A Home Away From Home

“The shelter is my second home and one of my favorite places in the world. The shelter is a place I go to care for my family. These animals are a part of me. Some have gone through horrific experiences and still have so much love to give. They teach me that no matter what you go through in life it will get better and you should not be bitter about the past but look forward to the future.

Some people come into the shelter and ask me how I can do this? Isn't it so sad? My answer to them is, no, I laugh, I cuddle, I celebrate, I care. We have saved these animals and they are getting the best care that many have ever gotten their entire lives. We love them, what is sad about that? When one of my friends gets adopted I am sad, but know that they will have a family, a house, a yard, and be given more attention than they have ever gotten their entire life.”

Stefanie LaBorda, staff member/volunteer

My Best Friend

“I’ve never really understood the quote ‘Dogs are a man’s best friend’ until I walked Roper. In a way, I found a best friend.”

Chelsea Smith, dog walking volunteer

Changing a Life

“Sometimes people ask me how I can handle the "sadness" of the shelter. The way I choose to look at it is this: I may not be able to take home every dog, but what I can do is make their lives a little bit better, even if just 20 or 30 minutes of their day. I am so glad to be able to help in some small way.”

Gretchen Ocilka – dog walking volunteer

Be the Change You Want to See

“I think Gandhi said it best when he said "Be the change you wish to see in the world."  If I want to make a difference and change how people treat animals it starts with me, and I truly feel as if I can make a difference at Animal Protectors.”

James Darling – cat care volunteer

Making a Difference

“On Thanksgiving morning my wife yelled for me to rush downstairs. When I got there I found my long time friend and companion, Parker, having a severe seizure. Unfortunately, the seizure lasted several minutes and we could not break it. There had been too much damage done and sadly we had to have him put to rest.

I had been feeling the loss of Parker for several months, in addition to some marital problems, and I needed someone to help me through the tough times that were sure to lie ahead. At this point, I began looking for a new pet. I checked all the local shelters and could not find any dogs that jumped out saying “Here I am,” until I saw Jerle, now known as Coolhand. Right away I knew he was the one.

The moment I saw him I instantly fell in love. Upon a meet with Jerle, the dog walker stated that a lot of the dogs, especially the ones labeled in the red, or difficult to walk category, didn’t get out much every day. He said they could use a few big strong guys to help with the bigger dogs. I had wanted to give back and it was on my list of things to do, so I signed up for orientation and have been volunteering here ever since.

I get joy out of seeing the dogs get all excited to play and interact, plus I like to work with them on training them to be better dogs. The dogs at Animal Protectors helped get me through some rough times in my life and now I want to pay them back. I help with everything from maintenance to laundry, dog walking, and anything else that is asked of me. There are great employees and volunteers alike, the board has the best intentions for the animals and go above and beyond to do what they can for the animals.

People I talk to about volunteering say they couldn’t because they would want to take them all home, but that’s not the case with most. The animals are well cared for, have a routine, and just getting them out to play or walk gives them joy. I plan on adopting another soon."

Sam Butera – dog walker/maintenance volunteer

My shelter buddies

“Regarding volunteering, the animals at Animal Protectors feel like mine too in a way. I get attached to them, refer to them as my "shelter buddies" or "babies" and miss them when I can't be there for a few days. I love cuddling with the dogs and cats alike and making them happy and relieving any stress they feel, just like they do for me. I'm happy when they get a home, but I also miss seeing them too.”

Robin Davidson – dog walker/cat care volunteer