I love my daily walks and hugs!

Potential adopters may not like to see a big dog jump and bark at them. And they do not like the little dogs to snap at them. However, after several attempts at rewarding a sitting dog, the dogs learn to sit and maybe just beg to come home with the potential adopter. Also, rewarding the dogs to sit relaxes the dog and hence gives the dog a chance at a forever home.

Another way volunteers help the animals at BVHS is that they give the homeless pets a second chance at love. Some of the birds, cats and dogs and even the rabbits may come to the BVHS after abuse, neglect, injuries, and even after wondering the streets hungry, wet, and cold. Some dogs or cats are so skinny or matted or may have gun-shot wounds or a broken leg.

I was saved with love and kindness!

So, the volunteers give these animals the attention with a biscuit and maybe even a warm lap to sit on so that the animals feel safe and loved. Some of these animals never experienced this kind of love or attention before, but after a volunteer visits several times, the dog, cat, rabbit, or guinea pig starts to become more socialized by actually learning to like humans and their touch, voice, and companionship. Volunteers offer not just biscuits and training, but the love that comes in a package filled with kisses, hugs, and even an "I love you" whispered in their ear. The animals here at BVHS know they are cared for far beyond just shelter, food, and water, but also with attention, love and devotion to ensure that each and every animal adjusts positively to the transitions of finding a loving and protective forever home.

I love toys & lap time!

Also, volunteers’ training, love, and attention to the animals make it possible to give these soulful creatures a chance to love a person and create a better life for both of them. In Gary Kowalski’s The Souls of Animals, he says " love is the noblest expression of our humanity; it is also one of the bonds that links us with living creatures. Love is a form of symbiosis: the joining of separate organisms in the service of a greater life." ( New World Library, 1991, p. 94). Basically, volunteers give people and these homeless animals a chance at a better life.

Volunteers at BVHS train, love, and enrich the lives of these animals and they also enrich the lives of the people who welcome these soulful creatures into their homes. What better service is there?

To learn more about volunteering at the BV humane Society or to sign up for a Volunteer Orientation Please contact Paul Coddington 707.645.7905 ext 104.