Day 6: Working at Battersea Park Zoo!

On the sixth day of my human's time working with Wandsworth Dog Control, she was taken to Battersea Park Children's Zoo, located in- yep, you guessed it- Battersea Park! The park's main aims are to conserve endangered species of animals and to educate children about them. On arrival to the place, my human was greeted by some of the friendly members of staff who work there. The zoo is home to a wide variety of animals, including meerkats and monkeys!
 Each day, the staff arrive very early in the morning, to feed the large number of animals who live there and to keep the zoo looking clean. Therefore, my human's first job of the day was cleaning all the windows in the zoo which she found very fun! Although it's not the first activity you would expect to do, my human loved seeing- once the windows had been washed enough to be able to see through them- all the animals waking up.
Next up on my human's schedule was to clean out the guinea pigs' enclosure. This was great fun as the guineas had to stay in there with her whilst she cleaned them out so they were squeaking like mad!
For the rest of the day, my human continued to help with the maintenance of the park, such as weeding and sweeping, and also fed some of the animals, including two huge pigs who lifted up their paws for an apple!

 Overall, the highlight of my human's day was showering two emus named Ant and Dec! At first, she found them quite intimidating (those eyes...!) but, as soon as she pointed the hose at their backs, they became pretty cute! Having said that, I wouldn't want to stand too near... They didn't seem to be the cuddliest of creatures that's for sure. Although at first they didn't seem keen on the idea of having a shower to cool them down even though it was extremely hot, they eventually became more relaxed and both lay down in the puddle that had formed. Ant and Dec both tried to roll around in it- it was adorable!

Thank you so much Battersea Park Children's Zoo for having my human for the day- she loved it! To all of you who haven't visited the zoo, I highly recommend taking your kids along for the day as it is such a great place to go to. For more information, visit http://www.batterseaparkzoo.co.uk.

Talk soon, Jasper x

Day 5: Working at the Kennels

On my human's fifth day of working with Wandsworth Dog Control, she spent the day at Green Lane Farm Kennels and Cattery. The centre has been open for over 50 years and provides accommodation for up to 97 dogs and cats at a time! For the day, my human worked in the kennels where many of the dogs have been placed whilst their owners are on holiday. However, some of the dogs are strays and are being kept at Green Lane Farm until a space becomes available at a local rescue centre for them to move to.
As my human approached the kennels, she could hear the noise being made by all the dogs- man, it was loud! The staff who worked there were very friendly and very busy: there was a LOT of work for them to be doing with all those doggies. My human was instructed to start cleaning out some of the kennels by using a mop and scoop and then to fill up each dog's water bowl. My human found this pretty tiring admittedly (she's pathetic!) but said that 'it was lovely being greeted by all the wagging tails'.
Afterwards, it was time to start distributing the bowls of dog food. My human was surprised at how gourmet the meals looked so I'm hoping they have inspired my human to be more experimental with my dog food from now on...! Imagine preparing 70-80 bowls of dog food. And now imagine handing 70-80 bowls of dog food out with each bowl made specifically for each dog... Yep, it was chaotic but fun! The staff were all preeeetty experienced at this considering that they have to do this everyday, sometimes with even more dogs.
For the rest of the day, my human vigorously scrubbed out kennels and yards and set up rooms for the new arrivals to move into; she found it rewarding seeing the newbies snuggled up in the beds that she had prepared for them earlier in the day. Throughout her visit, she had little 'chats' with all the inhabitants of the place... Yes, she spoke to all the dogs!
Overall, my human thoroughly enjoyed her day at the kennel and now appreciates how much work the kennel staff do everyday- they do a good job! Thank you to the staff for having her for the day; you may be seeing her soon when she gets on my nerves...! Talk soon, Jasper x

Day 3: Blue Cross Animal Hospital!

As part of my human's time at Wandsworth Dog Control, she visited the Blue Cross Animal Hospital in Victoria. The hospital treats thousands of animals every year who are owned by people who are on certain means-tested benefits or low incomes. On entrance to the hospital, my human instantly fell in love with the place. In the waiting room, there were dogs of every size and shape, from pugs to spaniels to cross-breeds. While waiting for the lady to take her around the building, she sat down on aisle that was being taken up by huge dog who was spread out as much as possible across the ground- he was very relaxed!
My human was then introduced to her tour guide for the visit and off they went.
Firstly, she was shown the veterinary clinics on the ground floor where the animals have their problems diagnosed and met some of the caring vets who all specialise in different parts of animals' bodies (I would be more specific but my human is so useless that to her the names just sounded like jibberish!).
Following this, my human was taken to where the cats and dogs stay. All the animals looked settled while the radio played softly in the background; I'm pretty sure my human would've settled down herself had she had the chance! She was then introduced to some TINY kittens who were absolutely adorable. My human reeeally wanted to take a photo of them all as she'd never seen such young ones! I've told her that I'll be an excellent model (as always) for a photoshoot to make up for it... As long as I get sausages as well!
Afterwards, my human was shown the operating theatres. There was a room where dentistry took place and then, at the end of the corridor, a room where the operations are carried out. When my human visited, she was lucky enough to witness a cardiovascular operation taking place (though obviously she watched through a window!). She found this very interesting as it is not everyday that you get to see for yourself an operation taking place like that.
My human then had a look around the offices where the general management of the place takes place. On arrival to this floor, my human was confused at the sight of baby gates blocking the entrances of many of the offices and then she realised why they were there: to stop the staff's dogs from escaping! In each office, there was a dog bed for the pet of whoever was working in each one. I wish my human had something like this at her work!
The tour was then over and it was time to leave. Thank you so much to all the friendly staff there for doing the work they do and for showing my human around- it was an experience she will not forget for a long time!
Talk soon, Jasper x