Instead, I’m going to rant to you all about my NaNoWriMo struggles.

In creative writing we are participating in National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo for short). To be clear, I love writing. It’s fun and relaxing, but this NaNoWriMo stuff is stressing me out. I have been writing “novels” since I was in first grade. The problem is I have never actually finished one of them. I swear if ideas flowed through my pen as fast as they did through my brain I would have at least seventeen novels finished (this is not an exaggeration, that is the number of unfinished novels I have started that are currently sitting in my GoogleDocs).

I have started two novels, and a book of poems. So far. This month. I have kind of committed to the poems, but I also really like my novel ideas. Not to be conceited. I have the novel ideas played out in my head, and exactly how I would write them from start to end. The hard part is actually writing them. With poetry, I have an easier time. Sometimes. I mostly write about the same things (music, boys, and feminism, if you were wondering), which gets old fast, especially when I have to write more than one a day.

I think I’m burned out. Even writing this blog post has been a struggle. I have had so many papers due lately (hello 14 page history paper) that just typing this is giving me a headache. Or maybe I’m dehydrated. It’s unclear. But seriously. I need a break. Maybe I’ll write a poem about that.

If you want to give me ideas about what to write poems about I will love you forever. This is not a joke.

Love your very exhausted friend,

Siena

Critters at the Shelter (and JoJo)

There has been a ridiculous influx of bunnies at the Humane Society lately. Bunnies, in my opinion, are better in theory than in practice. You think that a bunny is a fun cuddly pet that will love to be held? Well, most rabbits at the Humane Society currently would much rather bite your finger like a delicious carrot.

Currently there are ten bunnies. Granted, there are also twelve hamsters, but ten bunnies in cages larger than some cat crates makes for very little space. We’ve resorted to stacking bunny cages on top of hamster cages, plus the sudden relinquishing of about five guinea pigs (all in one day) has not helped the growing critter corner. These little guys (and gals) are getting seriously crowded.

The problem I’ve noticed is that no one is really seriously interested in adopting a critter from the shelter. People go to the Humane Society to get cats and dogs. Rabbits, hamsters, mice, rats, ferrets, guinea pigs, and even birds are not commonly adopted pets. The three mice we have came to the shelter on December 29, 2013. Most critters have been at the Humane Society since at least August. There are some more recently relinquished pets, but it saddens me to know they’ll probably be here for just as long.

The more unique critters (rats, ferrets, even sometimes guinea pigs) go quickly--bunnies and hamsters, especially the unfriendly hamsters, do not. Recently, a bunny named JoJo was relinquished. She quickly became one of my favorites, simply because she was quiet, liked being held, and was just cuddly and sweet. She was a unique and adorable exception to the normally crazy bunny behavior I encounter.

I came home one day after a volunteer shift, and immediately launched into a story to my mom about how we needed to adopt this bunny. After I had described her adorable brown and white spots and floppy ears, my sister, Lydia, popped her head in, and asked the bunny’s name. When I told her my new friend’s name was JoJo, her eyes grew wide. “That’s Aly’s bunny!!!”

Aly is Lydia’s friend, whom I had no idea even owned a bunny, much less gave it up to the Humane Society. Lydia went on to explain that JoJo had been terrorized by the family’s dog, and that Aly’s mom ended up taking the bunny to the Humane Society without consulting Aly first, after JoJo was found out of her cage and in the dog’s mouth. Lydia remarked that Aly was really upset, and all but demanded that I make sure JoJo go to a good home.

It’s always surprising to hear stories of how animals got relinquished. Not all animals come from irresponsible people who impulsively buy a pet just for fun. Sometimes they’re relinquished because they know the animal will do better in another home, like JoJo.

I am now going to go and send my mom an email with a link to the mice that have been at the shelter for a year, insisting we adopt them (she denied my proposal to adopt JoJo).

This is JoJo!

If anyone is looking to adopt an animal before the end of the month, I have 50% off coupons (for the adoption fee) if you’re interested.

As always, for more information check out:

www.cuhumane.org

www.petharbor.com

Your friend,

Siena

The Adventures of Cleaning Hamster Poop (Kola and Cashew)

This blog is turning into me talking about all the animals I want to take home from the Humane Society. My apologies. This volunteer job is dangerous for me, as it seems like I want to adopt a new animal every week (which is definitely true, whoops).

I have talked about cats and dogs so far, so guess what is coming this week? Hamsters!

Don’t get me wrong, I usually despise hamsters. They’re nippy and mean, and not very fun to hold and play with. So when I was cleaning the critter cages, my Wednesday afternoon task, I stumbled upon two new hamsters, Kola and Cashew. I have perfected the art of getting hamsters out of their cage without touching them, as most of the hamsters at the Humane Society are, well, less than humane.

So as I was using tiny their “igloo” house to scoop them up and into the carrier (where they stay while I clean their poop), one came out and crawled onto my shoulder. Now, I am usually not one to be afraid of animals. I help train the new dogs (who are sometimes a bit hostile) and I have held cats while they get shots (which is a blur of claws and teeth), but with this four inch hamster hanging out on my shoulder, I was petrified. Was it going to bite me? Scratch me? Take a leap of faith onto the ground and die?

Most worried about her little life, I tentatively reached a hand up to grab her annoying furry butt. Her sister (who I later learned was named Kola) was already safely in the carrier. But this little girl, Cashew, was still having a good time on my shoulder, now exploring the wisps of my hair that had fallen out of my ponytail. In a moment of pure adrenaline, I grabbed her from the back of my neck (how did she get there, god only knows). To my surprise, she didn’t bite. She didn’t even scratch. Cashew snuggled into my hands, like this was what she wanted all along.

After the incident, Cashew and Kola have become two of my favorite animals at the Humane Society. They are easily the sweetest hamsters I have ever met, which I found out later was all thanks to an awesome foster parent. Sadly, hamsters and other small critters (like gerbils) rarely get adopted. These little girls have been at the Humane Society since June 30th. I have already tried to convince my mom to let me take them home (to no avail).

Here’s pictures of them (good luck trying to tell the difference, spoiler, the top is Kola and the bottom is Cashew).

Before I sign off, I thought it was only right that I update you all on the status of the animals I’ve been writing about! All of the cheese cats have been adopted (see post 2) and even my little 12 year old corgi got adopted last week. Seems like the animals I post about are having good luck finding homes!

For more information on adoptable pets check out:

www.cuhumane.org

www.petharbor.com

Your friend,

Siena

Sonny

I first met Sonny on a Tuesday afternoon. I was walking through Bark Avenue (the Humane Society’s clever name for the area with adoptable dogs), when I saw him. Sonny was right up front in his cage, smiling goofily and wagging his tail as I approached his pen. Though Sonny is adorable, I did not approach his cage to fawn over his cuteness. I first came over to him because he had gone number two in his cage. As I cleaned this up, Sonny came over to me, excitedly sniffing at my cat fur covered jeans. After picking up his mess, sat with him and pet and snuggled with him for nearly a quarter of my shift.

Sonny is a corgi mix (of some sort) and is about 13 years old. Sonny has been at the shelter for a bit over a month, which is pretty long for such a popular breed, but to be expected for his older age. Upon my first encounter with Sonny, I had no idea he was this old. In fact, until researching him online to get his adorable photo, I was completely unaware of his age. Sonny is incredibly vibrant and happy. He’s full of as much energy as a puppy, while still being mature enough to know when cuddles are more appropriate than sloppy kisses.

It makes me sad to think that Sonny’s probability of being adopted is lower simply because of his age. Sonny is one of my favorite dogs at the shelter. Of course, I love all of them. But there’s something about Sonny. He is sweet, affectionate, and playful. He is also the best cuddle buddy ever. If only there was a napping room at the Humane Society.

If you’re looking for a dog who will love you unconditionally, is the best napping partner, and plays a mean game of fetch, look no further than Sonny. Yes, he is older. But why should that mean he doesn’t get to spend his last few years in a loving home?

For more information on the Humane Society: www.cuhumane.org

To check out more dogs like Sonny (or cats if that’s what you’re into): www.petharbor.com

Your friend,

Siena

Cats

This past weekend I volunteered at the Humane Society’s PetSmart adoption event. I was in charge of the critters (two hamsters) and cats. Essentially, I got to just hold adorable kittens from 1:00-5:00.

The first warning sign was when I sneezed three times in a row. Sequential “bless you!”s were exclaimed by the chipper volunteer coordinator, though I could hear a nervous quiver at the end of every blessing. Soon, my nose started running as though I had developed a cold within an hour and half. The cats I had cuddled to my chest began to took notice. The orange tabby, Gouda (my favorite, don’t tell), licked my face like a dog, attempting to sooth my sneezes with his saliva. In retrospect, Gouda probably made things worse, but the cuddles from his two other brothers, Swiss and Brie, weren’t helping either.

Everyone loved the four month old kittens, their dopey adorableness enough to get even the biker dude to stop and cuddle with Swiss. At one point, my friend Grace stopped by, as I had been begging her to adopt my favorite cat, Buttons. It was only when she pointed out my red chest, the small amount exposed from my white t-shirt, that I began realizing that I may be allergic to cats.

Both my mom and my sister are very, very allergic to cats, as in asthma like symptoms. I had been around cats in the past, never exhibiting any of these symptoms. Then again, I have never had kittens cuddled up to my face for 4 hours straight either. But as I was driving home, my eyes uncomfortably itchy, my throat scratchy, and my nose runny, I realized I may have a problem. 
I’ve been working at the Humane Society for about a month, and haven’t had problems this bad. For now, I’m just going to pretend like this incident never happened, and go on with my day to day tasks, which mainly consist of cleaning litter boxes anyway. 

This is Gouda.

Brie has the cutest "puppy dog eyes"

And then this is Swiss.

For more information about adopting one of these cute brothers or maybe another animal, visit petharbor.com or cuhumane.org :)

Your friend,

Siena

UPDATE: Swiss has gotten adopted!

Hello friends!

So this is my introduction post. It’s probably going to be boring and awkward, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Essentially this post is going to be twenty random facts about myself. Enjoy?

1. When I was 11, I fell while ice skating and had to get five stitches. I still have a small scar.
2. I procrastinate a lot.
3. This is my fourth attempt at this blog post.
4. Last summer I went to school in Germany for a month.
5. I have been out of the country four times (Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and France).
6. I feel very self absorbed writing twenty facts about myself. And posting them on the internet.
7. I can, and do, eat lemons like oranges.
8. I have never broken a bone, which is surprising due to how klutzy I am.
9. I’m awful at basketball. Like really, really, bad.
10. No matter what kind, tea makes me really sleepy.
11. Twenty facts is starting to seem like a lot.
12. My favorite color is gray. I am still unsure if it is gray or grey. My apologies.
13. I have a younger sister who is in eighth grade. She did not apply to Uni.
14. The number of novels I have started and not finished is embarrassing.
15. I actually lied in a fact above/forgot a fact about myself? I broke my big toe when someone stepped on it during soccer practice. With their cleat.
16. Last November I became a vegetarian. Still going strong!
17. I like taking personality tests in my free time.
18. I volunteer at the Crisis Nursery, Food Pantry, and Humane Society.
19. For some odd reason, I can’t work without background noise. I do most of my homework with pandora or spotify playing.
20. I always have three things with me; gum, $1, and chapstick.

So there are my twenty facts! These took longer than they should have. So, welcome to my blog! Temporarily/maybe permanently called “Simply Siena”. So hi. See you soon? 

your friend,

Siena

(That's me and a friend's dog. I have a puppy named Aero though. He's a goldendoodle.)