Service Reflection

Thus far with my service experience working at the Humane Society, I can honestly say it is something I have come to love and look forward to. Whenever catching up with family or friends, when talking about what's new in our lives I always mention volunteering at the Humane Society as something new and exciting for me. With everything from one of the dogs, Slug (what a name right?) finally being adopted after spending months at the shelter to realizing just how much of an impact one can have with something as simply as walking and playing with dogs, this service opportunity has been nothing but amazing for me. Although there is some challenges, I know they are also a good learning opportunity. For example, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post, with about any volunteering experience, it's easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of help that is needed or work that needs to be done in a certain area, and the subsequent feeling that you wish you could do it all, but knowing you can't. For me specifically, when I first started volunteering, I had this feeling quite a bit, with knowing that I could only walk so many dogs and give them the much-needed outside time in my time at the shelter. I know that there are some dogs that may not even get to go outside every day, and this did (and still does) make me sad and feel a bit hopeless. However, I've realized you need to rather focus on the impact you are having on your service. For me, I am giving dogs the opportunity to play, and giving them the attention and love they deserve. What people don't realize is that if dogs are not let outside to play, they develop a serious mental condition in which they get too used to being in a kennel, and they lose the urge/desire to be outside, engage with people, etc. When this happens, the dog becomes unadoptable, and the shelter has to put the dog down. So it is indeed a much-needed need for the people to come engage with the dogs and let them be dogs, and play outside, etc. I have also realized just how much of an impact Humane Society can have-not only is it merely a place for homeless animals to stay, and give another chance at living with a happy family, but also a place where dogs and cats get needed vaccinations, spayed/neutered, among other things. It really is a safe haven for animals that have nowhere else to go, and without animal shelters like the Humane Society, the world would be a much scarier and desperate place for animals who are lost or do not have a home.