Interesting - and Tiring - Weekend
This weekend I worked at the Dog Ranch Friday and Saturday nite. I see on the schedule that I am scheduled to work Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday this coming week.
I'll get thru that, and after that, we'll see.
For one thing, the odd hours are really really hard on my physical self, lol. Theoretically, you can sleep during the Midnite-8:30 shift, but the sleeping is not what I would call quality sleep, not by a long shot.
You're encouraged to sleep with one ear open. Friday nite I slept with 8 little dogs. Saturday nite I had 15. They have to be kept quiet, all the time, actually, but especially from 8 pm to 8 am. So that means you have to nip everything in the bud; if they start to play too hard, or if squabbles start, or if there's any sort of jealousy or territoriality, or if they just feel like being yappy.
Add to that the rule that you HAVE to take a 1/2 hour "lunch break", which means at some point in the middle of the nite, you need to clock out and clock back in. For me, that is not such a hardship cuz I don't sleep for shit anyway, and I'm usually up several times to go to the bathroom. Which is another obstacle to my happiness there. The only bathroom in the house I sleep in is thru the living room area, which is where the big rambunctious dogs sleep, with an experienced handler. They don't like you going thru there and getting the dogs all worked up, so I have to go outside to the little bathroom inside the shed they do dog grooming in. Kinda spooky. And kinda cold. So Friday nite, I mostly just dozed.
It is by far the easiest shift, with very little actual physical labor. The kids that work the day shift have to get the feeding done, and be pretty much standing in the different yards with the dogs all day long. All we really have to do is let everyone out to pee when we get there, and then, because they wake up around 6 and want to go out, we let them out to go, then get them back inside and keep them quiet until 8:00, when they are allowed out into the various play yards for the day.
Parts of it were fine, parts of it were uncomfortable for me. The beds suck. The dogs love them but they're not very nice to sleep on. There are not a lot of amenities for the people. I learned fast and brought my own coffee with me in a thermos for the morning. I also brought my little neck pillow.
No matter how clean the dogs are, a bunch of them together on one room makes for a very stinky room, lol.
Some of the people who work there are outstanding. They are experienced dog handlers, and it's obvious they love dogs. The dogs love them, too. Then there are some who don't know one end of the dog from the other. And they don't like dogs so much. I'd fire their asses immediately. I think for $75 a nite, the people who leave their dogs there should be able to expect their dogs to be getting outstanding treatment. One guy, I never saw him pet a dog. He would allow them to sit on the couch with him, but he never petted one. Never showed one bit of affection to any one them. His ass would be gone if it was up to me.
I got home Saturday around 9:00 am, and stayed up because I wanted to go to the Dojo at Noon for an Orange Belt test. I took my stuff with me to have my regular 2:00 class, but I was so pooped, I asked to be excused. Went home, could not sleep. It sucked. So I stayed up, and went in to work Saturday evening just wiped out. But the good news is, I was so tired I actually slept a few hours. I woke up with about 10 little dogs packed all around me on the bed, lol.
Sunday morning when I got home, I fed critters, did laundry, went grocery shopping for Thanksgiving, played with my own dogs, took a nap, then went to bed around 8:00. Did not get enough sleep, but made it to work on time anyway, lol.
I may switch things up this week and see if I can be happier. Maybe try sleeping as soon as I get home, instead of staying up then trying to take a nap later.
Anyway. I don't know if $9/hr is worth it. I think there just may be a reason that it's mostly kids that work there. Kids deal with it better, lol. Old folks like me need more regular sleep habits, I think. Or at least I do, YMMV.
It's going to be an interesting week. Once it's over and my brain is functioning again, I'm going to decide if I want to spend my last Aerospace Christmas (ie, a whole week off in between Xmas and New Year's) doing Midnite Dog Duty. Right now I get the feeling I'm going to think the time off is worth more than the $9/hr, minus taxes.
[smooch]
I'll get thru that, and after that, we'll see.
For one thing, the odd hours are really really hard on my physical self, lol. Theoretically, you can sleep during the Midnite-8:30 shift, but the sleeping is not what I would call quality sleep, not by a long shot.
You're encouraged to sleep with one ear open. Friday nite I slept with 8 little dogs. Saturday nite I had 15. They have to be kept quiet, all the time, actually, but especially from 8 pm to 8 am. So that means you have to nip everything in the bud; if they start to play too hard, or if squabbles start, or if there's any sort of jealousy or territoriality, or if they just feel like being yappy.
Add to that the rule that you HAVE to take a 1/2 hour "lunch break", which means at some point in the middle of the nite, you need to clock out and clock back in. For me, that is not such a hardship cuz I don't sleep for shit anyway, and I'm usually up several times to go to the bathroom. Which is another obstacle to my happiness there. The only bathroom in the house I sleep in is thru the living room area, which is where the big rambunctious dogs sleep, with an experienced handler. They don't like you going thru there and getting the dogs all worked up, so I have to go outside to the little bathroom inside the shed they do dog grooming in. Kinda spooky. And kinda cold. So Friday nite, I mostly just dozed.
It is by far the easiest shift, with very little actual physical labor. The kids that work the day shift have to get the feeding done, and be pretty much standing in the different yards with the dogs all day long. All we really have to do is let everyone out to pee when we get there, and then, because they wake up around 6 and want to go out, we let them out to go, then get them back inside and keep them quiet until 8:00, when they are allowed out into the various play yards for the day.
Parts of it were fine, parts of it were uncomfortable for me. The beds suck. The dogs love them but they're not very nice to sleep on. There are not a lot of amenities for the people. I learned fast and brought my own coffee with me in a thermos for the morning. I also brought my little neck pillow.
No matter how clean the dogs are, a bunch of them together on one room makes for a very stinky room, lol.
Some of the people who work there are outstanding. They are experienced dog handlers, and it's obvious they love dogs. The dogs love them, too. Then there are some who don't know one end of the dog from the other. And they don't like dogs so much. I'd fire their asses immediately. I think for $75 a nite, the people who leave their dogs there should be able to expect their dogs to be getting outstanding treatment. One guy, I never saw him pet a dog. He would allow them to sit on the couch with him, but he never petted one. Never showed one bit of affection to any one them. His ass would be gone if it was up to me.
I got home Saturday around 9:00 am, and stayed up because I wanted to go to the Dojo at Noon for an Orange Belt test. I took my stuff with me to have my regular 2:00 class, but I was so pooped, I asked to be excused. Went home, could not sleep. It sucked. So I stayed up, and went in to work Saturday evening just wiped out. But the good news is, I was so tired I actually slept a few hours. I woke up with about 10 little dogs packed all around me on the bed, lol.
Sunday morning when I got home, I fed critters, did laundry, went grocery shopping for Thanksgiving, played with my own dogs, took a nap, then went to bed around 8:00. Did not get enough sleep, but made it to work on time anyway, lol.
I may switch things up this week and see if I can be happier. Maybe try sleeping as soon as I get home, instead of staying up then trying to take a nap later.
Anyway. I don't know if $9/hr is worth it. I think there just may be a reason that it's mostly kids that work there. Kids deal with it better, lol. Old folks like me need more regular sleep habits, I think. Or at least I do, YMMV.
It's going to be an interesting week. Once it's over and my brain is functioning again, I'm going to decide if I want to spend my last Aerospace Christmas (ie, a whole week off in between Xmas and New Year's) doing Midnite Dog Duty. Right now I get the feeling I'm going to think the time off is worth more than the $9/hr, minus taxes.
[smooch]