Armed with a drive to sterilise a target area of

cats today, we set off on a day intended to end with a fruitful mission. But alas all was not to be as we are reminded and relearnt that (a) it's a matter of timing and patience for target cats to appear in order to be caught, and (b) a sterilisation plan considering all available resources needs to be in place, as opposed to a random grab-and-go attitude.

But YES, 'twas indeed a productive day for we managed to, in a span of 9 hours:
** Plant the idea of sterilisation in a farm uncle who is a tad unwilling to let us sterilise his supposedly now-pregnant female cat
** Send a Chinchilla for medical checkup and kickstart a viewing session for its prospective adopters
** Bathe three mange-afflicted dogs
** Handle payment matters and their documentation
** Gain more trust from extremely human-wary dogs by gingerly offering bits of treats and reinforcing the idea of comfort, food and all things good we'd like them to associate with a spot to stay put in
** Remind a fellow caregiver to utilize a structural resource intended to support her feeding job and pass food resources to her
** Kickstart communication with yet another potential adopter for, at least, a few of our dogs

** And perhaps a task of mighty investment in every sense of the word, managing our pack at the shelter by:

* Laying sacks of granite chips on mushy ground to prevent soil clogging and mosquito breeding that impacts the health of the dogs
* In a semblance of orderliness, allowing our dogs to have a free roam -- to a few of them perhaps for the first time -- of the field and test out their future integration to the rest, thereby realising even more learning points about canine social dynamics
* Laying, as a matter of physical labour and coordination, wooden planks over soft ground for the same aforementioned purpose
* Treating Ben, Jamie, Tiger, Junior and co. pieces of chicken, together with their pals in neighbouring kennels, and
* Just having a rollicking good time with dogs with whom trust and loyalty is our bridge


So hey, a Saturday well spent for a truly meaningful cause. On hindsight, still milestones of achievements for all of us here. THANKS for today!



Ben looks as though he's willingly posing for us in an image that spells contentment


Clustering with Junior outside their enclosure. Junior, in red harness

Jordan 'testing water' of the pool for the 2nd time

Jonah seeking shady refuge under a bush in the field

Ben wringing himself after an experimental dip. Not to forget where the pack was born, there was a marsh-like mini creek they'd grown up dunking and playing in