This posting goes out to all shelter operators with computer woes like I
just had.  In our shelter, we have three computers, one in each section,
intake, community room and the sickroom.  They are networked by some of
our volunteers and allow us to multitask when things are hopping here at
the shelter.  we are able to do three adoptions at a time if neccessary
or three of anything at one time if need arises.  We have had days when
we have done 15 surrenders and 15 adoptions in one day!  not to mentiont
he other things the computers are used for.  Making labels , printing
brochures, logging donations and of course surrenders and adoptons to
name a few.
 
Last nite, the main computer went down!  I couldn't reach my webmaster to
find if and where the backups and download dics were.  I was in the middle
of quarterly acoounting catch-up work and getting ready to send out a bunch
of grant proposal packages when this happened.  I was thinking that I had
just lost 5 years of everything we had done here at the shelter.  None of
the other computers wouls work either because allthe info they retrieved
come off the main unit.  I was in shock.  All day today, I was fretting
and stressing about what to do.  I still hadn't been able to reach my
webmaster.  I had to be at the radio studio at 3:30 today for an hour long
radio show about ferrets and was so stressed I wasn't sure I could even
concentrate enough to do the show.
 
We'll, the show went on and during the show, a caller called the studio, (
not on the air) and left a message fort me to call, that he had some good
news for me.  It was one of our benefactors, Can I mention his name BIG?
FRank Wonschik, who does oil and gas exploration and who owns a ferret and
has donated thousands to our shelter was sitting in the parking lot of a
Micro-Center computer store listening to the radio show and had called the
shelter to see if it was me on the radio.  My son told him yes and
something about my being stressed about the computer thing and how I was
probably going to have another heart attck over this crisis.  I guess the
mgr of Micro-Center was already helping Frank with something and came out
in the parking lot to tell frank that his problem was solved.  Frank
apparently ended up having some of the staff from the store out in the
parking lot listening to the show and explained sorta the problem I was
having with my computers.  Meanwhile, I'm at the station wrapping up the
radio show and they started scheming over at the Micro-Center store in
Englewood Colorado.  They had me bring in my fried computer, Donated a
new computer to the shelter that was three time the computer that I had
brought, and had Phil, the tech there take out my hard drive out of the old
computer and put it in the new computer.  He saved all my data, relicensed
it so it could be accessed and they just generally nearly brought tears
to my eyes with their kindness and generousity.  They saved my sanity and
maybe my health with their charity.
 
This posting is a great big thanks for all those folks who dedicate their
skills and resources to support the shelters who save our precious furrkids
and especially today to the guys at the Micro-Center store in Englewood,
Colorado.
 
Hugs to all from the ferretguy
[Posted in FML issue 3002]