On the second day of my Volunteer Odyssey, I prepared for puppy overload at the Humane Society.
I love adorable pets. As far back as I can remember during my time at the station, the Friday Noon newscast was always a favorite. The Pet of the Week segment never failed to make me smile.
I had asked about the Humane Society’s volunteer program a couple of times, but was always afraid I’d fall in love with every dog I met and want to take them all home. I thought it would be depressing to see the animals in cages and heartbreaking to walk them, play with them, get to know them, and then have to go home alone. That wasn’t how today turned out at all.
The afternoon began with a tour of the facility. It’s fancy. I can remember being at the old location on Central a few years ago and leaving unimpressed. The relatively new digs out on Farm Road are roomy and clean. None of the dogs look unhappy or neglected. The best thing – the number of “adoption pending” signs attached to a large number of kennels.
Every animal accepted by HSMSC stays there until adopted – another reason the place is awesome. I know I haven’t said much about the cats. I am, after all, a dog person. There are many, many cats. At any time you can find around 200 dogs and 170 cats at the Humane Society. Sorry cat lovers, I didn’t take any kitty pics.
After my tour, I stuffed some envelopes and made some toys. You can donate old socks and plastic water bottles to be turned into chew toys. Who knew?
Making dog toys from old socks and empty water bottles
You can also save your newspapers and donate them to line kennels. If you’re already a curbside recycler, why not consider donating?
Vito
And now – the best part of the day – Puppy Time. They’re not really puppies. In fact, some of them are getting up there in age. To me, all dogs are puppies (pronounced PUP-PAYS, with no exceptions). I was asked to collect info on the dogs for their bios on the Humane Society’s website. I then took the dogs out for playtime with some other volunteers. It’s a joyous thing to see the dogs running and playing. They love it and it made me happy to see them smiling and bounding around.
Jay
Volunteer Pete with Zircon
Sweet Mattie
Burnadette
This day really opened my eyes. Volunteering with these sweeties isn’t depressing. It’s up-lifting. Sure, these guys are looking for a forever home, but because of the efforts of the great employees there and a string of volunteers, the animals are well cared for. They’re happy to spend some time running around and playing with me. And I was more than happy to spend a few hours with them.
I’m searching for a job where I can transition from working in news to using my skills in PR, Social Media, and Marketing.  If you know of a great fit, please send it my way: jennallmon@gmail.com
—————————————————————————————————————————————
If you like our work, please consider making a contribution to keep it going!
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Want the insider story and more pictures? Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!
—————————————————————————————————————————————