Founded in 1999 by Corinne Dowling, Give a Dog a Bone (GADAB) pioneered the practice of providing enrichment services for shelter dogs. Give a Dog a Bone’s original goal was simply to relieve the isolation, boredom, stress, and suffering of dogs in enforced custody and medical isolation – a population of dogs hitherto not served through the regular dog volunteer program at San Francisco Animal Care and Control (ACC), an open admissions municipal shelter. GADAB’s mission has since evolved to improving the lives of all shelter dogs through our model enrichment program.
Improving Quality of Life
Volunteers are the lynchpin of the program, providing a wide range of daily care and enrichment services to these underserved dogs. Without our volunteers, the dogs would sit in their kennels day in and day out, with no way to engage with a wider world or satisfy normal canine needs. Thanks to GADAB volunteers, these dogs are now exercised off leash in our shelter yard and given treats, training, toys, and affection. Volunteers provide outlets for enjoyable canine behaviors such as sniffing, running, playing, retrieving, canine “puzzle solving,” and simple companionship.
Even dogs identified as “vicious and dangerous,” and consequently never allowed out of their kennels, are served by GADAB volunteers. They receive attention, treats, and training; enjoy food puzzles and chewies designed to reduce boredom and stress; and are given outlets for natural canine needs.
All of these activities help keep custody and medical-isolation dogs mentally, physically and emotionally healthy in an environment that would otherwise lead to severe deterioration. Not only does the program provide a better and more humane quality of life – a worthy goal in its own right – it also enhances the dog’s adoptability during the time it takes to settle their cases.
GADAB volunteers lovingly serve these dogs without regard to their individual situations – which can range from owner hardship or incarceration, to neglect or outright abuse, to being deemed vicious and/or dangerous.
Working Hand-in-Paw with ACC
The work of GADAB volunteers also benefits ACC as a whole, since most shelters are chronically under-resourced. The shelter staff has its hands full providing critical daily services such as cleaning, feeding, and veterinary care. In an environment where there is always too much to do and never enough time to get it all done, GADAB volunteers augment and extend the animal welfare work of the shelter, which makes life easier for shelter staff.
In the words of a former SF/ACC animal care attendant speaking about GADAB’s impact on shelter life, “If the animal’s stress level is lower, then our stress level is going to be lower, because they are just so much easier to handle. They’re happier, easier to deal with, and quieter.”
Deepening the Program
Last but not least, GADAB is blessed to have volunteers that continually add value to the program itself by championing new ideas, pioneering new activities, and bringing their own individual talents to bear in creative and meaningful ways. For example, volunteers have:
Taught us how to incorporate agility training into the program, buying supplies from hardware stores out of their own pockets and teaching us how to build agility equipment inexpensively.
Devised innovative methods for working with dogs too dangerous to be touched or let out of their kennels, developing ways to bring stimulation, learning, and enrichment to these dogs.
Contributed behaviorist-level skill and insight to the program, elevating the training and behavior modification possibilities for all the dogs.
In addition to providing direct daily enrichment services, volunteers donate their talents as writers, editors, web and graphic designers, toy refurbishers, makers of craft items, event organizers, strategic consultants, and much more.
Determined to Make a Difference
GADAB would not exist, much less thrive, without the hard work and incredible dedication of our volunteers. Every single volunteer has enhanced our dogs’ quality of life and helped to improve the program.
Instead of turning away from the noise, smell, stress, and inherent frustration and heartbreak in a shelter environment, GADAB volunteers respond with compassion, affection, and presence. We owe them everything and are deeply grateful for their presence and perseverance, for their discipline and enormous heart.
Over the program’s 13 years of existence, the lives of over 3,600 shelter dogs have been personally touched by our volunteers. Simultaneously, the euthanasia rate for this population of dogs has dropped by 30% – a direct result of volunteer passion and plain hard work.
Take the Leap!
Our volunteers are special, it’s true – the work they do is heavy on the intensity scale and may not be right for everyone. But the desire to help and the will to act for the benefit of animals is all it takes for anyone to join the ranks of shelter and rescue volunteers across the Bay Area, in a myriad of capacities.
Do you have behaviorist and training skills? Are you a savvy accountant, a good fundraiser, or a creative event planner? Can you write grants, design web sites, or help set up a computer system? Or do you just love dogs and want to work with them hnds-on?
Animal rescues and shelters need all this help and more. We invite you to join the ranks of local volunteers who care about animal welfare and are committed to making a positive difference for dogs. I guarantee that you will be welcomed and valued!
Steph Gleason is Executive Director of Give a Dog a Bone (GADAB). As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, GADAB relies on the generous support of doglovers. Your donation is 100% tax deductible. Learn more at gadab.org.
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Main article photo by: Courtesy GADAB
