Getting the Good Stuff

So this last weekend was both wonderful and horrible.  Okay, not horrible - just frustrating.

Milkweed with rain drops

On the wonderful side - we got rain!  I got about 4" at my house.  According to all the official gauge data I can find, we didn't get that much.  We are supposed to have gotten 3" or less.  But our rain gauges at the house were showing 4".  Is it possible that our rain gauges will read high?  Absolutely.  It's also possible that they read low.  I really should get a nice rain gauge and put it somewhere a bit more conducive to measuring the amount of rain we got (perhaps having it on the top of the fence would be a bit more accurate).

Non-fragrant plumeria bloom

On the frustrating side - right after I came back from hanging out with a group of Austin area garden bloggers, a stray dog came running up to me.  The poor thing was soaked (we had just had a deluge of rain - based on the fact that the roadways were wet and Lake Creek was a-flowin' full).  He also was not neutered, and when I took him to the vet office down the street, he was not microchipped, nor did he have any tags (though he did have a harness on) (take away lesson for you, dear reader - spay and neuter your pets, get them microchipped, AND have tags on them). 

Poor lost doggie who may end up being put down due to the fact that all the animal shelters in the region are overstuffed with animals.  Make sure to microchip your pets, people!  The last stray I found wandering our street had a microchip, and was reunited with her owners within an hour.  Microchips work. 

We kept him overnight and then took him to the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter since the Austin Animal Center won't accept strays from the Williamson County portion of the City of Austin because...well, I'm not sure why.**  Their website makes no indication that they do not accept animals from the Williamson County portion of Austin's jurisdiction... It's a conundrum!  I'm glad I know this now - 1) if I find a stray animal again, I know to take him to Georgetown, not Austin and 2) when it comes time for me to make my yearly donations to the animal shelter, I can put the money where it will do the most good.

**disclaimer:  this is what I was told by both a staff person and a volunteer after we took the dog there.  This, naturally, goes against what the 311 operator told me, not to mention that there was no mention during my own AAC volunteer training that they do not service the entire Austin full purpose jurisdiction.  Is it possible that the two people I talked to at the shelter are misinformed and the Austin Animal Center actually does service the Austin full purpose jurisdiction? Yes, it is a distinct possibility.  Is it also possible that the Austin Animal Center only services Travis County? Yes, that's also possible.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that "your mileage may vary" and if you find a stray within the City of Austin Full Purpose Jurisdiction (which does include portions of both Williamson and Hays Counties) that you should call the shelter directly and ask a staff person there instead of calling 311 first (note:  chances are likely if you call the shelter and tell them you need to file a found animal report, they will send you to 311 because that's the quickest way for the information to get into the system.  Just ask them to clarify, if you can't keep the animal, that you are allowed to bring it into the shelter - and make sure to get their name so if you show up and are told that they won't accept the animal, you can at least say "I spoke with so-and-so on the phone 30 minutes ago, s/he told me to bring the animal here").