Ode (not old!) to a blue merle pit bull

Yesterday I went back to the Lousiana SPCA for the first time since Thanksgiving. For a few hours in the morning we sat out on folding chairs in the sun and received training on animal handling from the Nebraska Humane Society. What was most interesting to me was their demonstration of several dog catching tools that they make themselves, including a snare made of a metal pole, a car antenna and nylon rope. Why do they make them instead of buying manufactured tools? Because they want to ensure the safety of the animals. The other interesting fact was that they operate with hundreds of employees and volunteers. The Louisiana SPCA has a handful of each right now.

Other LA SPCA news: they plan to stay at their current, temporary location for two years, while building a new facility elsewhere.

Afterwards, we went into the kennels to practice evaluating the body language of the animals, and I met my latest dog crush, a blue merle pit bull. It was gorgeous, and seemed to appreciate being told so. But then the volunteer behind me looked down and said, "You're ugly!"