Knick Knack, Paddy Whack, Give a Dog a Home.

I went to orientation this past Saturday, but today was my first official day as a volunteer at Capital Area Humane Society. Why help at an animal shelter, you ask? While I was in Japan, one of my senseis asked me what causes I really care about. "Animals" was the first thing that popped into my head. "And what do you do to help animals?" Well... nothing. So then I decided that very day that once I returned to the States and school started again, I'd start volunteering at an animal shelter. And that's what I've done.

My volunteer t-shirt and my elephant earrings

I have always loved animals, and I owe that in part to my parents who let me have pets when I was a child. They didn't want me to have any large, furry animals (I didn't get my dog until I was 10), so they let me have frogs, toads, and turtles instead. Yes, while other little girls in elementary school were fawning over their fluffy puppies, kitties, and bunnies, I spent my time looking after amphibians and reptiles. And I wasn't disappointed about it at all; I was just happy to have a pet. Now that I've started at CAHS, I recognize how valuable that experience has been to me. I am fully convinced that letting your child have a pet is one of the best things you can do for them. They learn about self-worth, about organization, responsibility, and most of all, they learn to care for creatures other than themselves. And those lessons stay with them as they grow up.

For my first day at the shelter: I walked 2 dogs, started to walk a 3rd dog but had to put her back because she was too energetic for me, spent some TLC time with a 4th dog, then tried playing with cats for 20 minutes.

My injuries: I was nipped at a couple times, got a mosquito bite on the back of my neck, and received a scratch on my thigh from a kitty who was a little too excited to meet me.

In short: My first day volunteering at CAHS was fantastic. I can't wait to go back!