Volunteering at an Animal Shelter
Millions of homeless and abandoned animals across the country enter an animal shelter, or humane society, each year. Many of these shelters struggle to raise enough funding to increase capacity and staff to provide a safe place for the overflow of animals coming in. Therefore, due to the rapidly growing number of homeless animals, many shelters resort to euthanasia and other means of dealing with the overflow of cats and dogs in the area.
A wonderful, and much needed resource for the shelter is the volunteer- the volunteer assists the shelter in daily office tasks, such as copying, helping with advertising, answering telephones, and sometimes giving tours of the facility. These people are often animal lovers and enthusiasts, who enjoy spending free time walking the dogs and playing with the puppies and kittens.
Other duties may include bathing dogs for adoption events, preparing adoption packets for soon to be adopted animals, and even planning special fund raising events, such as a doggie fashion show or a charity auction. Often, a volunteer will come to the shelter and just spend time with the animals. There are usually a wide array of toys that a person volunteering can use with an animal that they are working with while at the shelter. Many volunteers are given a t-shirt or have the opportunity to purchase a shirt that sets them apart from the potential adoptive families. This enables other people to identify a volunteer if they have a question, or need assistance in seeing a particular animal that is possibly in a kennel.
Volunteers play a major role in the adoption process, as they are constantly out in the kennels and walking area. This is where they have the chance to talk with potential adoptive families, and tell them about their personal experience regarding the various animals in the shelter.
Volunteering at an animal shelter can be a unique, interesting, and fulfilling experience. A person can learn a lot regarding the different breeds of dog and cats, temperaments, behaviors, and how to care for an animal. As a volunteer, it is possible to meet people with similar interests and create the foundation to a friendship that can last a lifetime.
At the end of the day, it feels wonderful to return home and know that a difference is being made by the efforts of a few volunteers working together towards the same goal. Volunteering at an animal shelter, or humane society, is a rewarding experience, especially when a volunteer can see one of the animals that they have worked with go to a loving, "fur-ever" home.
