I’ve been considering volunteering with the local Human Shelter as a dog walker, and was wondering if anyone would care to share their experiences in volunteering with an animal shelter.
Why did you do it initially? Do you still volunteer? What was the best part/worse part about volunteering? What didn’t you expect? Would you do it again? Why or why not?
I’ve also been cosidering getting a dog–I had one as a kid when I was growing up, but it’s been about 20+ years since I’ve had a dog around. I’ve lost some of that ease that comes with being comfortable around dogs, and would like to gain it back enough to be able to pick out a dog and be a successful dog owner. I figure this would be a good way to do that, plus help out the Humane Society by walking the dogs and getting them socialized. Plus, I might be in a position to not only become more familiar with the dogs, but possibly have first dibs on a dog of my own.
Sound like A Plan? A Good Plan?
Me! Pick me!
I was a volunteer at the Humane Society in Madison, WI while in college, except I socialized the cats instead of walking the dogs (I’m more of a cat person). All-in-all, it was an excellent experience.
They asked me to volunteer for an hour a week, which was easy (sometimes I spent more than that, sometimes I was only able to give the hour). They give you a tour and show you all the areas of the shelter, and (at my location) were very up front with the fact that while they wish they could take and help all animals, sometimes they couldn’t. If an animal was too injured or too feral to be socialized and adopted, they would put the animal down, with regrets. They stressed that it was important for me to know that, in case I had any difficulties with their policy (which I didn’t - it’s a sad fact, one that I wish wasn’t the case, but at least they help the animals they can).
When I came in, I’d go back and select a cat, then take them to the play/socialization area. Sometimes I’d spend the whole hour with them, but I generally tried to socialize with at least two cats per session. I’d try to pick a wide variety of cats to play with so that no one got too lonely. There seemed to be a good amount of turnover - many times a cat I played with one week would be gone the next. When one was gone, I always assumed it was because he or she was adopted - I never asked about a cat’s fate.
The hardest part was putting them back in their cages when I had to go (or when it was time to pick another). I hate the idea of cages and how lonely and sterile the cages looked, even with the blankets, towels, and toys that everyone put in there to keep the cats occupied. That made me sad every time. But I liked to think that I helped, at least a little.
I think your plan is an excellent one, although I have no ideas about their policies concerning volunteers adopting animals (my apartment didn’t allow pets, so it was a moot point for me). And besides, who can resist the fuzzies?
Enjoy - I think you’ll find it rewarding.
I have been volunteering at a cat shelter for 4 years. I initially did it because I was doing cat rescue/TNR and wanted to find a resource where I could bring kittens that I had socialized. I figured if I were a regular volunteer somewhere, it would be much easier to get kittens placed (and I was right).
The best part is playing with the kittens and cats. Especially the kittens - it is impossible to be depressed or in a bad mood when you are lying on a floor with 18 kittens crawling on you, crawling up your shirt, nuzzling your neck - some are rolling around, some plop down on your tummy and go to sleep, some play on your head. It is a great stress-reliever. It is also very satisfying to have a litter of feral kittens brought in and to work with them until that moment when they suddenly realize you’re not going to hurt them. You can almost see it in their eyes and that’s the turning point to being tame. Then a few weeks later they are purry balls of fluff and you know all that work was worth it.
The worst part is seeing the adult cats that stay for long periods of time because nobody wants to adopt them. My shelter is limited-access (no-kill) so I don’t have to deal with cats being PTS, thankfully. (We do PTS when they are sick or dying; just not to make room for new arrivals.) It’s also very depressing and disheartening to hear some of the reasons people give for giving up their cats; and to see some that come in who were not treated well, or the ones who were dumped or deliberately put in a position where the human must have known they would probably die a slow painful death (e.g., being left in a Dumpster in July).
I would imagine you would get “dibs” on new arrivals at your shelter. We have volunteers adopt all the time and at least at my shelter, we don’t charge them the adoption fee. So they get a fully vetted cat or kitten for free.
I don’t plan on stopping volunteering. It has been very rewarding for me.
During a hiatus between jobs I volunteered at a local pet shelter to walk dogs. I love dogs, but was not in a situation where I could own one. So I thought this would be the next best thing, and aside from being a good thing to do, would be a good way to get some exercise (clearly underestimated that aspect).
This was a keep-as-long-as-there-was-space situation, and so they tended to be full almost all the time. It was kind of bittersweet to see some of the dogs week after week. On the one hand, you got familiar with them, and they started to recognize you (or so it seemed). But on the other hand, you felt bad that these great dogs weren’t being picked for whatever reason, and you wondered if their time would come up (once space became an issue, they would euthanize the ones who had stayed the longest).
It was a great experience and I would do it again if I could spare the time. As the shelter only “operated” volunteers during work hours, any normal job wouldn’t allow the time.
Some tips if you do decide to do this (and I would highly recommend it). These tips were learned the hard way, so please benefit from my experience:
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In only VERY rare circumstances can you take out more than one dog at a time. The dogs may not get along, and almost certainly they will tie you into a knot with the leash. You will spend more time avoiding tripping than you would to the walking.
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When I started, I didn’t consider just how many dogs I’d need to take out (see rule #1), and didn’t allocate my time accordingly. So I would have very uneven, unfair walks depending on the number of dogs. By the second week, I would actually count the number of dogs, and divide that number into my 90 minute time slot. It seemed kind of “structured”, but that was the only way to be sure every dog got some time outside.
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BIG TIP: When taking a dog out, run/sprint for the first 20 or 30 seconds of the walk. The dogs are couped up all day, and they are so excited 1) to have some attention and 2) to be taken for a walk, they have all this pent up energy. So I found that if you sprint it out of them, the rest of the walk can be much more relaxed (otherwise you’ll have to deal with them straining at the leash throughout the entire walk).
Puppies were, as you’d expect, the most fun. Too clueless to be taken on a leash, I would simply take them to this big enclosed pen and just run around. They would get plenty of exercise.
It was a very rewarding experience. And after a couple weeks, I figured I was in about the best shape of my life (90 full minutes of serious cardio, twice a week, complete with wind sprints). Yes, it’s depressing to hear about how many of the dogs ended up there. But when you see how much they enjoy your time with them (let’s face it, dogs don’t conceal their feelings much), you figure you’re at least providing some attention/happiness for them. And you’re also getting them accustomed to other people, so that they’ll be all that much more adoptable.