Work With No Pay

I cannot begin this story without saying Happy Veterans Day to all of the brave men and women who serve our country, including this special guy on the right.

Thanks Jordan! We love you and miss you!

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So how would you feel about working with no pay?

I've always wondered how people do volunteer work. Let's face it, life is hectic, bills need to be paid, kids need attention, animals need to be taken care of.......

Last winter when our business slowed down, I told Trevor that I was thinking of volunteering at our local animal shelter. 

He said, NO WAY!!

 He knew that if I were to see an animals "final day" posted on a cage, I would bring said animal home with me. 

He's probably right.....

Fast forward to 2 months ago, I found a kitten in the middle of the highway at one of our jobs. I scooped it up, brought it to the vet and kitty now lives with us.

The very next day, my Mom presented an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. She had taken a tour at a local rescue and was now volunteering there.

I can't tell you how glad I am that I jumped at this chance. Not only is the work beyond rewarding, it's an experience like no other. Trevor is happy because no matter what happens, I CANNOT bring any animals home with me.

But I can sure love on them!!

Before I share some of my pictures and stories, please take a minute and check out their website.

There are great photos, stories, videos, sounds and more. 

EARS basically takes any animal that they can house. There are lions, tigers, bears, tortoises, monkey, deer, cougars and many Katrina dogs and cats.

If you ever have an inkling to donate to a good cause, I can tell you, first hand, that this is one of them!

http://www.earsinc.net/

Our jobs as volunteers vary. We may be scooping poop, bleaching cages, feeding or acting as spotters when there are tour groups (to keep guests from getting too close to cages)

The place is huge, the hours are endless and the work is tiring but to be so close to these animals, who otherwise would have no homes (and most likely be euthanized) is priceless.

Rick James

Fancy Fran

Susu

Norman

Norman and I share a "special bond"

On my first visit to EARS, he sprayed me right in the face! Technically I think that makes me his wife.

Norman is missing the bottom half of his jaw due to an owner who abused him. When Gail (one of the founders) got him, it was gangrene and the vet had to remove it. He still eats like a horse tiger and is happy as a clam tiger.

Judy 

(who is Normans best friend when I'm not there)

T-Man

McGraw getting breakfast (raw chicken)

Relaxing after a feeding

Fran taking a cat nap

Sultan, one of the white tigers

Sebastion

All of EARS residents are spayed or neutered, except for Sebastion.

One of my other favorites is Odin. Odin is a Liger, which is a cross between a lion and a tiger. Odin is 900 lbs and 2 years old, which means he still has time to grow!

Odin lives with his best friend Tamari

We had one tortoise, Hercules

 

until a couple of weeks ago when FWC (Florida Fish & Wildlife) called Gail to tell her that Hercules had gotten out of his enclosure. 

Hercules was snuggled down in his house, but Gail went and picked up the newest resident, Rocky.

There are many bears, who LOVE marshmallows...and poop A LOT!! 

2 Leopards, Tafari & Odoki

Gabe the cougar

Monkeys, which are hidden by a tour group we were escorting.

Last week when we went up, I managed to drag Trevor along with us. We had gotten our local paper to run an article on the facility, so we left before the sun came up and headed north. It takes about 45 minutes to get there. Trevor loaded up some of our equipment so we could do some grooming on the graveyard before the photographer got there.

We're almost there!

Trevor jumped right in and got to work.

We even set up a blue bottle tree that my uncle donated, to ward off evil spirits. 

Once we got the graveyard cleaned up, we put Trevor in Odins cage to clean. (Odin was in his run-out)

Then we drained, cleaned and refilled Frans tub, which made for a very happy tiger!

Every time that we leave there, we are tired, dirty, covered in bleach, raw chicken and dirt, but smiling from ear to ear. God bless people like Jaye and Gail who dedicate their life to these animals. My Mom and I both agreed that if we didn't have real jobs and EARS was closer, we would go every day!

Here is the article that our local paper did. Pat did a great job on the article and Matt took some fantastic photos. If it earns EARS a few donations, great. If it just gives recognition to the hardworking founders and volunteers, that's great too!

http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/big-cats-have-big-tales

The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated ~ Mahatma Gandhi