Nitz 1
Hayley Nitz
Mrs. Debock
English 4
March 13 2015
Puppy Mill Service Final Draft
The public must be willing to provide more volunteer work to rehabilitate dogs in
shelters. Volunteers are the main resource to support animal welfare. Without the helping hand of
others, the dogs in shelters would have no way to experience a better life. Volunteering can
include many different actions that can range from simple and timeless to intricate and time
consuming. The public should take more of their time to help animals that reside in animal
shelters.
Many say that volunteers are key to animal [Link] volunteers consider themselves
as animals biggest cheerleaders and shelters say that people will only be involved as much as
you let them. The large active number of volunteers is keeping the dogs in watch and although
not all people can physically help, some of the best marketers are the ones who foster dogs and
share their information on social networks. Establishments encourage people to provide foster
homes for dogs because the animals have a high risk for catching or developing diseases in
shelter environments. According to Dr. John Otto, a featured veterinarian in Joy Hamptons
article, "Seventy percent of all animals that end up in shelters have behavioral issues,". Luckily
because social media has such a large influence on society, rescues have attracted more
volunteers who offer to foster dogs to avoid behavioral issues.
Nitz 2
Volunteers provide many needs to dogs that they would normally not receive in a puppy
mill. Ruthanne Johnson, an author for the Humane Society of the United States, provides a
simplified explanation of all the key actions. One of the first and most important steps of
volunteers is the process of socialization. This involves calm interactions of talking or petting in
order to sooth a frightened dog. When helping a shelter one may be asked to physically help the
dogs. A common example is having to bathe or groom a dog who may have skin infections,
matted hair, extremely long nails, foul odor, or even various bugs infested within their
[Link] shelter staff members do not have adequate time to carry these actions out with
their dogs, so without volunteers this would not be possible. According to Johnson,In order to
establish an efficient system to socialize every dog properly, there must be one volunteer for
every five dogs
Volunteers are not always classified as just local citizens, but can include organizations
and companies as well. An organization called Friends Of The Shelter Dogs (FOSD), in Athens
Ohio is a great example of an organization helping [Link] organization is mostly known
for paying for the medical bills of incoming animals and getting the dogs fixed isnt the only
thing that FOSD has programs for. According to Kaleb Carter, a news reporter for Athens Ohio,
FOSDs other projects aim at educating the general public, and improving the quality of life for
the animals. Training for the dogs is often provided, and medical treatment is also offered when
necessary. Local companies may sponsor a shelter by paying for a percentage of a dogs spay or
neuter fee, or perhaps their vaccinations. In return, the shelter provides advertisements for these
places. Companies or businesses that dont have large amounts of money may sometimes offer
space for shelters to host events, which helps the shelters adopt out more dogs, inform the public
and gain more volunteers.
Nitz 3
Volunteers are the backbone of how a shelter functions. Volunteering can help sheltered
dogs more than one may think, by providing them a new outlook on the world. All types of
people can volunteer in any way. Whether it be donating money or dog food, going to a shelter
and playing with dogs, giving some time during their day to groom dogs or even taking a second
to share a link on Facebook or Twitter. No matter what method someone uses, shelters need all
the help they can get. But even more importantly, the dogs need the help and because of this the
public should take more of their time to help animals that reside in animal shelters.
Works Cited
Carter, Kaleb. "Volunteer group helps save an astonishing number of local dogs every year."
Athens News 14 July 2014: 20+. Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
Nitz 4
Hampton, Joy. "Experts say volunteers are key to animal welfare." Norman Transcript, The (OK)
09 Dec. 2014: Points of View Reference Center. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
Johnson, Ruthanne. "To The Rescue." All Animals 17.2 (2015): 6. Middle Search Plus.
Web. 26 Mar. 2015..
