Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Where's Luke?

We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.
-- Winston Churchill

Tomorrow Luke will be rolling up his sleeves and volunteering at the Humane Society of Clark Country in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. http://www.pets.ezclick.net/

I spoke today with Alyssa Haynie, the Director, and asked her to tell us a bit about the shelter, and what she has planned for Luke's day tomorrow. She explained this shelter (like many shelters) is funded by donations and grants , but is a no-kill shelter. She made an important point about no-kill shelters and that is that once a dog or cat is surrendered, its home is with the shelter until it is adopted. This is an awesome responsibility, and Alyssa told me the Clark County shelter has had some animals for years. Currently they are booked to capacity, with 30 dogs and 70 cats.

As for what she has planned for Luke's day, Alyssa told me she hopes Luke will help her with the dogs tomorrow. She has a few fences that need mending and is going to ask Luke to work on those. She said, "I'll keep him busy until he has to leave!" Hopefully Luke will have time to get those fences back in shape. Let's hope, too, that it will be a good day and he'll be able to help with some adoptions as well!

Alyssa is no stranger to dog care. Before she worked for the animal shelter she showed Mastiffs for 10 years. Currently she has 10 dogs of her own: 6 Mastiffs and a Rottweiler, 2 Border Terriers and a Jack Russell, so she has her hands full. She laughed, "I clean up after them here at work, and then I go home and clean up after them there!" With all her dog experience, she's a definite plus to the Clark County Animal Shelter and all the animals who live there.

"It's a lot of work, but I enjoy it -- it's worth it. Especially when you see one go to a new home, it's really worth it."

As with all shelters, they're always in need of volunteers. Volunteers can make all the difference to animals in shelters. More hands mean more love, more attention, and more affection. Luke will certainly have his hands full tomorrow, and I'm sure he'll give every furry head the loving touch and big smile they all deserve.

The miracle is this -- the more we share, the more we have.
-- Leonard Nimoy

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