Saturday 2 February 2008

Federal Territory Day

Yet another public holiday, whoop-dee-do, which means we’ve only had 1 five-day workweek this whole month.

Left for the SPCA by noon but it had started pissing with rain by the time I got to the shelter. Ah phooey. There goes all my plans to walk, bathe, groom and de-tick all the dogs in Kennels A and B.

I decided to spring-clean the animal shelter for the Lunar New Year instead. I started with the Cattery. Cleaned out all the cat baskets and litter trays and soaped and disinfected everything. Gave the cats fresh bedding. Moved on to the Hospital and Kennel C, then to the cooking area, which I degreased and disinfected. Cleaned all the cages, the Maternity Kennels, puppy kennels, the front / administrative area and the central areas. Stacked up and moved all the old newspapers to the storeroom, threw out the leaking pails and slimy food bowls and scrubbed the place until it was satisfactorily clean. I think I managed to take a layer off the surface of the tiles with my scrubbing. Dr. Lim had refilled my bottle of tickwash and I used it to render spot treatment to the dogs with ticks.

There was a gaggle of girls who had turned up in the afternoon to ‘volunteer’ but had not done any real work. Patting puppies and stroking kittens don’t count as work to me. I had already done the difficult stuff – cleaning excrement off the cages, sweeping up and disposing of any waste matter and swabbing all surfaces with soap and disinfectant. Would Her Ladyships care to hose down the floor for me?

No, they wouldn’t. They were afraid of getting wet. “Ah,” I nodded, observing wisely. “Yes, that’s the trouble with water, it gets one wet.” The young madams didn’t care much for cleaning, either. “We are students,” they pointed out. Well, if they are students, that must make me chopped liver. I am a lawyer and have been cleaning up after animals for over 10 years, because I know that it benefits the animals directly. I don’t think it would make an ounce of a difference if I were a student or Whoopi Goldberg or the Loch Ness Monster. If something has to be done, and it is for the sake of improving the welfare of other living things, then it will be done.

Having no time for or further interest in spoilt brats, I resumed cleaning the shelter and was pleased with the results. Cleaned myself up and left the shelter by 1900 hours. Had 1 ½ hours of hiphop with Kef, and then went home to do the laundry and clean up after the rowdies before going to the pub for its annual Lunar New Year Party.

Time to get plastered. Whiskey-Echo-Lima Over and Out.

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