When I met my future wife Tammy, who volunteered on weekends at a local shelter, I wasn’t aware that so many companion animals were homeless. Since I had left the Air Force, I felt as if there was no longer a driving purpose in my life, and that I was missing that sense of serving something bigger than myself, which I had in the military. That is, until the day I stopped by the shelter to see Tammy, and realized how much I could accomplish by volunteering.
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Volunteering at a shelter isn’t all about playing with puppies and kittens – although that is a nice side benefit! All of the animals there – some young, some old, some well, some in need of medical care – need attention. Walks, playtime, feeding, cleaning up after, socialization, and sometimes just quietly being with them. Some of the time, I would be messy (and perhaps smelly) by the end of my volunteer shift. But I’ve always felt as though I’ve accomplished something – that I helped them, and that I had made a difference in their lives. One of the biggest rewards, to me, is when a dog or cat that I had gotten to know was adopted. I was a bit sad that I would no longer see them, but also thrilled (and proud) that they had found their forever home – that they had “graduated” from the shelter!

As we said in a previous Staff Chat, shelters can be overwhelmed during kitten season, and need trusted volunteers to help ease the load. So after a couple years of my volunteering (and getting a lot more knowledge!), Tammy and I started fostering litters of kittens from the shelter. Some litters came with the mother cat, but most did not. As Tammy is an RVT, she and I were entrusted with the more challenging litters – such as neonate kittens who needed bottle fed every four hours, and kittens who were ill and would need medicine and special care. It’s an incredible sense of responsibility, to take care of a kitten who truly can do nothing for themselves – but it’s also been one of the most rewarding parts of fostering.

I’m assuming, since you’re reading our Staff Chat, that you have an interest in animals. If you haven’t already, give some thought to helping your local shelter in some way. Every shelter I’ve been involved with could always use more help – it could be by volunteering your time, helping to foster cats or dogs, or donating supplies. The rewards, at least for me, far outweigh the time I’ve invested as a volunteer.