I arrived at The Rescue Home this morning to be told that Barry the general manager that see's to the day to day running of The Rescue Home will be retiring at the end of December as he will be 67 years old The owner of The Rescue Home has asked me if I would like to take over the general manager position in the New Year , as I know what's what & have been working there since it first opened as a boarding kennel in 1980. [The owner asked for a change of use licence from the council to change his business from being a boarding kennels to being a Rescue Home in 1985 after owners were not returning to pick up their dogs, we had 24 dogs in that we could not at that time rehome or give to a rescue home until the owner of the boarding kennels had change of licence.] It will means working 40-60 hours a week over 7 days, but does come will a very big increase of wages & a company car [ I don't drive due to my illnesses] plus 6 weeks holiday & my very own office so come Monday 2nd January 2017 I will be The Rescue Home general manager .
Congratulations! Long hours Bad, big increase of wages Good. Car? Tell him that as you do not drive you want a private taxi to pick you up and take you to work, then take you home again. Oh yes and a private taxi for any time and for any reason you need one. [Better not tell him about all your men though!]
He already knows about my men I will have a driver if need be one of the staff will drive me if I have to go anywhere or I could just make one of my men drive me about on their days off
Very rewarding - I started off as volunteer kennel maid in 1980, became paid staff in 1985 when it went from boarding kennels to The Rescue Home, then became a puppy trainer at The Rescue Home in 1996, then this year I became a home checker/follow upper as was unsteady on my legs & the young THUGS [puppies] were knocking me over. January 2017 will see me as their general manager & will be enjoying every minute of being in charge.
Congratulations Tina. I am sure you will enjoy being in charge! Take care of your health though - those are long hours - but you can always steal a 10 minute rest in your office.
I can always pass some of the paperwork to one of the younger members who is more clued up on computers which will give me an extra couple of free hours per day
Well I been shadowing Barry this morning & have chosen my 4 office dogs that will be my "guard dogs " I am more vicious then the dogs. The dogs are: Tripod an ex-racing Greyhound - he broke his leg so was no longer able to race, so we told owner we would have him, unfortunately his leg at be amputated so we changed his name from Lucky Devil to Tripod. Terrible twins Daisy & Maisy 2 ex puppy farm breeding Bichon bitches Daisy is blind & Maisy is deaf, they are always together as Daisy is the ears for Maisy & Maisy is the eyes for Daisy. Scary George a Mastiff that as been adopted more times then any dog should of, he kept on running back to The Rescue Homes he was adopted from, so now he lives full time at our Rescue Home, we think he might have some sort of “canine autism” because he's so scared with changes of new homes, owners, food, moving of furniture, walking routes or strange dogs. George won't make eye contact with me but will let me walk & feed him. Actually the 4 dogs are already the office "guard dogs" as they have made his office [my office in January] their safe place during the day away from strangers coming to look for a new dog to adopt,the office is tucked way back behind the staff rest room & a long way from the reception area which is always full of strange people & dogs.
