Part I: Dog content

I had a 9am meeting today, so I drove to work earlier than usual.  As I
was pulling into the parking lot, a full-grown golden retriever trotted
in front my car.  Not good.  Not only is this a high-traffic area, but
the snow on the ground makes traction iffy.

As I parked, I had a brief battle of my own wits.  Maybe his owner was just
around the corner, and would be upset at me for interfering.  But whatever.
His owner shouldn't have left him in a freaking parking lot.  I got out of the
car and located the dog, who had wandered to another corner of the lot.  He
seemed friendly.  I know that strange animals can be unpredictable and
dangerous, but somehow I'm never as cautious about such things as maybe I
should be, so I approached him, got my hand into his collar, and checked for
tags.  Rabies vaccination, but no name tag.  Ugh.

Bringing a strange dog into the office seemed like a bad idea, so I put him in
my back seat, hoping he wouldn't eat anything.  He didn't seem to mind being
left in the car as I let my bosses know the situation, and they agreed I
should take him to the humane society that, conveniently, is just down the
street.  I got in the car -- everything seemed in order -- and drove him to
the shelter.  I probably should have been nervous with a large dog of unknown
history behind me as I drove, but fortunately, I'm short on common sense.

Anyway, the shelter proper doesn't open till 11am, but their vet is open at
seven, and they were able to let me into the shelter and get me set up.  The
dog had no ID chip, but the shelter worker apparently went through a list of
lost dogs and called a name out.  The dog responded enthusiastically, although
it seemed to me he might just have been happy for attention.  We brought him
to a kennel, and the presumed owner was called.  I hope that's truly his
owner, and I hope that owner gets a nice lecture on at *least* putting a name
tag on his dog.  Sheesh.

Oscar's going to the vet on Friday, and I've decided she'll be getting an ID
chip then.  So much can go wrong, and even if she's wearing her collar, it's
of the easy-break variety ...

Part II: Eros content

After several meetings and lunch, I finally steeled my nerves enough to go
visit Eros at the same shelter.  (I asked about the dog; they haven't heard
from the owner yet.  Probably still at work.)  Well, I'm glad I did.  This
shelter is awesome.  Granted, most of the cats are in little cages, but those
who can get along with others are put in "kitty condos."  These are
large-closet-sized rooms with all sorts of cat amenities, clearly designed by
someone with a sensitivity to feline needs.  Cats stay in there until/unless
they show signs of stress from living with other cats in close quarters.

Eros shares a condo with a tiny, adorable kitten named Tucker:

http://www.boulderhumane.org//adopt/animals/A122242.html

The front wall is glass, not metal bars, with a nice ledge to sit on and
watch the outside world.  There are rugs on the floor.  Steps/ledges are
built into the wall from the viewing ledge to the top of a six-foot
scratching post, and the steps even have little carpets.  They have
mousies and two litterboxes.  It's awesome.

I got some time in a "meeting room" with Eros.  Tucker escaped while we were
getting Eros, but no big deal, as the cat area is well-enclosed.  I convinced
Tucker to return to his room, then joined Eros in a glassed-in room with two
chairs, a table, and a few mousies.  Eros allowed me to pet him, and he was
all about the purrs, but he was far more interested in rubbing his face on the
chairs and playing with the mousie than he was in me.

But then something unexpected happened.  He figured out where Tucker was, and
stared at him for a while.  Tucker stared back, little nose pressed to the
glass.  Eros kept playing a bit, then looked for Tucker again.  "Okay," I told
Eros.  "I can see you miss your kitten."  I saw a lady glancing at Eros' fact
sheet and looking for the missing black cat in Tucker's condo, so I picked up
Eros and brought him over.  Aware that I shouldn't give her the hard sell, I
merely introduced them and tried to put Eros back in his condo.  Of course,
Tucker made a break for it again.  A shelter worker put down the rat-in-a-box
she was carrying to help us retrieve Tucker, for whom a rat in a box was quite
the bait.

After we got the cats safely back to their condo, I watched them.  They
played on their own; they played together.  A perfect match.  Just adorable.
Maybe they will be adopted together.

I spoke for quite a while with the lady who was looking around, as well as
with others who were browsing.  We were mostly just talking cats.  Again, I
made it clear that I was Eros' old owner, but didn't push the hard sell.  If
they asked, I answered.  If something came up naturally, I mentioned it.
Anyway, Eros can sell himself.  What a wonderful cat.

I feel much better, now.  This kitty condo is a billion times better for him
than the kennel cage he was in before.  The cats are well-loved, and he looks
good and is still a happy cat.  Before I left, I got some info on having
monthly contributions deducted from my account ...