Volunteers—We Couldn’t Do It Without You!

Volunteers are the backbone of SPCA of Texas. The number of pets whose lives we make better and those we help stay with their loving families would not be what they are without our devoted volunteers. That’s why, each month, SPCA of Texas does its best to choose one “Volunteer of the Month,” which is a challenging task since all our volunteers are so special.

We have three outstanding volunteers or volunteer groups that received this honor in the first quarter of 2023.

Winter’s chill never stopped our January Volunteer of the Month comprising a group of outstanding students from The Notre Dame School of Dallas. These young people spend three mornings a week working at SPCA of Texas as a job site through the school’s Vocational Department, under the direction of teacher Tamra Dohman.

“I’ve been bringing students to the SPCA of Texas for six years,” Dohman said. “The students are especially fond of working with the animals, so this is a pretty popular job site each year.”

Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, four Notre Dame seniors work cleaning the dog pod windows in the Adoption area. They also spend time with pups in the play yard and in the meet and greet rooms. The work they do is essential for the welfare of our animals to enhance their socialization and health in the shelter. At other times, these students help with laundry and wash animal food dishes.

The students recently noted that they really love animals, and their favorite dog is Fonzi, a beautiful dog who is deaf and one of our long-time residents; that they feel good about volunteering because they are helping the animals find a home. This is especially true with Fonzi, since, thanks to his good socialization skills, he is in a wonderful foster home, and ready for adoption.

SPCA of Texas is proud to help the Notre Dame students practice skills for future jobs, but they all agree “it’s more fun than work because we’re surrounded by cute dogs!” And the students are proud of the work they do because “We see our animals that have found their forever homes by people giving them a chance to shine!”

Our February Volunteer of the Month, Jeremiah Ellison, finds volunteering gives him “a feeling of accomplishment from being able to see improvement in animals’ behavior to happiness when they get adopted.”

After lots of research, Jeremiah chose to volunteer his time with SPCA of Texas after hearing so many good things about the organization, and because he’s been fond of animals all his life. Since volunteering, he became especially fond of Sheba, a beautiful Dutch shepherd that he interacted with quite a bit in January. “She’s very playful, goofy, cuddly, and loves attention,” he smiled. “I think she’d be an ideal dog for someone that is looking for a good snuggle buddy and lifelong companion.”

Jeremiah finds volunteering at the SPCA of Texas to be “a very fulfilling experience that gives him a variety of interactions with different animals and their personalities. And the staff and other volunteers are very helpful and kind.”

Although Jeremiah enjoys every minute of volunteering, one of his favorite experiences was helping with a mobile vaccine event. “It was very fulfilling to participate in an event that helped so many animals!” he said.

Jeremiah’s work with our pets has made a difference in so many of their lives, and he realizes how important that is. “I’ve seen behavioral changes in dogs that are heartwarming and exciting,” he said. “It’s always nice to see updates on the dog board to learn that dogs like Draco, Leah and Big John are now in homes where they’re loved and cared for properly.

“It’s great to hear about families getting a new family member that completes their home.”

It’s great for SPCA of Texas—and our pets—that Jeremiah began working part time with us as an Animal Care Specialist in late February.

Aimee Early, our March Volunteer of the Month, was drawn to volunteer at SPCA of Texas because of “all the wonderful things you do for the people and animals in our community. I admire the dedication to the welfare of all animals in the state of Texas,” she said.

She wishes people knew that volunteering at the SPCA of Texas offers many different volunteer opportunities. “You can volunteer at off-site adoption events, do clerical work, help with community events, wash laundry, walk dogs, spend quality time with the adoptable cats, and so much more,” Aimee noted.

Aimee smiles when she thinks back on the first dog she fostered for SPCA of Texas—Cordelia. “She was rescued from a hoarding situation and did not like people at all,” Aimee said. “After a very hard first month of fostering her, I walked in the door one day and she started jumping up on me and kissing me for the very first time! That was one of the best feelings in the world and I will never forget that day.”

These days, Aimee is smitten with Panky and loves taking him for walks. “He is just the sweetest dog and has never met a stranger,” she said. “And, he likes to play with other dogs and is already housetrained; he’s all ready for his forever family!” Thanks to Aimee’s help socializing Panky, he currently is being fostered.

Aimee says that volunteering makes her feel wonderful. “The animals are so appreciative for all the walks and belly rubs. And, the public is grateful for the wonderful services we provide, such as the free pet food drives, which makes me happy to be a part of it all,” she noted.

Our March Volunteer is hesitant to talk about the good work she does, but she realizes the positive impact her volunteer work makes. “On the days I walk dogs, they are so appreciative to go outside and play in the yards and for all the attention,” Aimee smiled. “I also have witnessed the impact that the SPCA of Texas has on the people in the community at the pet food drives. Hundreds of people wait in line for several hours because they cannot afford to buy pet food on their own.

“I’m proud to help SPCA of Texas keep pets in their loving homes whenever they can,” she added.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As of this writing, Sheba is available for adoption at SPCA of Texas, Fonzi is in foster care and available for adoption, and Panky has been transferred to New York with an adoption application pending.