For the Love of Dogs MCPAWS Volunteers are on the Giving AND Receiving End of Unconditional Love By April Thomas Whitney
Dogs. They bring so much joy to our lives. But not every dog has a loving family to call their own. The McCall community is fortunate to have a pro-active, no-kill shelter with paid staff dedicated to finding homes for stray and surrendered pets. Last year alone, the MCPAWS Regional Animal Shelter found adoptive families for an impressive 462 pets. A successful adoption program is not just about posting cute pictures of the animals. Shelter staff is dedicated to working with each animal – no matter their quirks or background – to give them the best chance of finding a forever home. It’s a big responsibility, and shelter managers will tell you a lot of the credit for that success goes to a small but dedicated group of volunteers. Having volunteers come in and walk the dogs, or even help with dog laundry, makes a big difference, according to assistant shelter manager, Ashley Malone. “Not only does it give us time to work with another dog, it gives that dog that they’re walking an opportunity to meet a new person, or go for a walk and have that sort of enrichment.” Socializing is key to keeping the dogs calm and also help the shelter staff judge the best type of adoptive family for each dog. “Sometimes we have volunteers who have younger kids and sometimes they’re walking some dogs then we know those dogs are great with kids and we get that question a lot,” adds Malone. Those who volunteer to foster shelter dogs take that socialization to the next level. Fosters help the shelter staff determine how a dog will behave and react in a home 52
Chris Sinclair, MCPAWS Volunteer
