Volunteer Work

[Just_Kris]

I have a very soft spot for puppies & kitties & doggies & cats, etc. and I would love to volunteer in some capacity benefiting critters. I have adopted 2 cats and a dog from local shelters, but it absolutely broke my heart to see all the other animals that were quite likely going to be put down because they were unloved and unwanted. So, I don't know exactly how or if I would be able to volunteer at a shelter without trying to bring the entire shelter home with me! I do contribute monetarily as I'm able. Any recommendations or other ideas? :nigel:

[animallover7249]

Wanting to bring the whole shelter home just shows you care! :)
You can't not help the problem because it's hard to look. Volunteering does a lot of good! Maybe you could try it out a few times and see how it goes?

[Jinga]

I used to be the same way. Fortunately, I found a great rescue organization in my city that is no-kill. I volunteer at their two shelters every week and walk dogs. Every so often I'll also volunteer to help with an event. If you don't have no-kill shelters in your area, you could also look into other rescue organizations. You could be a full-time foster parent, temp foster, help with adoption events at places like Petsmart and be a dog/cat handler, do fundraising for the group, help with a group's website, answer e-mails/ phone calls, etc. etc. I'm not sure where you live, but if it happened to be near St. Louis, MO I could help you out. Someone here could probably direct you to some great rescue groups in your area.

[healingpaws]

If you don't have no-kill shelters in your area, you could also look into other rescue organizations. You could be a full-time foster parent, temp foster, help with adoption events at places like Petsmart and be a dog/cat handler, do fundraising for the group, help with a group's website, answer e-mails/ phone calls, etc. etc.
took the words right outta my mouth.

[Lyric]

I always said then one day when I can, I was going to have an animal adoption, No-kill center, until I get there, I do what I can at no-kills.

[LovelyPerv]

Just playing with the dogs and cats is a GREAT way to stimulate them!

I worked at a shelter, and a lot of the volunteers would anny us to no end...but the ones that really did the most good were the ones who brought toys, treats, catnip, and a leash to just play with and walk the pets...esp the not-so-cute ones that had been there a long time. Other we liked were ones that would just show up out of the blue with a bottle of bleach-water and a wrag...and just disinfected random items to keep the diseases under control. One woman would come and wash the dog blankets for us...because we didn't have enough people and the dirties would pile up.

If there's no no-kill shelter...and you really want to try and make a difference at one that euthanizes... REMEMBER how we as a culture are used to 'buying' things are are packaged up all nice and neat for us. A dog is not going to get adopted if there is a turd stuck to his face. You can save lives by brushing and cleaning them up.

Also, a trick we used for dogs that were less than desireable (due to boring black color, ugly face, scars, etc...) was to put cute things on them, or in their cages. Get some teddy-bears at GoodWill to put in with the caged cats and kittens. Put bandanas on some of these dogs.

True story:

There was a solid black puppy that was there for weeks, but wasn't getting adopted. Then, a litter of tiny little white pups, and a litter of tiny little spotted pups showed up. Well, people (for some reason) don't like adopting black dogs. It's not a superstition, it's just our ideas of what's cute and beautiful. Anyways, we thought this puppy was going to be stuck with us through adulthood... THEN, a volunteer heard about the pup, went to her car, and got a pink baby-doll's skirt from her car. It was a perfect fit, and was SO cute!!!!! Within an hour, we had families fighting over that puppy.

Not all dogs like clothing. If the dog acts or looks uncomfortable, take it off. There were three adult dogs that we'd put t-shirts on, and they got a LOT of attention because of it!

[Earthling]

I know exactly what you mean. I volunteer at a reptile rescue centre and have a mental fight with myself every time I go there to stop myself adopting another snake or lizard. When my best friend volunteered at a cat sanctuary, even though it was even me, I still ended up adopting another cat from them! It is hard to say no - I knew a volunteer at another cat place whose house was over-run with them. The problem was she wanted every cat that she took a shine to, to the extent that she'd tell people they weren't up for adoption to stop them taking it instead. Decide, before you go, if you do or do not have the capacity to take a new pet. Write it all down in a yes and no list and take that with you. You have to be absolutely firm with your decision when you start, whether it's "no, I absolutely don't have the room/money/time for a dog" or "I have room for one, but I cannot be persuaded to take two or more and I have to choose the one that's right for me, not the one they most want to get rid of". Make sure all your reasons for your decision have been logically laid out and STICK TO IT!

If you really, really want to take one home - put that energy into convincing the visitors that THEY want to take it home. Volunteers with enthusiasm and energy are immensely valuable.

[Just_Kris]

I was browsing the website for the shelter in my community. They do not have a "time limit" for healthy adoptable animals, but they do euthanize sick or behaviorally inappropriate animals. So, I guess they are not a no-kill shelter, but it would be serving both my community and my animal friends.