Companion and service animals contribute so much to the quality of our lives that many of us celebrate their gifts by volunteering.

A person who volunteers gives from the center of her or his heart to make others´ lives better. Volunteers freely give ideas, talents, skills, smiles, encouragement, tears, and time.

So many volunteers have amazing stories, each enough to flex your heart muscles. Each person has a different story; each volunteers for a different reason. So we´ve included three stories about North Bay volunteers we hope will inspire you to exercise your heart.

FETCH also profiles four animal welfare service organizations and three that train assistance dogs, just a few of the many nonprofit organizations that need volunteer assistance in the North Bay.

We could only include a small fraction of the organizations and volunteer opportunties that exist in our community. Our intention here was to inspire you to think about how you can get involved; so if you are inspired, remember there are many more organizations that need you. Some of them are listed on the back page of FETCH.

Take a look. Maybe you will be enticed to volunteer yourself. After all, there must be more than one household chore you would love to skip, which would save just enough time for you to feed your soul!

It´s a tough job, but…

The Assistance Dog Institute (ADI), located in Santa Rosa, is a nonprofit educational center offering an A.S. degree and, beginning this month, a Masters Degree in either Assistance Dog Education or the Human-Canine Life Sciences. The Institute describes its mission as "helping dogs help people." Jorjan Powers, Community and Public Relations Director, reports that volunteers work with her to find the best way to apply their special skills and talents at ADI. "One volunteer who started in our Puppy Petters Club is a wood carver. This volunteer provides hand-carved items for sale to benefit the organization."

How you can help:

Consider ADI´s Puppy Petter´s Club. Volunteers first take an orientation class, then come to pet and help socialize future service dogs whenever they like, as little or as often as suits them, even on Saturdays. Kindergarten-age children and older can come, making "Puppy Petters" a potential family activity. Parents might use this program to show children the responsibilities of owning a pet, thus increasing the chances of a long-lasting relationship with a future adopted pet.

Call Jorjan Powers at 707-545-Dogs (3647), or visit www.assistancedog.org.

Green, yellow, blue!

This year is the 99th anniversary of the Marin Humane Society´s (MHS) founding. Organized to provide a wide variety of educational programs and opportunities for volunteers, "MHS could not do without the 650 volunteers who augment the staff in providing service to the community and its companion animals," says Director of Public Relations Sheri Cardo.

Named "Best Place to Volunteer in Marin" by the Pacific Sun, MHS provides refuge and rehabilitation to nearly 8,000 animals each year. Volunteers make a one-year commitment of two to four hours per week. An orientation session introduces prospective volunteers to services, philosophy, and current volunteer opportunities.

MHS places a premium on volunteer retention by offering a program of progressive responsibility. Many volunteers start as Dog Pet Pals. Through hands-on experience and optional education seminars, volunteers progress to more demanding assignments.

Dog Pet Pals, for example, start with the easily manageable or "green" dogs. With experience, volunteers move to "yellow" then "blue" dogs who provide more challenges. Volunteers can graduate to become behavior volunteers, evaluating animals for adoption, or assisting in behavior consultations.

MHS offers a new program, Pen Pals of San Quentin, which is open to seasoned volunteers. San Quentin inmates become foster parents for dogs currently not adoptable due to medical conditions or socialization needs. MHS Pet Pals volunteers work with prisoners and their dogs twice a week.

How you can help:

MHS is looking for volunteers to be Dog and Cat Pet Pals. Pet Pals exercise, socialize, train, and cuddle dogs and cats. Also, the SHARE (Special Human Animal RElationship) Program volunteers participate in Pet Meals on Wheels, helping the elderly or ailing with pet care, the Pet Reading Program, and Pet Therapy Programs.

Student volunteers 14 years and older may earn community service credits. Children ages 10 to 13 can become involved in volunteer work on a supervised basis.

Call Jerry Levin, Volunteer Coordinator at (415) 883-4621 ext. 266 to pre-register for a volunteer orientation program or visit www.marinhumanesociety.org.

A place for everyone

"Now is a unique time to become involved with Napa Humane Society (NHS)," says Executive Director, Jane Winston. "We´re renovating our spay-neuter program, expanding our services and rededicating ourselves to our mission of saving the lives of homeless animals in Napa County."

Winston comments that the Society cannot achieve the vision of a Napa County where every companion animal is a wanted animal without many volunteers making contributions. Not only is Winston respectful and appreciative of the work of long-time volunteers, but she sees a need for a core of new volunteers to build on the work already done. "There´s a place for everyone here," she says. "Every contribution is significant."

How you can help:

NHS is looking for drivers and "dog pals." Volunteers take the mobile adoption unit out, introduce the animals to the public and talk about pet adoption. If you´d rather stay in one place, the spay/neuter clinic is looking for volunteers help by greeting clients and discussing pre- and post-operative care for animals and, with training, preparing clinic rooms and instruments.

Call 707-224-7211 or visit www.napahumane.org.

Go team, go!

Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) trains and provides assistance dogs for teaming with disabled persons. Volunteer Coordinator Elisa Baker says, "We have exceptional dogs for exceptional people."

Longtime volunteer Emily Williams reports that CCI started in Santa Rosa in 1975 and runs on private donations and the labor of 3,000 volunteers. Williams thinks that one reason so many people love volunteering at CCI is that staff members provide lots of positive feedback to them. In addition, volunteers love the reward of helping someone in need through handling dogs. "The dogs are miraculous tools," says Williams, "but helping people is what this organization is about, and I´m a people person."

Williams describes CCI students as people with pretty severe disabilities striving to live independently. She was surprised to learn that many students arrive without dog-handling skills or even familiarity with dogs. CCI matches dogs with students who, through intense training, gain the key dog-handling skills and learn standards of responsibility.

In exchange, CCI provides them with highly-trained dogs for only a small application fee. Anyone with needs can apply for a CCI dog.

Professionals who run CCI are determined to raise the quality continually of their assistance dogs. Volunteers participate in this effort. For example, Williams serves on the Breeder-Caretaker Council and the Research Committee. CCI initiates a follow-up at least once a year with graduates. Graduates can also receive continued education through seminars, hands-on practice, and telephone assistance.

CCI prepares and trains four types of dogs: service, skilled companion, hearing, and facility dogs. Service dogs work with adults who are physically and mentally capable of taking responsibility for and giving the appropriate commands to dogs.

Skilled companion dogs are part of a three-member team: a facilitator who knows all the commands, the person in need of an assistance dog, and of course the assistance dog herself.

Hearing dogs alert companions to doorbells, telephones, or a crying child, for example. They don´t pull chairs or open doors like service dogs do.

Facility dogs become part of organizations that help people with physical therapy, assist the disabled, or provide opportunities for the autistic. Organizations using facility dogs include extended care facilities, hospices, public defenders offices, and physical therapy clinics.

CCI´s next Volunteer Orientation is Tuesday, September 6, at 4 p.m. For additional information or to register for the orientation contact Elisa Baker, Volunteer Coordinator at (707) 577-1838 or visit www.caninecompanions.org.

Time for a walk?

Having cared for homeless, neglected, and abused companion animals for over 70 years, the Humane Society of Sonoma County (HSSC) also needs new volunteers. Volunteers can choose a job that requires animal handling or a job that does not.

How you can help:

HSSC believes the work dog walkers do with shelter dogs is a main reason adopted dogs stay adopted. Accordingly, dog walkers are the backbone of the shelter volunteer network. You as a walker not only walk shelter dogs but train them as well, all while personally learning new skills. You´ll receive professional dog training instruction that helps you meet three of a dog´s basic needs: socialization, exercise and training. Volunteer training includes orientation and lessons about the special needs of shelter dogs.

Contact Susan Holzer, Volunteer Coordinator at (707) 542-0882, ext. 218 or visit www.sonomahumane.org.

Open your heart, open your home

Pets Lifeline (PL) provides services in Sonoma Valley for stray and abandoned animals and offers community education programs on responsible animal guardianship. PL works hard to ensure volunteers and clients have good experiences. "Bringing a dog up to standard for adoption is a lot of work, and volunteers are essential to this process," says Susan Simons, executive director. Dog handlers start with unmanageable dogs and work with them until they have basic manners and walk well on leash.

"This year," Simons says, "the number of dog training and handling volunteers has grown. Most volunteers feel they get as much as they give."

Simons emphasizes that spay-neuter programs, including feral cat trapping, interrupts the cycle of unwanted animals. PL needs sponsors to underwrite the monthly cost of the spay-neuter van.

Bad animal behavior is the single largest cause of animal surrender to shelters. The end goal of behavioral counseling programs is to reduce animal surrender. The means to this end are correcting problem behavior and educating pet owners about how to expect and get positive pet behavior. In order to free up trained staff needed to implement these programs, PL needs volunteers, especially those interested in offering foster care.

How you can help:

PL´s main needs right now are for kitten foster homes and foster care for puppies and dogs with short-term illnesses. "Fostering kittens in homes increases their chances for adoption and eases the strain on ‘in shelter’ resources," says Simons.

Contact Susan Simons at (707) 996-4577 or visit www.petslifeline.org online.

 

Join the Guide Dog family

Guide Dogs for the Blind (GD) functions as a well-oiled machine with the support of more than 500 volunteers on two campuses.

"Volunteers are a very special component of the Guide Dog program, says Aerial Gilbert, Director of Volunteers. "Providing strong support to our staff, volunteers are part of our family." Volunteers fill sixty-five roles at the school, ranging from assisting in the accounting department to the working in the kennel. Volunteers can also work from home as breeding stock custodians or puppy raisers.

Prospective volunteers attend an orientation. GD then matches you with an appropriate job and schedule. Campus volunteers must be at least 16 and commit to 88 hours and one year of service.

California campus orientations will be held on September 3 and November 12 (reservations required). The orientation includes a brief overview of the GD program, a discussion of current volunteer opportunities, and a campus tour. Volunteers attend a Guide Dog graduation ceremony afterwards.

Contact Jennifer Bernstein-Lewis at 415-492-4106 or visit www.guidedogs.com.