Field trip to the SPCA of the Triad

We visited the SPCA of the Triad this past Friday. The facility we visited mainly has rescued animals, cats and dogs, available for adoption. The place was pretty cramped. They can take up to 60 animals at any time and tend to stay full. There are 5 individuals that work there. The lady showing us around said that the staff decides what combinations of animals they can take within that number of 60 (ie. cats, small dogs, big dogs, other animals). They have a vet that works with them. They did have several sick ones or ones recovering from injuries. The lady told us that a typical day started early in the morning when they walked each of the dogs and then fed them. Then she said that they spent a lot of time answering the phone and that was the hard part of their job. When I asked Olivia later what she learned about the lady who worked there, she said, "She talks on the phone a lot!" :) We also learned about the things a cat or dog needs, including food, water, exercise, litter boxes for cats, and the things they need in their cages

They had a cat area. The cats had cages but were allowed to roam pretty freely.

They had a small dog room. In this room was a mother dog with 2 week old puppies (my pictures didn't turn out too well) along with a few other puppies and just some small dogs. There was a dog in the front office who was wearing the "collar of shame" to keep her from licking or chewing at her injuries.
Then there was an area in the back with larger dogs and some runs outside. The larger dogs stay outside most of the day and come into their cages at night. In one of the cages was a dog recovering from an injured leg. He came out for a visit but then once he was back up, Gabe and a few other kids thought he needed some toys. At the end it looked like a toy store in his cage. :)

Gabe and Olivia both were very interested in the animals. Gabe liked the dog toys. Olivia noticed a sign that said dogs should only get 2-3 treats a day or they would become very fat. It showed a couple of pictures of excessively fats dogs. She really took this to heart and said she didn't want Sarah to get fat. We have currently cut back her food somwhat as she was getting overweight. It is Olivia's job to feed and make sure Sarah has water everyday.

Sarah looking all obedient and patient...it only looks that way. :) 

The SPCA takes in a lot of kittens in the Spring typically. The lady said they use volunteers (even children) to come and bottle feed all the kittens. Hmm, that might be a fun experience for the kids and I. :)