The Tin Project #2 Volunteer at a Animal Shelter

I would just like to say I love animals, and I was really looking forward to this task! But... things did not go as planned. I had never volunteered at an animal shelter before, so I was nervous. Didn't know where to look, didn't know how to proceed, didn't know where to start. Didn't help that the more I looked... the more confused I got. Why can't I just walk into an animal place and help out and then that be that! Good deed done in all!

Needless to say all the anxiety and nervousness was not helping my procrastination. AND my 6year anniversary was around the corner at this time AND the holidays to.

Like most dogs, my baby boy (aka parents dog) Buster gets very nervous and shaky when it comes to the 4th of July, which also so happens to be my anniversary.

My baby boy

He would have panic attacks in the middle of the night, or sometimes while we weren't home and claw at our bedroom door in the basement. He's actually clawed out a pretty big piece, and at one point had started bleeding. 

So at this point I just couldn't stand to be around animals. Not that I didn't love them anymore, but that I had been made into a nervous wreak by my dog. He had panic attacks before and weeks and weeks after the 4th of July. I'm talking crying super loud at the door, clawing the door, trying to jump on the bed at multiple times of the night. Didn't help that Tom and I have to be up by 6AM for work. And he gets kinda snappy when he's nervous to so the whole cuddling thing didn't work.  So that didn't help.... and I was at my wits end. 

So I thought I would help my dog, that was as good as I could get. We started letting him in our room, and we got him a calming collar . The collar actually helped a little bit and at some point he did stop all together. So I would highly recommend it! 

I would have loved to get him some meds or a thunder coat or something more helpful but I'm a poor art graduate living in my parents basement. So this was the best I could do, and after the month and some of anxiety and nerves I had decided this experience counted. It would have to, because I physical would not be able to deal with another whining, crying, nervous animal. I would of probably balled up in a corner and cried till I pasted out. Because like my dog, I to am prone to panic attacks.