Not a petting zoo for you

BARC volunteer, Henry Do took this wonderful shot of Bo in the kennel. Bo has since been adopted! The flickr link is HERE

Saturdays are almost always hectic at BARC and BARC’s store, the BQE Pet Supply. With a full moon hovering overhead, last Saturday was no exception. Unlike most rescue facilities, when you call BARC you probably will get a real human on the line. No receptionist to deflect the nuisance calls, no voice mail to record every heartbreaking story, no administrator or department head to forward the hard questions to. When the doors open at 11:00, or noon on Sunday, the cacaphony begins. Setting the tone for the day, the first call on this Saturday morning was from a man who had to give up his 3 year-old chihuahua because he and his wife were moving south to help an ailing relative. Complete medical history and records, nice personality and a decent donation along with the demand for small dogs sealed the deal and Zoe went to her new home just hours after her arrival. Things went downhill after that… the electrician working in the basement blew out the newly programmed cash register, a volunteer pulled up in a cab with a huge, beat up, but very sweet pitbull from Washington Heights, and a group of pre-teen girls and their nanny came in to “see the animals.” Now while all this is going on, adoptors and volunteers are signing in and asking questions, customers are stocking up on prescription diets and treats for the week, and the phone is ringing on and on in the backround. The nanny is shocked and disappointed that the girls, who were really cute and courteous, couldn’t just take a tour and visit the poor shelter animals. Now, the dogs get walked on a schedule, in the mornings and then in the late afternoon, with some downtime in between unless you are a serious adoptor willing to fill out an application, etc. BARC has a dedicated group of dogwalking and cat volunteers. The photo of Bo, above, was taken by one such volunteer, Henry Do. They get a good workout each and every day, and need the siesta! Nanny and the girls are told all this and leave, apparently excited that now they were off to Victoria’s Secret?!? Maybe 10 minutes later, one frenzied, bitchy woman comes flying in the door complaining that “her girls” weren’t allowed to see the animals, implying they were treated rudely with a touch of racism. Pretty funny as half the people who witnessed the whole incident were people of various assorted races and would testify otherwise. Anyway, she was sent packing. BARC people work their tails off for the animals, giving up huge chunks of their time and hearts to give them a better life. It can be rewarding, but all it takes is one ignorant human to kick your soul back to the curb and wonder how humans can be so ____insert the expletive of your choice here____.