Rushville, IN Animal Shelter

Finally, the Rushville Animal Shelter is getting some publicity. I'm not yet sure if it is good or bad, but at this point ANYTHING is better than nothing. Last week, Jamie, the Assistant Animal Control Officer (and my friend) blew the whistle on the Chief Animal Control Officer for his inhumane euthanazia practices. I have attached an investigation by RTV 6's Rick Hightower (he's an old friend from church, how ironic is that?) of the breaking story at the shelter. Please note that all of the things that I thought were disturbing before, are now being brought to the publics attention.

I have to admit that my heart feels a little lighter today. Today is Tuesday... this is the day that the animals at the shelter are picked out for euthaniazia. Today, the shelter is closed, and the Animal Control Officer has been suspended. Tomorrow will be the first Wednesday in a long time that the animals will all remain safe. I can't help but let my heart be at ease. Then again, no one is really very sure what is going on at the shelter. The police department is now running the shelter, so I'm praying that the animals are getting the attention they deserve.

I spoke with Jamie today, Wednesday, and she said that she's okay. She's under a lot of stress, and a criminal investigation, but over all she's okay. When I asked her how I could help, "Do you need dinners?" I said, she asked me to send some pictures of Abbey to her. THAT I could do! :) I just finished emailing her all of the pictures. There was a rally in her honor "Justice for Jamie" all day yesterday and there was supposed to be a Common Council Meeting in the evening. Unfortunately, the council meeting took the shelter off of the agenda and making a special "closed to the public" meeting, which we won't find out about it. I hope that they decide that Jamie did the right thing. I guess there were people from all over the midwest who came to the rally last night. All of the Animal Rights groups found this to be a very important event. I am praying that everything is going well for her.

Anyways, I'm attaching the link for you to read, I'm really hoping you all read it and sign the petition in Jamie's honor.

Thank you all for caring so much!

(To see the link, click on the title of this post!)

Why was I only given TWO hands?

I was thinking about this last night, and I was wondering what Heavenly Father was thinking when he only gave me two hands. My heart and mind are so much larger than the things I can accomplish with only two hands!

Lately, I've been thinking more about what I want to do with my life. Maybe I want to be a Doctor? An artist? An Attorney? ... No, not an attorney... A Veterinarian? There are so many options! Even though I'm not sure what the Lord has in store for me, I know for a fact that he has set aside really great things for me. He sent me here in this dispensation so that I could do magnificent things! What an amazing feeling! And yet, still, I only have two hands. Perhaps there is a doctor somewhere who can sew on a third or a fourth? Dr., I'll be awaiting your email.

I recently got a new job at an Architecture/Engineering Firm, in Indianapolis. It's a beautiful office, with some of the best people. When I first started at the company, I thought "what a great place! This job couldn't be more perfect for me!" and yet, now I look around and wonder how anyone can do the same job, EVERYDAY, and be okay with it. I know, I'm still young, maybe that will change. But to go to a cubicle, sit at a computer and do the EXACT same thing over and over doesn't make any sense to me! Maybe the corporate world is not for me...

I'm okay with not knowing where my heart and mind will lead me. Because I know I can be extremely passionate about some things, I'm comfortable in knowing the the right thing will hit me someday. The Lord won't let me miss an opportunity to fulfill his plan. I'm so excited, I just wish he would give me more hands!

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I thought it only appropriate that I share some of the things that I am thankful for. Some of the things I am thankful for are:

Obviously my Family and close friends. Family is what keeps us strong when we feel like hiding in a dark cave, and hibernating forever.

My job, without it, my life would be stressful and unenjoyable.

Passionate people. The definition of passion is: any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate. Passion is one of the least desired traits in todays society. Some people believe that if you have enough money, the passion doesn't matter. I couldn't disagree with this more! If there weren't passionate people in this world, my job of changing the world would be a lot harder! I'm glad there are people out there with passion, they make me feel better about the work that I am passionate about.

I'm thankful for books! I find them so inspiring!

I'm thankful for sunrises and sunsets, and for the rain. Any sort of beautiful weather in nature really. That's the Lords way of reminding us who is boss. :)

You name it, I'm probably thankful for it. Thank you to all of you, who are such an important part of our lives. Who share in the blessings of this life, and enjoy the miracles it may bring. Thank you for always being there, you're all so important to us.

Wish you all the best for this Thanksgiving Holiday,
All our love,
The Peytons

The Saddest Place on Earth

I thought I knew what saddness was.


I thought I understood pain and suffering.

I thought MY life was hard.

I WAS WRONG.

I write this blog today to increase awareness and support.

About two weeks ago, Jared and I adopted an adorable puppy from an Animal Rights Group, Indiana-PAW. (Please visit their website at: http://www.indianapaw.com/) She is the best thing that has ever happened to us. On Tuesday night, the director of Indiana-PAW came to our home to interview us and see Abbey's new forever home. As she sat in our living room, she told us stories of Abbey's past. An unbelievable story unfolded of sickness and sadness. Thankfully, Abbey is okay, and happier than ever... but those stories wouldn't leave my mind.


The director began to tell us about the shelter in Rushville, Indiana where Abbey came from. She and her brother had come in as strays, and that the shelter is under-funded and sad. Thedon't offer shots to any of the animals because they can't afford it, which leads to outbreaks of diseses including Parvo (Kennel Cough). There had been an outbreak the day before Indiana-PAW pulled Abbey from the shelter and unfortunately, 15 puppies had to be euthanized before the outbreak spread. Luckily, Abbey survived. She told us how the shelter is in terrible condition and how they are extremely under staffed. She told us that we should feel so great about ourselves for adopting Abbey out of these curcumstances, and yet I couldn't feel great because I felt sad for all of the other animals there. The hardest part for me, is that there were 650 animals in there door last year, and only 7% made it out alive. That means that 93% were euthanized in one year alone, including kittens, puppies and older animals due to lack of space. They have to euthanize every week, just to keep enough space for incoming animals.


I couldn't help but be terrorized by the thought of this place. I cried. All night I cried. How could I not? Knowing that there were that many animals who's days were numbered? Abbey survived that place for an entire month, but only because the Assistant Animal Control Officer of the Rushville Animal Shelter, had a soft spot in her heart for her.


I had to see it. I had to see this horrible place. I had to do somethiing, anything. I had to help.


At first I thought that maybe I could just raise some money, and clean the place up. I thought that maybe if they had enough money, then everything would be better. Jared and I were going in the morning to see what needed to be done. I would never be ready. I expected the worst, but hoped for something else. Even as I dressed that next morning, I second guessed going there. I knew that I couldn't make a difference if I didn't go, so I had to go.


It was an excruciatingly long drive.


WARNING: If you have a VERY soft heart, you may not want to continue. I have some pictures that will break your heart, and make you feel compelled to action. Please just know that you have been warned.


When we first arrived, I was given a tour by one of the two volunteers (which only come and help on Saturday mornings) of the entire facility. I found the volunteers and Assistant Animal Control Officer (AACO) huddled in the small office. It was nice and warm in there, since it was like 60 degrees outside. When the volunteer led me into the animal holding, it was freezing! She said that the Animal Control Officer (a man who was not there.) likes to keep it at 55 degrees all year long. It was very dark and damp also. She told me a little about the ACO, which I don't have a great feeling towards anymore. Just based on the testimony of the AACO, the ACO does all of the euthanizations for the shelter, and it is not humane. The following is what I ducumented on my trip.

The outdoor holding kennels, only used in the summer time.

This is the freezer, this is where they keep the dogs after they have been euthanized. A fertilizer company comes to clean this out every once in awhile. (This was hard to hear)

Another shot of the outdoor kennels.

The side of the building, and the mess.

This is the entrance.

This is the side of the building that you drive up to. This building used to house a dump. On one side of the building is the new dump, and on the other is a wastewater treatment plant. This is just happened to be a vacant building, which was not built to house animals.

This is what you will see if you visit the shelter.

One of the puppies, he's on his way to a foster. Who knows if he will make it out.

Some storage space and cat holding crates.

This is the only place to house the cats and kittens. They can only hold 20 or so at a time, and that's about as many as they get in a week or two.

This is storage that is directly across from the cats. There are hazardous chemicals, food, carpet squares, along with other neccessary items all out in the open.

Washer and dryer area.

Where they wash and dry the food bowls. This is where they give baths also, if it is neccessary, or an animal is being adopted and are going out.

This is just a vacant area, to ilustrate how the building has never been properly cleaned. Some of this was just left here.

To illustrate how unkept the premises are.


Eli Lilly, a pharmaceuticals company here in Indianapolis, donated a few puppy kennels to the shelter. Many are used, however these are a few that were just left out back. They seemed to be in good condition from what I could tell, but just aren't being utilized. It seems crazy, especially since they have some space where they could keep them. These are out in the back of the building, and I had to sneak back there to get a picture.

This is a shot of the dump next door. I stood at the front door of the shelter to illustrate how close the dump actually was. You can actually SEE the trash.


These puppies may not be here next week. There chances are 7% of making it to next Wednesday.

This is the puppy room. These are the kennels which were donated from Eli Lilly. Thankfully these kennels help keep it a lot more snaitary. Before they had these, they only had 12 indoor kennels to house dogs and were unable to keep as many as they are now.

I probably wont be here much longer, and it's too bad because I am such a sweet dog.

This is a shot of the rusty, dirty, old kennels that house the larger dogs. There are only 12 and under no circumstances are dogs placed together, unless they come in together. They can only hold 12 strays at a time.

This is the very dirty and unsanitary entrance to the dog kennels. Keep in mind, this building was NEVER meant to house animals.

Another shot of the large dog kennels.

The inside of the dog kennels, you can see that they painted the walls, but it's still pretty meager.

This is a very sweet dog, it's too bad she may never make it out alive.

Save me, please.

What can you do to help?

I hope this helps to open other people's eyes, to the problems that are happening to our animals. I think we've decided to figure out how we can save these animals and this shelter. Hopefully we can help build a new shelter, that is appropriate for animals.

Leave me a message if this is inspiriing to you in anyway. I hope there is hope for these many animals, and those who love and help them.

Abbey Peyton

Yep, that's her name! Little Miss Abbey Peyton.

And she's got a personality that you wont believe.

This little girl is amazing! She is so loving, and sweet. We got to pick her up on Tuesday afternoon, where my mom and I met her foster mom and learned a little more about her. Abbey already knows how to sit, and lay down, as well as be polite to all of the other dogs. After we picked her up, mom, Abbey and I went and picked up Jared at the house. Once we had picked him up, we went over to my parents for dinner, and to give Abbey a bath. She was so gross when we got her, it was almost unbarable. Once she had a bath, she was a gleaming beauty!

She hates to be alone. She follows us all over the house, and wont be out of eyesight of one of us. She's really afraid of the cats too, it's so funny! Kanye will sit at the top of the loft, and even if she wants out, he wont let her. And she respects him enough not to push him. haha. The cats really had a problem with her when we first brought her home, but after a day or two, they are getting used to her.

Abbey kept eating the catfood instead of her own, so we had to devise a plan so that the cats could eat whenever they were hungry, and she couldn't get to the food. After trying a few places, we opted for a kitty door. You guessed it! We put a kitty door in one of the guest bedroom doors so that we can keep the door closed and the cats can go in and out, but Abbey cant. It took the cats a few times of going in and out before they got the hang of it, but now they sit on the other side and tease Abbey because she can't get through the door. =)

Overall, Abbey made a fairly easy transition into our family and home, and we are extremely happy to have her. She is a blessing, and a joy.

This is Abbey! She's a sleepy girl in the picture, but she's not normally sleepy!

On our first walk! She LOVES the grass.

She thinks she is a person, and she loves having her tummy rubbed. This is her cuddled up on the couch ready for her rub and a good movie.

This is the kitty door we installed. All of the stuff on the floor is from the jigsaw. The cats love the new door.

This is Kanye. He was on the landing staring down at Abbey who was playing roughly with her ball. He was so scared that she was going to get him!

Our first night together. This was after her bath, and a REALLY long dayWe love our new baby!

And Abbey from the side. She is a German Shepherd - Corgi mix. She's only the size of a corgi, she really looks anything but it. She looks just like a german Shepherd. Sorry these pictures weren't better, she's so active it's hard to get a really good one!

Business Trip to PA

Business Trips, Business Trips, Business Trips... I have my own idea of how they should be.

So this past week on Tuesday, I was walking into a meeting at my office to plan our annual Halloween party, when my boss stoped me in the hallway.

"I need to borrow Megan, it will only take three minutes" she said.

My nerves fluttered. All of the thoughts that a person would usually think, I thought. What did I do wrong? Did I mess up a job visit? What could she possibly have to talk to me about that she can't in front of other people?

Come to find out, she wanted to ask me if I would go on a business trip with my other boss. "Well, when is it? Let me check my calander and talk to my husband and I'll get back to you." I retorted.

"Well, that would be great, I'll need your answer by this afternoon so I can book your reservations."

????????!!!!!!!!!!!!????????? "Why so soon?"

"Because you leave tomorrow and come home late Friday night." She said.

AH!

No one goes on a business trip that they found out about the day before! Well, that is everyone except me because I went.

Somehow, on Wednesday afternoon I landed myself in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It's a beautiful place! We spent Wednesday night at a charming hotel in Lititz, Pennsylvania, a haunted hotel with plenty of stories. I slept with the light AND the television on, and impressively felt well rested come morning. We awoke and met in the lobby at 7, just in time to grab a quick breakfast in the lobby and head over to Manheim Township High School, where we spent all day working on a punchlist. All day as in 7am-7pm. When we got back to the hotel, we took a 15 minute "freshen up" break from eachother and met in the lobby for dinner. We went to a place called Scooter's Bar and Grill, which was actually pretty good. Wendell, my boss, gave me the strangest look when I ordered a chicken salad with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. What? That's not normal? Huh, who knew.

After dinner, and an exhausting day, we headed back to the hotel to get some rest for the long day ahead. When we got back, we seperated to our own rooms. I called Jared and told him about my day and let him know my schedule for the next day. When we got off the phone, I remembered that there was this adorable little chocolate shop that we passed on our way into town, about a block from the hotel. I glanced at the clock which read 8:55, so I assumed they might still be open. I ran down the two flights of stairs and flew out the lobby door, and speed walked to the shop. Good news, they closed at nine, and I made it just in time!

As I walked through the doors, the smell of warm cookies smacked me in the face. The shop owner ran over, and as appologetically as I could I proclaimed how sorry I was and walked towards the cabinet full of delights. She raced over telling me how I was more than welcome, and that she would make me the best cup of hot cocoa that I've ever had. I can't pass up a good cup of hot cocoa! She told me all about the chocolates they make, and how they make it. A couple who were in drinking some hot cocoa chimmed in on the conversation telling me what I should buy. They were so wonderful! We all sat at this small bar in the front of the shop, drinking and talking, until 9:30. They were all so wonderful. The shop owner told me so many wonderful things about PA, and the people, and the way she loves chocolate and why it's so good for you. She had me there, glued to my seat, never wanting to leave. It was as "you've got mail" as you can imagine. Only, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan weren't invloved. The others sat and chatted with me until my cup was empty. We laughed and talked over silly things, as well as serious things. It was fabulous. Finally, it was time to go. I walked back over to the hotel, I realized and pondered WHY I was on this trip. It wasn't for my company, or even myself, it was because I needed to learn that the world doesn't revolve around me. It revolves around ALL of the people in this world. Sometimes it can be so hard to realize that we aren't the ones who control our universe. It's a nice thought, but just not practical.

I've been trying to adopt a dog for about three weeks now. It's so hard to adopt a dog, it's like adopting a child. You have to have character refrences, and a fence, as well as the money to afford it. Well, on my way home from Harrisburg, I got a phone call from a woman at a rescue letting me know that I've been approved for Abbey, a german shepherd that I had fallen head over heels for. I think it was something to truly ponder over. Heavenly Father, couldn't or wouldn't, allow me to bring another thing into my life until I realized that he was in control. It's so amazing how he works sometimes. Anyhow, I'll be getting her any day now, and I'll post pictures as soon as I can.

Overall, business trips aren't as awful as they sound, and I actually learned a lot and had a lot of fun. I love meeting new people and seeing new places. It was definitly worth the three days away from my family. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves... I don't plan to do it again anytime soon.

Have a great end to your weekend, and I promise to make sure to upload pictures of the new pup. She's so cute!

All my love,
Megan

Cheaper by the Dozen!

I pretty much just labeled the post "Cheaper by the Dozen" because I just so happen to be watching that as I post. I won't lie, I'm greatful I don't have 12 kids right now.

I'm sorry that I really don't have any pictures to share, a lot has been going on, but not a whole lot of things that require pictures.

Jared recently got promoted at work, and is now working all kinds of hours. Somedays, it 7am- to 3pm, and sometimes it's 3pm-3am. Those nights are hard! But he's enjoying the salary increase, and neither of us can complain.

I recently just got a new job too. I work at an architecture firm which specializes in building schools and libraries. I am working in the Administration department, proof reading things, and mailing things. Pretty much making sure the company continues to run smoothly! I'm liking it, but I work 7am-4pm which makes it hard to spend much time on Real Estate. Thankfully it's steady, and I always know when I'm going to work, so it makes it easy to schedule around.

About three weeks ago, my sister and I planned at 25th Anniversary Party for my parents. It was so much fun! Ashley and I were stressed the day before, but other than that, everything ran really smoothly. Some funny things happened in the planning too!

We decided on a date that was a week or so after their anniversary, so that they wouldn't expect it. My mom has been wanting an anniversary party, so we couldn't wait to surprise her. I printed the invitations, and tied them all with bows. Only to find out that neither of us had reserved the building. Come to find out that the night we had planned on, there was something already on the calendar! We rescheduled, re-printed and re-tied the inviations, and got them in the mail not a minute too late.

After Ashley called everyone to confirm whether or not they were coming, we divided up the rest of the responsibilites. Thankfully, everything came together perfectly, with the help of Ashley and Nate. They were such a big help!!!

Jared convinced my parents that they were invited to come along with us to a work banquet. He was told to bring his parents, but since my parents are the closest he had, he was hoping that they would come. Of course this pulled right at my parents heart strings! My mom couldn't say no. Once we were all in the car, I told them that I needed to drop something off at the church. We got there and told them to get out and come inside, and they knew somethgn was up, but had no idea. They were so surprised, it was great!

Here are some pictures from the event. And thank you to all who came!

A little DMB: Everyday.

Hello All! It's always too long between posts, but nothing ever seems worthy of a post. haha, maybe I'm a little too hard on myself and my stories, who knows.

This past weekend, Jared and I went the the Dave Matthews Band concert out at Verizon. It was sooooooo much fun! We went with a lot of great people, so that definitly made it worth it. Tyler (Jared's brother) actually got us the tickets for Jared's birthday in May. So we've been looking forward to it for quite awhile. I have some pictures to share, so enjoy!

When: August 18th, Saturday
Where: Verizon Wireless Music Center
Who: Jared and I, Tyler and his friends Austin, Zack, and some others. Spencer, and his cousin John along with a friend Missy. And somehow we made friends with all of the crazies that we around us.

Tyler and his friend Austin. Austin was trashed before we even got to the concert. He even walked up the guy who takes your ticket in VIP and said, "HEY! I KNOW YOU!!!" the guy was like, "Oh yeah? Do I know you?" and Austin said, "Yeah, you're here everytime I come to a concert! Weren't you here last night? (referring to the Dave concert the night before.) I swear I remember you!" The guy just looked at him, lol. It was so funny, but that's our Austin for us!

Tyler and his friends decided to camp out on Friday and Saturday night at the "Close By" campground. It's literally right around the corner from our house, so it's nice if they need something. It's also nice since we're so close to the Music Center.

A little bit of Dave. He's so pretty too! A taller version of Jeremy Piven... mmmm. lol

These are my boys. Spencer was pulling on Jared's face. I think the smoke was getting to our heads. These are the Hippies! We got to know some of them, they were nice. There was a couple right in front of us that had just gotten married two weeks ago, it was so fun! Jared is making that annoying kissy face that girls have been doing lately. It drives me crazy, so he was trying to get on my nerves. If you ever make this face, remember... it looks stupid!! This is Spencer. He never actually looks at the camera. I was driving him crazy that night, haha. It was so fun to bug him! He brought these girls over, and they were really nice! Brothers! Tyler and Jared just before the concert started. Don't they look alike? That's J's new favorite hat. I can't get him to take it off. Tyler and his friends, Austin, JT & Zack.
Umphrey's McGee, the opener.

Jared and I withe the crazis in the background. This picture turned out really well considering I took it with my camera.
We had so much fun this weekend. Now we need to keep having fun throught the rest of the week. That's the REAL challenge isn't it???? =)