Cozy up to cougars? Why not? Volunteer today!

By Dr. Beth Leermakers

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.” — Edmond Burke 

Want to make a difference in an animal’s life? Set a good example for your kids? Now that our community has opened back up, many animal welfare organizations are welcoming volunteers again.

I recently spent a few hours walking dogs at the Fort Worth Animal Shelter’s new North Campus. I originally planned to take a long-term shelter resident on an Out and About — a short break from the shelter noise and stress. However, a staff member suggested I walk several “orange dot” dogs instead. These dogs don’t get along with other dogs, so they can’t go out in play groups to burn off energy (although they do go out in the yards by themselves). These people-friendly pups need extra attention and exercise to relieve the boredom of spending all day in a small kennel. The shelter is short-staffed, so the kennel attendants don’t have much time for individual walks. I enjoyed walking along a quiet country lane — passing longhorn cattle, goats and ponies — and the pups appreciated the change of scenery.

Spending a few hours volunteering at a shelter, once or twice a month, may not seem like much — but it makes a big difference to the animals. You can walk dogs, socialize cats, foster cats or dogs, photograph adoptable animals, transport them from the shelter to a vet clinic or foster home, promote them on social media, do office/clerical work, help with fundraising or share your skills in other ways. 

Here are a few animal-related volunteer opportunities in the DFW area:

Run with a shelter dog. The GARLAND RUN D.O.G. Program holds weekend runs with Garland shelter dogs. This program provides essential enrichment to the energetic dogs and additional information to better match them with their new family. If you’re interested in volunteering, please email [email protected].

Dallas Animal Services has a similar program — D90 Runners. Visit bedallas90.org/home/volunteer-opportunities/ for information.

Spend a couple hours — or longer — with a shelter dog on an Out and About. You can take the dog to a nearby park, share a cheeseburger or stroll around Home Depot (or another dog-friendly, indoor location). You can even keep a dog overnight. By sharing information about the dog’s wonderful qualities (loves kids! rides nicely in the car), you’re helping the dog find his/her forever home. Go to one of the Fort Worth shelter locations during their regular hours (noon-6 p.m. daily) and ask to take a dog on an Out and About. Be sure to bring your driver’s license. fortworthtexas.gov/departments/code-compliance/animals 

Care for horses. Throwaway Ponies (TaPs) in Farmersville needs volunteers to help feed and care for their rescued horses (throwawayponies.org). Email [email protected] for more information. 

Equest, a therapeutic riding program based in south Dallas, needs volunteer help in several areas: leading horses or being a side-walker during the classes, working in the barn, fixing things, doing office work and assisting with fundraising events. Children 14 years or older can volunteer without a parent; 12 and 13 year olds must have a parent/guardian accompany them the first few times. equest.org/opportunities 

Help at rescue group adoption events (mostly on weekends). Walk the dogs, play with the puppies or kittens, and/or show the animals to interested adopters. White Rock Dog Rescue, Bull luv able Paws and A Voice for All Paws (cats) are based in the White Rock Lake area. Visit petfinder.com to find other local rescue groups.

Work behind the scenes to support spay neuter efforts. If you’d rather stay clean and work with people instead of animals, Spay Neuter Network (spayneuternet.org) welcomes volunteer assistance with administration work, special events and education (e.g., help develop relationships with schools and churches, regarding setting up education programs about responsible pet ownership; investigate educational materials). 

Care for injured birds or feed baby birds. Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation, Inc. (in Hutchins) always needs volunteers and can fully train you to provide care for the birds on site. Or you can help with construction projects, facility maintenance or outreach program development. rogerswildlife.org/how-to-help.php#volunteering 

Cozy up to a cougar. Help feed or train big cats, guide tours or be a cat companion for In Sync Exotics, a wildlife rescue center for lions, tigers, cougars, cheetahs and other big cats in Wylie. If you can’t volunteer, In Sync is worth a visit. I highly recommend the Feeding Tour — an incredible experience. Or check out the Watermelon Toss (July 10). insyncexotics.org/volunteer/ 

If none of these opportunities appeals to you, check out volunteermatch.com for others. If you can’t volunteer, you can help animals (and their caregivers) by donating money or supplies (including newspapers, used towels or blankets), sharing Facebook posts for homeless animals and spreading the word about animals in need.

Thank you for helping! 

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