So, last week I turned in an application to volunteer at the Whatcom Humane Society. I'm applying to be a dog walker, though the position is technically called a TLC volunteer.
I'd never been to the humane society before, or, indeed, to any shelter. I was afraid that I'd see a bunch of scared and shivering dogs, animals that been abused and neglected. What I found was somewhat more baffling.
The building was pretty basic, and a bit smaller than I expected. It was clean, but not impressive. I dropped my application at the front desk, then asked if I could visit the dogs. They said sure, so I went in.
There were about eight dogs there, and, though one was kind of sad/shy, the rest were doing a kind of audition. They were friendly and perky, and pushed up to the front of their cages. Some immediately sat, to show how well trained they were. Some—a pair of smooth coat collies—had more slender snouts, and they stuck their noses out of the cages to lick the air in greeting.
They were vibrating in welcome. I petted one or two, then skipped out to visit the cats. They were more standoffish, but a couple of them were crazy friendly: rolling and rubbing, purring, etc. I petted one's paws, and he reached out and petted my finger with his paws. Run away!
I stopped at the front desk to ask a few details about volunteering, such as how long I was allowed to take the dogs out for a walk. One woman said, "Well, we close at 6 PM, so you've got to have them back by then. Before that, though, you can take them as long as you want—all day."It's like a dog buffet. I had to run before I adopted them all. All seemed nice, friendly, and ready as hell to get out of their kennels.
Greg
2 comments:
Our local shelter coordinator told me that stray dogs do very well in the environment, because it's actually a step up from their normal experiences. It's pets who've been surrendered who have the most problems adjusting.
I've always adopted Humane Society dogs. They're so grateful.
One of my neighbors is a foster for the Humane Society. I'd thought about doing that, but it's a huge commitment--not just having them in your home, but she's expected to train them, evaluate them, etc. Bless her. She walks whatever dogs she's fostering several times a day, and I think that way she's managed to place several dogs right in our neighborhood! Heck, there've been a couple I'd have been happy to have, if we didn't already have two.
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