You have to be a special kind of person to volunteer in a humane society shelter.

Sometimes I think I would like to do this – especially to walk the dogs. At other times, I don’t know if I could cope with the sadness. I would feel so sorry for the dogs that waited day after day to get adopted. Or worse, those that needed to be euthanized.

I wonder if the fun of being around the cute dogs would outweigh the sad aspects. Or if the knowledge that I was brightening the dogs’ day would be enough to help me go on volunteering.

Here is the story of one person who volunteered.

For a few years, I volunteered as a dog walker at my local humane society. For two hours a week, through the cold of Michigan winters and in the even more dreadful heat and humidity of summer, in rain and over slippery rain-slick or ice-slick ground, I walked as many dogs as I could. We were supposed to spend one-half hour with each dog, but if I did that, many dogs would have no chance that day to get out of their kennels to relieve themselves, to be away for just a few minutes from the grey concrete walls and the noise of the other dogs. So most days it was a new dog every 15 to 10 minutes. Read more…

Food for thought.

Have you ever volunteered at a shelter? What were your experiences?

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