October's Volunteer of the Month

Larry

Over the summer, Larry could often be seen with our lovable lug Hercules. I think Larry was drawn to Hercules due to the dog's resemblance to his mythological namesake - powerful and with a good heart, but always managing to get in his own way.

In any case, Hercules is in a good home now and Larry has moved on to new challenges. He is a frequent dog walker, and as you can see in the picture he has been taking Bella to BAD RAP class. He also helps make sure that all of our dogs are posted on the adoption websites, and prints out and posts kennel cards. Larry and his wife have a new puppy at home, who is probably a little easier to handle than Hercules!

Thanks for all of your help Larry!

What do you do when you're not at the shelter?

I retired from full-time community college teaching in 2003; sometime in 2006 I stopped my part-time teaching, and spent my time reconnecting with old friends, hanging out with my dog, reading and running errands. I still do those things, but now I'm trying to help our new puppy master the concepts of housetraining.

Why did you initially decide to volunteer at BACS?

I had planned to volunteer several months before I actually applied, when it was clear that Nora, our wonderful and terrible Giant Schnauzer, would lose her battle with cancer. After we lost Nora, we were not ready for a new dog, but I NEEDED to spend time with dogs.

What are your favorite things about volunteering?

The dogs, of course. Just being around them lifts my mood. When I work with a dog, and begin to understand her (or him) and build some mutual trust, I feel like I'm doing something good and satisfying. Even when there are setbacks.

One of the great things about being a volunteer is I don't have to do anything I don't want to. Some of the things I do as a volunteer, I would probably complain bitterly about if it were my job.

I really enjoy working with the other volunteers, and the staff, because we all share a common desire to care for the animals and help them find a good and permanent home.

Who are your favorite dogs, past and present?

My favorite has to be Hercules. It took us several weeks to develop a routine that worked for us, and to figure each other out, with a lot of bumps along the way. He also changed my attitude towards Pit Bulls. I also really liked working with Azul. My favorites now are Radar, --an Almost Perfect Dog-- whom I've only worked with a few times, and Bella, who's very much like Hercules (except she weighs 30 pounds instead of 75).