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This page is dedicated to all the wonderful volunteers that go out every day to make a difference to all of the unwanted pets out their. These are their stories and we thank them for sharing them with us and our visitors. All of these people to us are true Heroes! We encourage ever reader to do what they can to help all the orphaned pets in the world. Please note all of these writing have been contributed by the Authors and they have graciously aloud us to post these. Do not copy them without the express permission of the individual authors.
HOW AND WHY I BECAME A SHELTER VOLUNTEER Debbie Weis 6/14/06
For so many years, I always said that if I ever won the Lotto or was in a position where I didn’t have to work, I would devote my time to homeless pets. On May 11, 2001, we lost our Rusty, our beloved canine companion of 14 ½ years. We were forced to make the most difficult decision of our lives. It was the most devastating experience we’ve ever been through. I’ve never cried so much in my life, and found myself avoiding going home on nights my husband worked. It’s more that five years since he’s gone and I still cry, though much less frequently because I know Rusty is waiting for us at the “Rainbow Bridge” and we WILL be reunited with him one day. We knew we’d have another “furry child” one day, but planned on waiting several months while we go through our grief period. But I heard about a Humane Society adoption event that was to take place at PetsMart in June. I drove down Route 41 fighting with myself about going to the store, but something made me pull into the shopping center. I went into PetsMart with immense guilt—as if betraying Rusty. As I walked past a few aisles and turned at the end, I stopped in my tracks and just stared and this adorable Terrier Mix and fell in love. I visited with him for about 45 minutes. He was so lovable and sweet, I didn’t want to leave him. I thought about him constantly for the next six days. The next Friday I called the shelter to see if he was still there, and he was. I told my husband to be prepared to go to the Humane Society the next day. We arrived at the shelter late morning on June 16th. I had never been to an animal shelter before this. As we walked through the kennels looking for “Lucky” all I could think was that these abandoned pets were in prison—for giving unconditional love to their previous guardians. Finally, in the very last kennel, there stood Lucky, so very calm and quiet. We asked to see him in the play area. I knew I wasn’t leaving the shelter without him. And so the adoption process began. Then “we” became the “lucky” ones. After completing the adoption, we took him shopping to PetsMart. I still tell him he’s my hero; that he made me smile again. I couldn’t stop thinking about these wonderful abandoned pets and knew I had to do something. What did winning the Lotto have to do with anything, anyway? So I went to the shelter and completed my volunteer application, and have been volunteering since Sept./Oct. 2001. Working full-time, I can’t go as often as I’d like, but every little bit helps these pets. Walking the dogs and volunteering at adoption/fundraising events has become the most fulfilling experience of my life. I often wonder why I didn’t become a volunteer sooner. Two years later, I, along with a shelter employee, took four dogs to an adoption event, and I fell in love again with yet another male Terrier mix. So I went home to get Lucky to bring him to the shelter to be sure they’d get along, and yet another adoption process began. Over the years many people have told me that they couldn’t volunteer at the shelter because they’d want to bring all the animals home. I tell them that I want to also, and how I cried during the drive home the first couple times I volunteered. They have to realize you can’t bring them all home, BUT, you can give them love, companionship and help keep them socialized and housebroken by spending a few volunteer hours at the shelter. The more volunteers we have the more adoptable the orphaned pets become. If they still find it too difficult to volunteer working with the pets at the shelter, there are so many other ways to volunteer. This February, my husband found an abandoned Beagle in northwest Cape Coral. We decided to bring her into our home. Lucky and Bailey now have a little sister whom we named Abbey, and we’re one big happy family. Fortunately our work schedules allow me to continue to volunteer while the “kids” are home with Daddy. In my opinion, the only way to bring a pet into your home is adoption/rescue. What a life—I can’t imagine it any other way. Volunteer, become a member, donate money, goods or services. Please do something. Every single one of these orphaned pets deserves it. Mahatma Gahdhi said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” So far, we’ve failed terribly, so let us all join together to make this the greatest nation ever.
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