Tuesday, June 18, 2019

The song of my people

My passengers had it turned up to 11 today. The. entire. ride.


This crew wins my "Noisiest Transport" award to date. Kitten shrieks, cat yeowls, dog brays. High frequency whining, low frequency moaning. Mews, warbles, barking. I was treated to 6hrs of the mis-matched harmonies of the confined-animal-chorus. 
"HEY LADY!!!"

Occasionally, my passengers can be placated with soothing music or banal talk radio, but not this crew! Other restless passengers will quiet down if the radio is off, but not this crew! They were beside themselves, and would not be consoled!


"Please just let me outta here!"
It's obviously challenging to concentrate on driving with such a cacophony assaulting your ear drums, but what ends up being more distracting for me is the tug-of-war on my heart! These poor darlins just hated their trip! Plus, one of my petite passengers was in critical condition. I had her in the front seat so I could watch her for any issues.

She'd go from yelling at me...
...to laying flat out and breathing shallowly.





















First stop - Humane Society of Greater Savannah. Sickly girl, 2 cats, and the one pup got off here. Look how relieved this dog is to no longer be in motion!

So happy to be done travelling!
Then it was off to Palmetto Animal League to deliver the 3 other kittens! Sometimes, on these multi-leg trips when one group of noisemakers gets out, they no longer "feed" on each other as a self-perpetuating sound machine, allowing the remaining passengers to settle in quietly for the remainder of their ride. Not this crew! Though, I sort of suspected that the serenade would continue as the lead singer was one of these 3 kittens (see 1st photo).

After handing these cuties off to PAL staff, I returned to my car and decided to revel in the silence for the ride home and kept the radio off. A physical ease came over me and I was able to clear my mind during the trip. It's amazing the impact a stimulus like crying animals has on your psyche. 

Now that I've been home, my cortisol levels are likely restored, and I'm ready to do it again!🔊🚫👂💗

The transport: Savannah, GA > Jesup, GA > Savannah, GA > Ridgeland, SC > Savannah, GA
The mileage: ~200 
The passengers: 4 kittens, 2 cats, 1 dog
The destination: local shelters and foster homes

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1 comment:

  1. When we evacuated last year my two girls did not stop whining ... ALL the way to Columbia! It’s very trying on the soul!

    ReplyDelete

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