Saving the lives of dogs is not a glamorous job. There are no fat paychecks or retirement plans, no corner offices with top-of-the-world views. The people who rescue canines from desperate circumstances do so because they love dogs and feel driven to do this work.
They are all ages and come from all backgrounds. Some are educated to work with dogs, some have no idea where to start but simply follow their hearts. The people who share their feelings below are heros of the dog world. Countless more compassionate people have similar stories to tell, but more volunteers are needed daily to provide for the needs of abandoned, neglected, abused, and forgotten dogs. We hope you will be moved to join the ranks and will contact your local shelter or rescue group to offer your skills, your time, and mostly your love.
Kathy Doyle
Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation
www.arf.net
Seven years ago I was looking for a place where I could make a difference in the life of animals, and found Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF). I was overwhelmed with the different volunteer jobs available and decided to start out as a greeter, assisting visitors to the facility. Soon I was involved in mopping floors, cleaning adoption condos, working special events, training new volunteers, and providing dog care, including taking dogs on potty walks and teaching people with disabilities to socialize the dogs. The best thing about volunteering at ARF is watching dogs that come in shy or neglected transform into happy, trusting animals as staff and volunteers work with them, and then seeing those dogs adopted into loving forever homes.
Tamie McGranahan
Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS)
www.pawssf.org
PAWS is an amazing organization to volunteer with if, like me, you just don’t have the strong heart and mind that it often takes to volunteer at a shelter facility. PAWS provides for the needs of the companion animals of low-income persons in situations when they wouldn’t otherwise be able to keep and care for their pets. As a volunteer, I have been walking an Akita mix named Riyah, once a week, for the past 6.5 years and have enjoyed every step we have taken together. Not only am I helping a wonderful client keep his four-footed friend, who provides much needed friendship and emotional support, but since I am unable to care for an animal companion of my own at this time in my life, I’ve gained a furry friend as well!
Kate Singleton
A Leg Up Rescue
www.aleguprescue.org
I am a volunteer with A Leg Up Rescue and one of the main things I do for the group is foster dogs. A Leg Up Rescue has volunteers in San Francisco, The Peninsula, and the North Bay. Our group is called on to help with small dogs and right now with the crisis of Chihuahuas and Chi-mixes at the shelter; most of our dogs are just that. We have many volunteers but too often have to turn down amazing dogs because we just do not have the space. Many of the dogs we take in have special needs, as well. Just this year, we have had four, yes FOUR, two-legged chis. We have taken in dogs abandoned by owners due to medical costs, dogs left alone in foreclosed properties, dogs who were “strays” and never claimed at the shelter. All are just wonderful and ready to give lots of love and lots of kisses to someone.
Nancy Weiler
The Marin Humane Society
www.marinhumanesociety.org
I started volunteering at the Marin Humane Society 10 years ago because I wanted to get more involved in my community. I’ve always loved animals, and since there are so many in shelters that need our help I knew it was the right place for me. I started with something simple – walking dogs – and immediately realized that I had just made a huge difference in that dog’s life. All I had to do was look at him – he was so happy! And so was I. How could something so easy be so rewarding? I wanted more!
I now mentor new dog walkers, help facilitate the shelter’s Adoption Outpost program, and assist with dog behavior evaluations. I am inspired every day by my fellow volunteers, all of whom find time in their busy lives to contribute in some way. I’ve made many new friends and enjoy being part of a group of people who, no matter what else they do, are all committed to the same thing – improving the lives of animals and helping them find new and loving homes. For me, nothing is more fulfilling than seeing a dog leave the shelter with his new family and knowing that I helped make it happen. And yes, I still get tears in my eyes!
Mary Jackson
Humane Society Silicon Valley
www.hssv.org
About 2 years ago, our Model ‘A’ Ford Club picked Humane Society Silicon Valley for our monthly tour. My first reaction was, I can’t go to a Humane Society, I love animals too much! Well, that lasted about two minutes! I was so impressed with the facility and staff and with the love and care the animals were receiving from the volunteers. Within months, I was volunteering and have been ever since. I am a Dog Socializer, walker, and “belly scratcher.” There is nothing like the greeting you get when you open the door into the dog’s room. It can make your day! All the volunteers are animal people and we share our joy when one of our temporary friends finds his or her forever home.
Christine Barnett
San Francisco Animal Care & Control “Give a Dog a Bone” Program
www.gadab.com
I made my first call to SF/ACC to learn about volunteering four or five years ago. Something just pushed me toward helping homeless animals. My mentor Erik spotted something in me and recruited me to the Custody Dog Area behind the locked green door, where I met Corinne Dowling and learned about Give a Dog a Bone, a special program for dogs often seen as the worst of the worst for one reason or another. My heart opened and I stepped into grace – I’ve never looked back.
No matter what situation brings a dog to SF/ACC, we are there for them. We treat them with respect, teach them manners, socialize them, heal their wounds, and find them new homes whenever possible. Mostly we love them. While working with these shelter dogs is very difficult, I will never stop this work. Nothing in my life has given me as much joy as teaching a dog to play… an adult dog that has never known a kind hand or been given a toy. Almost weekly I am brought to tears when I see a dog being a dog for the first time, because she knows it’s okay, she is safe now.
Rhonda Roberson
Muttville Senior Dog Rescue
www.muttville.org
I have been walking dogs for Muttville for about a year and a half. The fact that these are senior dogs has an extra pull for me. I started volunteering about six months before I had to put my 18-year-old dog down. She was a willful and cantankerous Akita mix. Volunteering at Muttville helped me grieve her a little less. I look forward to getting lost in the stories of these dogs each week. People tell me they couldn’t volunteer at a rescue because they would find it depressing. I feel just the opposite. Often the reason they are there is because the situation they were in was much worse. They are fortunate to have landed at Muttville.
Carole Goldstein
Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority
www.svaca.com
I grew up in a rural area where unwanted pets were often dumped in the country and several wonderful dogs and cats found their way to our home. Many years later I visited an animal shelter and was broken-hearted to see so many animals in need of homes. I always wanted to do something to help. Over the years I’ve volunteered at a city shelter, a rural dog sanctuary, and now at SVACA where my role is to socialize dogs and cats. If I can make each visit a good experience for the animals, if I can break through to a shy dog or cat, or find that one special toy that makes a dog jump for joy or a cat play with glee, then the rewards to me are beyond measure.
Hisaho and Erika Blair
East Bay SPCA
www.eastbayspca.org
My 13-year-old daughter Erika and I have been volunteering at the East Bay SPCA in Dublin since 2008. Erika has always loved animals and couldn’t wait for the day she became old enough to volunteer at the shelter. We are canine companions, which means we help socialize and walk the dogs while they await their permanent homes. Our Wednesday evening shifts are the highlight of Erika’s week, but it’s not always about playing with the cutest puppies. We also pick up after the dogs and help keep the habitats clean and presentable. It’s been a great way for Erika to learn to put the needs of others first. Whether it’s socializing or cleaning, we try to help make the dogs’ stay at the shelter a little happier and more comfortable. We receive lots of love in return, and it makes our day to see one get adopted into his/her new home!
Catherine Godlewski
BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible about Pit Bulls)
www.badrap.org
As a member of BAD RAP’s Barn Crew, I work regularly with the barn residents: pit bulls who have either been pulled from local shelters or rescued from out of state. Whether it’s helping a dog gain confidence, brushing up on his basic manners, channelling his drive into a sport or work, or teaching him to appropriately interact with other dogs, look to his person as the leader – or perhaps all of the above – each crew member contributes to the overall plan for each dog and his success. It’s certainly more though than just a learning experience for the dogs; each dog provides a new learning experience for me as well, helping me become a more confident and capable handler and, thereby, better prepared to help the next dog. Volunteering as a Barn Crew member provides many opportunities to help individual dogs, but because these dogs are Pit Bulls, the Barn Crew also contributes to changing public perception about the breed as a whole. Each time I walk a well-behaved Pit Bull in the neighborhood, talk about a Pit Bull who loves nose work, watch another leave with his new family as an ambassador for the breed, I know I am helping to change attitudes, one dog at a time.
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