Should You Volunteer at a Shelter?

When was the last time, or have you EVER visited your local animal shelter? (DEDICATED TO OUR AMAZING FRIENDS WHO ARE STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS OF ANIMAL SHELTERS NATIONWIDE)

How many times have YOU heard or said to a shelter volunteer or employee, "I could never do your job, it would break my heart and I love animals too much" or words to that effect?  Sometimes I just do not understand what is really being said... Does that mean that there is an implication that those who do work, or volunteer to work, at these shelters do not care? Or are you saying you do not have the nerve or strength to do what these wonderful caring devoted people try to accomplish day in and day out? Or does this mean that you just have no idea what they are really doing?  That is what I want to think... That you may not know how many tears they have shed as they are trying to provide some basic care to so many terrified and possibly sick animals. Perhaps you have never tried to keep kennels clean or spent hours on the phone trying to get a rescue to respond to your plea to come take a dog or cat so they do not have to put it to sleep... There are regulations on just how many animals each shelter can keep... Only so much money. They have had to watch as the wrong people came in to get a "new" puppy or dog, knowing all the while that they were not the right ones.  Watching many of the "adopted" dogs land right back in the shelter only a week or a couple of days later...

Many of these shelter volunteers, or employees, can tell you that it sounds like you are saying they have no feelings toward these animals or that they just do not care what happens. OH, you would be so wrong to think this... They want you to know:
"That we also love animals, even though we've taken minimum wage (or no wage) jobs in order to work with homeless animals. For many of us it is our life's work. Our hearts are broken every day."

I have been told that another way to look at this is what if you did not volunteer and neither did they?

Because they think, "I could never do your job, it would break my heart, and I love animals too much."

The question to ask is, IF they do not do this job then who would?  Although now there are many "No-Kill" shelters, many more are not. NO-Kill Shelter means that when the shelter fills, then someone has to decide to euthanize the ones that have been there the longest.

Because there are no homes available....

When we've euthanized the 500th kitten for the month, because there are no homes available, will you take the 501st? Our hearts are completely torn out and we just can't kill one more. You already have enough pets? We understand, we do too. Our cages are over capacity, our foster homes are all full. Do you have a solution?

 The staff and volunteers want your help and support. Won't you help?  If you do not have the heart to come and volunteer, could you help by fostering or adopting? Could you help by donating food, blankets or even money to help them?  They hate the part of their job that requires them to put down an unwanted animal because he is not cute or seems so revealingly shy. Every dog deserves love.

Because some humans are just inhuman....

When I was fostering I would get calls from the volunteers of our local shelter. Often I was able to take owner releases home and to the Vets. Those were the lucky ones which we were able to save and they went on to their forever homes.  One afternoon I received a call and brought home a poor full blooded Boston, covered in tumors that had been dumped on the door of the shelter just as they were closing. Knowing it was too late to help save it, we all knew it would have to be put down. I took her from the hands of crying volunteers, but the poor creature had to stay overnight in the shelter. I was crying the whole time at the justice of it all. Hoping upon hope that there was still a spark of life left, I wanted to let it stay at my home at least for a while, so its last days would see a little human kindness. But, there was nothing but suffering. There was no spark of life left. I knew by the next morning, the kindest thing I could do was return her to the shelter and let them take her to the vet across the street and put her down... May she rest in peace, no longer in the pain and misery she had in life. 

Because TODAY right now....

There is a dog or cat in a shelter employee's arms and there is nowhere on earth for this creature to go. There is no cage space, no foster home and no forever home. Nowhere. It is a heartbreaking feeling.

What would you do?

There are 10 dogs that came in today. We have two open runs. Who has to die? Walking through the kennel, having to choose which ones have no more time is the worst part. It breaks our hearts. If you know of a way to keep them alive and still be fair to the other animals, please tell us. "We've grown so attached -- it's our hearts again you know -- they're breaking into a million pieces this time."
How do you prevent the women who brings in a blind, 10 yr. old peek-a-poo with bad skin and says, "Don't kill her! Find her a good home!"? Oh puhleeeeeeze.

We can't find homes for the healthy 1 year olds; who's going to adopt a 10 year old, unhealthy dog? You? Me neither.

I already have four dogs that were considered unadoptable. Because this owner won't face reality and allow us to euthanize right away, the dog has to spend her last 24 hours on earth in a holding cage, wondering what happened.

But, we held her as often as we could and tried to comfort her, because you can't. It would break your heart. "Wait!" you say, "Someone might want her!" It's quite unlikely that there is someone that wants an elderly dog that needs a few hundred dollars' worth of veterinary care.

OK. You can't work at an animal shelter. Not everyone can. Can you help in other ways? Can you buy us a bag of food when you buy for your own pet? Can you come in and talk to the cats? Walk the dogs?

Could you go to your friend or neighbor and offer to get their pet spayed/neutered?

Tell your friend about us and how we get our hearts broken every day.

Could you trap one of those stray cats in your neighborhood and get it vaccinated and neutered? That will be one more free-roaming cat that's out of the reproduction loop.

Maybe you could send a small check to say "Thank you". Anything at all would help.

I know you mean well. I know you mean to say "I couldn't work here because my own emotions get in the way of doing what has to be done for the animals, thank you for doing it."