January's Volunteer of the Month

Sasha

Sasha brings her whole family to volunteer at BACS - proving what a great family activity volunteering can be. She's also "ze ar-TEEST" behind the wonderful portraits of adopted BACS dogs.

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

I work as a full-time online media artist in Emeryville. I love to spend my spare time with my family – in fact, sometimes all four of us (my husband, 2 kids and myself) visit BACS animals. My kids enjoy the time they spend there, my daughter recently told me that she want to be a veterinarian and help abandoned dogs and cats. I do some occasional volunteer work at my kids’ school, as well. Among my interests are travel, reading, oriental cultures, foreign languages, dog training, digital art, fostering dogs for some rescue organization, singing, Japanese animation, skiing... and many, many more.

Why did you initially decide to volunteer at BACS?

A bit over a year ago I’ve started looking for a dog that would get along well with our cat (adopted from Martinez Animal Shelter). I never had a dog in my life, by the way. Since the Berkeley shelter was the closest to my work, it was the first one I visited. I spent there about 30 minutes and walked away with the schedule of classes for prospect volunteers.

What are your favorite things about volunteering?

Seeing “Adopted” mark next to the dog or cat photo at BACS Facebook page!

It still amazes me, how our love and attention turn shy, fearful or hard-to-control animals into wonderful companions.

I learn a lot from animals and people at BACS. In fact, when I first got there I did not even know how to put a harness on a dog. I am still having a hard time with that, but getting better, I hope!

Who are your favorite dogs, past and present?

My favorite one was, is and always will be Leonard, Chihuahua and some small terrier mix, the first one I walked. He was the main reason why I came to shelter five times a week for the three months that he was there.

Sasha's portrait of Leonard



Thus a bond that cannot be broken easily was created, I am truly attached to this place now! I still tend to spend more time with smaller dogs that you can could hold in your arms or on your lap. Vinnie, Geoffrey, Raven, Quigley, Hollis, Marla, Herman, Zack, Shirley – what a year! Out of bigger ones my favorite are Godiva, Blake, Sweet Pea and Prudence.

Sasha's portrait of Godiva

The BACS Blog Interview: Cola and Oreo

These litter mates have spent too much of their young lives at BACS. But they are both friendly, fun, attentive dogs which means that they get lots of walks from volunteers. The BACS blog was lucky to corral them long enough to get an interview.

BACS Blog: Now that I’ve got you both in front of me, I have to admit that it is really hard to tell you two apart.

Cola: Well, I’m Cola.



Oreo: And I’m Oreo.



BB: Thanks, that was really super-helpful.

Cola: In my opinion, the easy way to tell us apart is that one of us is just a little bit cuter than the other

Oreo: But Cola won’t tell me which one it is

Cola: Keep thinking about it.

BB: All right, we’re not trying to start any sibling rivalries today. Surely there must be a way to tell you apart.

Oreo: Well, Rachana takes me to BAD RAP class.


Cola: And Shannon takes me. So that’s a good way to tell who is who.



BB: BAD RAP class? You guys are pretty young for that, aren’t you? I didn’t think it was for puppies.

Cola: Who you calling a puppy? We’re coming up pretty mature. Just look at Oreo in class last week. Pretty good, huh?



BB: Not bad, Oreo.

Oreo: Well it looks easy, but doing a good down-stay with all those other dogs around is really hard for a friendly guy like me.

BB: Looks like you guys are coming right along.

Cola: We’re getting there. We really are different dogs. People think we’re exactly alike because we’re litter mates, but we’re actually a lot different.

BB: Really? What is your favorite food?

Cola: Kibble

Oreo: I’d also have to go with kibble.

BB: Favorite drinks?

Cola: I like water.

Oreo: LOVE water!



BB: Favorite dog at the shelter?

Cola: Oreo.

Oreo: Probably Cola.

BB: Guys, this is some really insightful stuff.

Oreo: Well, we’re still young! We haven’t seen too much of the outside world yet.

BB: What’s the holdup for getting into a home?

Cola: We’ve been wondering about that ourselves. I think it was those Simpsons puppies a few months ago. Remember Mr. Burns, Marge, and the rest of that litter? That was a lot of puppies up for adoption. They probably temporarily fulfilled the puppy demand. We’re hoping to catch the post-Christmas wave.



Oreo: Yeah, we're not giving up. Did you hear that we were made an appearance at Sports Basement in Walnut Creek last weekend? Looking good and representing the shelter!



BB: Well good luck guys, I’m sure something will work out soon for you.

Cola: Spread the word!

December's Volunteer of the Month

Kate

Heading back over to the cat room this month. Thanks to Kate for bringing some Christmas cheer to the felines!

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

I'm currently involved in painting, drawing, mosaics,and jewelry making. I travel a lot, and I'm a Broadway buff, so I always enjoy going to New York to see a few shows. I also enjoy movies, and right now I'm really into everything from classic films to the Twilight series. And of course, I have my foster kittens and two cats of my own-Cathy (10) and Zorro (5). They take up a lot of time as well!

Why did you initially decide to volunteer at BACS?

I had spent about two years fostering kittens for the Martinez animal shelter, but then I decided I wanted to be a cat socializer and work with more adult cats. I tried looking at a few different shelters in my area and when I came to BACS, I got such a warm welcome, so I decided to stay and have enjoyed volunteering ever since.

What are your favorite things about volunteering?

I love seeing a really shy cat come out of its shell with the help of a volunteer,and I love knowing that sometimes I can be a part of that process too. I also love helping people find a perfect cat for them to bring into their family.And finally, I love how the volunteers at BACS are drawn together by their love of animals and sense of team spirit.

Who are your favorite cats, past and present?

Chris, Dewdrop, Ms. White, Delilah, Igloo and Icicle, Ms. Grey, Frieda (Oyster),Zack, Baby Cakes, Minerva

Chris



Dewdrop



Delilah

November's Volunteer of the Month

Mona

Who comes to the shelter almost every day, doesn't complain about a thing, works tirelessly with nearly every dog, and never has a spat with anyone? We all know who. It's everyone's favorite Rottie - the lovely Mona. Thanks for being such a great helper Mona!

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

I would say that my primary activity (if you can call it that) is sleeping. After a long day of volunteering, I really need to get my beauty sleep. Nobody looks this good by accident. I also like to eat breakfast and dinner. Throw in some peeing and pooping, and I call that a full day.

Why did you initially decide to volunteer at BACS?

The main goal was to get out of Amelia’s house for a few hours a day. Do you know how many dogs live there? It’s just plain crazy. I like dogs as much as the next dog, but sometimes I need a break.

So I thought I'd give the shelter a try. There are still a lot of dogs of course, but it's fun to see all the new faces. And the people are always so nice to me too. I don't even mind the cats.



What are your favorite things about volunteering?

There are so many great things about the shelter. First of all, I love all the staff. They really know how to treat a dog right. And it’s fun to say hi to all the volunteers. But without a doubt my favorite part about volunteering is all the extra treats I get. It seems like everyone wants to give me a little snack. I know Amelia wants to limit my treat intake, but I’m here to tell everybody to ignore her. If you think I’m getting pudgy just throw me into the play area with Joey for awhile. I'll sit, look cute, whatever you want. As long as the treat winds up in my stomach, I'm game.

Who are your favorite dogs, past and present?

Number one would definitely be Shifty. He would really be mad at me if I didn’t say that. I used to think I knew what I was doing in life, but thank goodness Shifty has come along to show me how to improve. Howard and I were great friends too. He’d go along with any crazy idea I came up with. I’m so glad he went off to a good home.

Among the current shelter dogs, I love Galloway. He's fun to wrestle with in the play area. We just made a video together, not sure if you saw it. Dozer and Joey are also good pals of mine. But I'm OK with pretty much any dog. Just look at the crew I have to deal with!

BAD RAP class videos

Here are a couple of videos my lovely wife shot at class today. What you can't see in the videos is that we had a bunch of shelter representatives from the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators on hand to observe. SAWA is having a conference in San Francisco this week, and without a doubt the highlight for them will be a visit to BAD RAP class to watch our BACS dogs show their stuff. A few of the visitors are visible in the background, but there were at least 100 people on hand. Just watch our dogs ham it up!

We're working on our "downs" here.

You can see Mari and Leroy showing off their "roll over".

DeAnna brought Pluto for his first class, he's showing a lot of potential.

Jupiter is a little too enthusiastic, but he's learning quickly and I'll have him in shape in no time.

Joey is pulling his usual trick of not going "down" for Linda unless he is 100% sure that he will get a treat for it.

Anne and Fancy, Christina and Ruger, Andy and Dozer, Shelley and Molly, and David and Faline are also on display.

See if you recognize former BACS puppy Kale, now full-grown and named Daddy-O. His adopter Lisa has been bringing him every week.

BAD RAP Action

Lots of dogs and handlers are doing good work at class, let's take roll call:

DeAnna gives some personal instruction to Ethan.



Faline does a perfect "down" for David.



Molly and Shelley have the hang of it too.



Dozer does a not-as-perfect "down" for Andy. Dozer likes to take a bit of creative license when following commands!



Jill and Bagel take a break.



Caroline has turned Galloway into a rising class star.



See you next week Anne and Fancy!



I had Jupiter this week. What a fun guy he is! He needs some work but this was only his first class. He had a great time.



Godiva, Joey, Leroy, and Blue are also class regulars. Stop by anytime to watch your favorite dogs in action! And you can see some former BACS dogs whose adopters continue to bring them to class. 11:30 - 12:30 on Sundays in the parking lot right next to the shelter.