Not for everyone....

Not everyone can do rescue volunteering... It takes a special kind of person with a LOT of heart and willingness to put in hard work, commitment to make a change in this ole world of ours and the ability to be dedicated to a cause when it might not be in the forefront of everyone's minds... 

We are not saving the world and fighting hunger - we are saving a dog's life, one dog at a time... 

But when you do get involved in volunteering with a good rescue, the rewards you get back far exceed what you put into it... I cannot tell you how many volunteers in the past years have told me they haven't saved dog lives... That TLC saved them instead... There is a lot behind that saying of "Who saved who?"...

It is not always easy to find your 'niche' in a rescue, but thankfully TLC is big enough now that we have lots to do and many different kinds of tasks... When I see folks like Jeri come in right after having eye surgery to help out at the front desk, you have to admire the kind of dedication and commitment these volunteers have to the cause of No-Kill in our county... 

And there is a LOT to learn, most of it is not pretty (poop can come in a wide variety of smells, sizes, shapes and consistency not pleasant for most folks) and it is not just 'holding puppies' or 'walking dogs'... It is not an easy passion to explain sometimes to your friends and family... There is a lot of day-to-day stuff that we may not like to do in our homes (washing dishes, doing laundry, mopping floors, etc.) that somehow feel SO much more rewarding when doing it to help save the life of a dog or puppy... 


And you will find yourself doing a lot of thinking as to why this dog ended up in the shelter (and uncovering any issues, then retraining them) or wondering why that dog has not yet been adopted...  

Here and there you will fall in love with one particular dog and may even choose to start fostering... Here is a picture of SallySue, who Lydia is fostering for TLC... This picture tickles me every time I see it... Probably the first time SallySue has ever seen herself full sized in a mirror before...  Lydia took on fostering SallySue because the intensity of the rescue center was too much for her older personality to handle... Lydia's schedule prohibits her from coming in and physically putting in the time at the rescue center, so she 'gives back' by fostering TLC dogs in her home, one dog at a time... 

This gives us valuable insight into the dog we've saved that we won't get easily - how they do in a home environment, if they are potty trained, how they get along with strangers and other dogs, etc.... ALL important pieces to finding the dog their own furever home... 

Although there is a lot of women in rescue, it is not a woman-only kind of thing... I have had male volunteers meet and fall in love with the woman of their dreams in TLC... There are some men who have the 'touch' to feel empathy and compassion for these creatures who deserve a 'do-over'... And guys?  It is EXTREMELY sexy for us women to see you guys have the heart to care and help a rescued dog!!!

Take Juan for example... He wandered into the rescue center one day and was so impressed with what we do, he asked if we needed volunteers... He know comes frequently to the center and always finds time to give back to those who need that little bit of extra TLC... Carlee is one of his special friends... She requires feeding by hand as she has cerebral hydroplasia... She's been adopted by one of our veteran volunteers, but we are Carlee's doggie day care... 

Carlee can make a mess of your smock without even trying when she eats (smile), but she is all heart... She has a wheelie at the center that she tools about in and a permanent crib... At 18 months, she is TLC's miracle baby and had been taken to the shelter at 4 weeks to be euthanized... They called us and we said we'd give it a go... Carlee had to be taught how to drink, eat, walk and just be a dog... She's a great example of what anyone can do if they just say no to killing healthy, adoptable dogs... 

Juan makes sure he's around to do feeding time with Carlee and every volunteer that sees these two together has their heart strings plucked each and every time... You have to have a ton of respect for a man that is willing to reach down and help a small creature that needs a hand, ya know?

These are the 'real men' in my opinion... And my husband has stood aside of me, behind me and in front of me in the past 18 years of our marriage - committed to what my passion is and how much I and we as a family give to stop the needless killing of these homeless, unwanted dogs that end up in shelters... 

Yep, it is not for everyone - that is for sure... Volunteering with a rescue is really for extra special folks that care and love what we do... We don't get paid for giving up our time, energy and heart, but boy, oh boy!  Are we ever repaid for all of it multi-fold when we see a saved rescue dog find their furever home and go wagging out the front door of the rescue center!  You can't BUY that kind of reward no matter how wealthy you are... 

Thank you to all of the volunteers who have helped in the cause of No-Kill in Ventura County and an extra special thank-you from my heart to the TLC volunteers... We are indeed the 'rescue with heart' as we are referred to frequently... Awesome guardian angels on this side of Heaven!

Linda

P.S.  In case you feel you have heart to give and are interested in volunteering, please do so at our website - http://www.tinylovingcanines.org  or via the volunteer application at https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?ap=1834666740