If you’d like to volunteer, visit the Forsyth County Animal Shelter at 4065 County Way in Cumming to fill out an application. Information, www.animalshelterinfo@forsythco.com or 678 965-7185.
In an era when both politicians and taxpayers have an aversion to raising taxes, volunteerism has become a key component to providing necessary services while simultaneously helping contain costs.
In Forsyth County, the new animal shelter which opened in August is now in the process of recruiting volunteers to augment the 15 people already helping staff members care for the approximately 2,000 dogs and cats going through the facility each year.
There are any number of tasks that volunteers serve at the shelter, from dog walkers to cat cuddlers, to helping with events around town to show shelter animals and promote the adoption process, or just taking photos for the website to encourage pet adoptions. Shelter staffer Jeanie Curphey recruits and trains volunteers and she says they make a huge difference.
On the day we visited the shelter, we met petite and exuberant Fayha Doja an 18 year old South Forsyth High School senior who is a dog walker and according to Curphey “she never misses!” Fayha arrives at the shelter every day at 4PM on the button and will walk two different dogs each day. Sounds mundane, but her efforts not only provide exercise for the canines but also serves to provide the element of human contact the animals need.
So why does she volunteer? Fayha says, “They deserve some attention and love – it’s really fun too!” As I watched her interact with these dogs that have been turned in by previous owners or found as strays on the loose in the county there is no doubt of her love for animals. In fact, Fayha and her family adopted one of the dogs that had been in the pound for about a year. She renamed her adoptee Dixie and said simply “she deserved a home.”
The shelter staff hopes to recruit and train volunteers in time for the busy season when litters of kittens and pups and adult animals start arriving in large numbers beginning in March. They don’t have a number in mind but say they will take all the volunteers they can get. According to Curphey the requirements for a volunteer are simple, be 18 or older and be someone who loves animals and wants to make a difference.
Of course no visit to a shelter ever ends without a reminder that people need to spay and neuter their pets to curb overpopulation. After all, they say that is part of responsible pet ownership.
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