February's Volunteer of the Month

Asia

HOW/WHY I started volunteering:
I started volunteering at the shelter a little over a year ago (Dec 2008 to be exact). Ever since I was a child, I've felt a strong connection with animals. I remember begging my parents birthday after birthday for a dog to love and to care for, but because my mom has asthma, we couldn't get one. As I got older, I realized there were ways to help animals that did not involve living with one - and thus began my journey at BACS.

My favorite thing about volunteering:

There are so many things I love about volunteering at BACS, but the one thing that stands out the most (and the reason I keep going) is the dogs. I love walking down the aisle and seeing each of their little noses pop up against the fences and the way their bodies wiggle when I scratch them through the kennel fence.

When I'm not volunteering:

The shelter is one of my favorite places to be, but when I'm not volunteering, I'm probably at school, at some type of sports practice (I do cross country and swimming) or spending time with my family.

Favorite dogs?

There are many dogs that I love seeing every time I visit the shelter. Usually they're the ones whose happiness is infectious, the ones with big googly eyes and wagging tails that look like they might fling off at any moment. Among the many is Sox. Sox, from kennel 19, was very scared when she initially arrived at the shelter. Despite a warm blanket to lay down on and caring volunteers who visited her, Sox shook with fear and resorted to growling and the occasional snapping. The only time she would allow a hand to go near her was when it was giving her a treat. One evening, I sat outside her kennel for an hour, just talking to her and giving her treats. After a week, she began to warm up to me and to finally show her wiggly puppy side. Although she can be hard to work with at times, she has still come a far way from how she was before and I think that is why she means so much to me.