Volunteering: Fur Babies

     Helping others has always been a passion of mine, and it is a big part of why I want to become a doctor in the future. I grew up in a family that believed that as long as you are helping someone else, you can never be broke. Showing God’s love and grace to others is the reason that we were put on this earth, and I fully intend to use my life to glorify Him and witness to others through service. For me, this ideal encompasses more than just working with people. That is why for this first semester, I decided to spend my volunteer time at the local animal shelter.

I spent time there working with the animals and the others on staff there. I was able to walk the dogs, play with cats, care for them, etc. Having the opportunity to witness their attitudes completely change after being shown love was eye opening. There are so many animals that are taken to animal shelters everyday simply because the owners could not care for them properly or because they became too big for the owner to handle. Everyone wants a puppy and when they grow and lose their puppy-like ways, many times they end up in an animal shelter to stay in a cage and long for someone to want to take care of them again. Seeing how many animals are there without a family absolutely breaks my heart. From the sad, forlorn faces that brighten up the moment you pay the slightest bit of attention to them, to the quiet ones who sit in the back of their cage and do not even try to catch your attention, the pain behind their forever loving eyes is always so evident. They are like people; they just want to be loved.

I feel so blessed that I was able to spend my time with them and show them compassion and care, even if it was just for a little while, and I will definitely be going back every chance I can. Volunteering at the animal shelter has taught me so much, and I feel that I can now see how important it is to protect animals. There are so many animals that are being over-bred so that the breeders can make money from the babies, and that is putting more and more in the shelters. My hope is that by bringing awareness to and working with shelter animals, more people will choose adoption over purchasing. I would adopt every single one of them if I could, and I want to continue doing everything I can to help them find their forever families.