This week's post is a guest blog from Kaitlyn Anderson, HSBV Development Associate
I’ve been with the Humane Society for almost five
years. During that time, I’ve been through a whole range of emotions – I’ve
cried with clients who’ve had to separate from their beloved pets, I’ve been
elated when my favorite dog from the adoption center goes home, I’ve been
thrilled by the results of our latest fundraising campaign and I’ve been
satisfied that the work I’m doing makes a difference in the lives of homeless
animals. But I’ve never experienced any emotions quite like what I’ve been
experiencing lately.
The ASPCA $100K Challenge has motivated our staff and
volunteers to another level. We feel exhilarated. We feel innovative. We feel
invincible. All of our creative juices are flowing, and we’re making changes to
programs and practices that had us stuck in a rut. It’s incredible.
My favorite part of this whole process has been the
development of our Street Team. Our Street Team is a group of volunteers who
literally hit the streets in our community and spread the word about the
challenge and the many benefits of adopting a shelter pet. We encourage the
people we meet to either 1. adopt a pet or 2. adopt a pet project. A pet
project could be as simple as passing on a coupon to a friend looking for a pet
or posting the link for your favorite animal available for adoption to your
Facebook page or Twitter account. We’ve hit festivals, farmers’ markets,
Pearl
Street and this weekend we’re heading to Mesa
Trailhead in South Boulder to host a “doggie
rest stop!”
Lindsay Scott, a member of our Development and Community Relations Team, loves the Street Team because we get to see the adoption experience come
full circle. Many times we see brand-new excited guardians leave the shelter
with their newly adopted pets, and we always wonder how their relationship has
developed. For example, last weekend we met a dog that Lindsay thought looked
strikingly familiar. When she and her guardian approached our booth, we learned
that she was indeed Willow, one of Lindsay’s favorite dogs!
Willow spent
time in our dog adoption center and after being adopted was returned. Lindsay
was out of the shelter when Willow was adopted the second time, and she
always wondered where this amazing dog had ended up. Willow is now a certified Animal-Assisted Therapy dog and
is serving at Platte Valley
Hospital with her guardian.
It was evident that Willow and her guardian are devoted to one
another. She and her guardian were simply beaming! This is the kind of “happy
ending” that we have been privileged to see while we’re out with the Street
Team. The Street Team is more than an outreach program – it’s an affirmation
that what we do every day really promotes healthy relationships between pets and
people.
If you’d like to get involved, sign up on our meetup
site [hyperlink: http://www.meetup.com/HSBV-Adopt-a-Pet-Project-Street-Team/
] or email Kaitlyn.Anderson@boulderhumane.org
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