Is this the norm?
Hey, all. I recently had an experience volunteering for a rescue/spay and neuter org and felt kind of uncomfortable about it. I had volunteered at one of their events and had a long conversation with their executive director. I felt like we really vibed! But my subsequent volunteer shifts have felt entirely different, and I've seen some things I don't know are the norm or not.
I know this really doesn't matter, but the staff have been really unwelcoming. I had initially misunderstood the timing of my shifts, but I had apologized for my confusion and it was resolved well before I was scheduled to show up. I overheard the volunteer coordinator I had spoken to all but call me stupid to a group of staff as I stood at the front desk to sign in on my first day. And from that point on, staff have spoken to me as little as possible. One word answers, bouncing me around from person to person when I have a question, weird looks, etc. I know none of that matters to the mission, and I have stayed cheerful with everyone. But I had hoped to find some community there and I've been really bummed about how it's been so far.
I know that a low-cost high volume clinic is going to be different from a regular vet's office, but I have some questions about what I saw and was asked to do.
Do you let volunteers disconnect dogs from oxygen and extubate them after surgery? This was one thing I was told I would be doing and saw another volunteer do. When I asked how I would know when they were ready, the staff member tapped next to the dog's eye and said, "You just give them a minute." I have no vet med experience and was not comfortable doing that. I always found something else to do when a dog was coming off the table.
The dogs are put in kennels as soon as the trach tube is out. I never saw anyone look in on the dogs post-op. No one went in that room unless we were putting another dog in a kennel. One dog had pooped, and I don't know how long he had been trapped in there with his waste because no one looked at him until it was time for pickup.
How do you stimulate the cats to wake up from anesthesia? I was rubbing them all over their bodies and blowing on their ears/playing with their feet because I know that's a good way to rage bait a cat. But I feel like the staff was a little rough. Picking them up by wrists and ankles to flip them over, lifting them up the same way and wiggling their bodies, pats on the side hard enough to make them bounce on the recovery bed. I know it's important to get them awake, but I felt like that was rough.
I'm really sad and don't think I will be returning. But before I make that decision, I wanted to know your thoughts? I'm very aware I might just be too sensitive and just ignorant of how things work.
Thank you all for the good work that you do. I know you are overwhelmed, and there are lots of bad actors out there making it harder. It takes a lot of courage and resilience to know how endless the stream of animals in need is and press on anyway.