The (Dog) Walking Undead

We're back into the swing of things at school after the winter break, and I already feel buried under a ton of homework after the first three weeks.  The second years in the Vet Tech program told us that first semester was the "easy" semester and boy, they weren't kidding!  Round two is kicking my ass. I'll get home and go right to bed (goodbye social life), or fret over homework before giving up and sobbing in a corner of the closet clutching a nibbled stick of butter in each hand.  Ah, college!

Anyhow, this week is all about sleep deprivation, as I am on a husbandry rotation for school.  There is a fully functional kennel and clinic/surgery in our vet building, and we students take turns caring for and helping to treat the animals that come to the school from a nearby shelter (not the one I work in).  They are examined, treated, neutered/spayed, and sent back to be adopted.  So the shelter gets some help, and we get to learn how to do all things veterinary.  Sweet deal.

Except for the husbandry hours.  For four days now, I have arrived at school at 6am to walk dogs in the bitter cold. We walk them, help out with feeding, cleaning and treatments, then walk dogs again.  This takes about 2 hours. We have to be back again at noon for another pooch parade, then again at 5pm for a repeat of the morning's activities.  Sometimes I'll go home in between, but staying at school the whole time is handy for homework catch-up.  Like I said, this is the fourth day and I feel like a zombie. A zombie stumbling through the snow behind a bouncy dog who would run the whole way if she could!

These pups get five walks a day, which is awesome.  Anything to break up the stress and boredom of kennel life.  I feel bad though, because I don't even get up for 6am to walk my OWN dogs, let alone walk them 5 times a day.  The sense of devastation radiating off my two goofs when I get ready to leave to walk other dogs is palpable.  The air around them throbs with sadness. And when I arrive home 13 hours later, I'm too tired to play with them properly. "C'mere gih mummy 'nuggles" and vague gestures resembling petting motions from the couch are about all I can manage.

Just don't tell Gryphon and Bruin I've been walking another brindle. Shhhh!

This is Schenley, and she is all kinds of awesome.  If I wasn't full up on brindles...

I'm sitting at school right now waiting for five o'clock to roll around so we can go out walking again. Today is the last day of my rotation, and I'm actually looking forward to being able to sleep in for two extra hours in the morning. In fact, I think the lack of sleep is starting to affect me badly...

Last night the Manfriend picked me up and we stopped off at the grocery store on the way home. I wandered away from him at one point and got lost, stumbling around tiredly and muttering to myself about salsa and acne cream.  He finally found me roaming the aisles, tightly hugging a package of goat cheese and a couple of bags of nachos.

I can't wait to go to bed.