I have had amazing experience that have taught me much more just by volunteering at this shelter.
At the shelter, what I mainly do is work with the rabbits and occasionally, with hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. There is an overload of rabbits at this shelter so I do my best to give them my care and attention when I am available to volunteer. What I, as a volunteer, can do for these animals listed, is give them food and water, clean their cages, and let them exercise outside of the cages. If all of that has already been done, I do my best to keep them company and comfort them. It ranges from petting individuals, to talking to them to try to keep their spirits up, to just attempting to sing and/or hum when I am just cleaning the area and no one is coming in and out. I am not sure if it does much effect to them, but I do the best I can to make their lives a little better. Apart from those animals, I enjoy visiting the cats as well. They get quite a few visitors, but when there is no one, I try to keep them company and play with the playful little kittens. Now the dogs, I am not yet approved to take them out, but I usually take at least one round around all the kennels every time I am there. Some dogs may just get passed without being acknowledged, so I try to give at least a little of attention to every dog to try and comfort their stay and loneliness. I very much want to work with animals in the future, so I believe this is a great chance to experience what it is like working with animals. |