Volunteering 501 - Tails in Tempe Road Trip!

A local volunteer in Kanab, UT and Fredonia, AZ continues his series on volunteerism by taking to the road to help with an adoption event.

By Mark Foley, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and Fredonia Humane Society Volunteer

Volunteering in animal welfare carries with it many challenges as well as rewards. But perhaps the greatest reward in animal rescue is helping a deserving animal find a match with the right person and be placed into their new forever home.

With this in mind, despite other commitments, I just couldn’t say no when I was asked to volunteer at the Tails in Tempe adoption event at the Elliot Road PetSmart in Tempe, Arizona from December 7th through 9th, 2007.

My volunteer job was to transport some of the animals attending the event. Three Best Friends vans in all went to Tempe, taking over twenty cats and thirteen dogs, six from Best Friends and seven from the nearby Fredonia Humane Society. Two of the Fredonia Humane Society dogs were puppies rescued from the Gap Project, a joint Best Friends-Fredonia Humane effort providing spay/neuter and other services to an area within the Navajo Nation.

It’s a long drive from the Best Friends sanctuary to Tempe. Fortunately, once we arrived, a group of Best Friends volunteers from the Tempe area made sure that each of the animal’s immediate needs were met and that they put their best paw forward when meeting potential adopters.

The logistics for even a small adoption event are significant, but these volunteers made sure every detail was covered. Led by the wonderful coordinators Susan and Justin, who are Tempe-based volunteers themselves, the volunteers fed and watered all the animals, played with the cats, and gave the dogs frequent walks and breaks from the crowds. They also chatted with visitors, took applications, and performed home checks for the lucky dogs and cats who got adopted. Some volunteers generously brought in snacks to share with others, and best of all, even arranged overnight foster care for a few of the dogs throughout the event. In short, these volunteers, along with the thoughtful PetSmart staff, were the difference between just having a few animals on display and putting on a dynamic, successful adoption event.

And it was a success. A dozen of the cats who went to Tempe are now sleeping in their new homes. In addition, eight of the dogs, five from Best Friends and three from Fredonia Humane, including the two Gap Project puppies, were also adopted, and another Fredonia dog found a long-term foster home with a Tempe-area volunteer.

Helping an animal get adopted not only completes the cycle of the individual rescue, but also frees up space and resources for another dog or cat that may also need a helping hand. That’s why groups like Best Friends and Fredonia Humane work so hard to find those great new homes for the animals in their care.

Because the Kanab-Fredonia area where Best Friends is located is such a small and relatively remote place, the opportunities to place animals in the local community are limited. Best Friends’ Mobile Adoption program creates opportunities for animals by sponsoring events in larger communities, like the Super Adoptions in Las Vegas or Salt Lake City, where multiple rescue groups take part to showcase their animals for adoption. Best Friends also sponsors low-key, drop-in venues, like the Tails in Tempe. Big or small, these are great opportunities to volunteer, get involved, and really make a difference helping a lucky dog or cat find a new home.

If you missed this event, the next Tails in Tempe is scheduled for February 8th through 10th, 2008, at the same PetSmart location on Elliot Road in Tempe. Hope to see you there!

Photo of one of the Best Friends Animal Society mobile adoption vans by Mark Foley

Article posted by Brandi Bennett, Best Friends Network