no-kill shelter: co springs edition
Hi everyone, I hope that you are settling into your post-holiday grooves! I returned to Colorado and just finished my first week back at work. After visiting my family, I recognized just how important it is for me to start immersing myself in the Colorado Springs community. At the top of my list of ways to get involved, I have "volunteering." Community service is one of the purest and most direct ways to assist those in need, which is why I’ve always made it a point to volunteer in whichever city I end up in.
Many shelters today still choose to kill animals as a population control method. 35 years ago, about 17 million animals were being killed in shelters annually. Since then, there has been tremendous progress made towards protecting the lives of shelter animals. For instance, there was a study showing that “[in] 2021, the number of animals being killed in our nation’s shelters was down to around 355,000 per year.” In addition, “a third of all communities with sheltering services around the country are now no-kill[,]” meaning that none of the animals that they host will be killed.
I used to volunteer at the No-Kill Los Angeles (NKLA) animal shelter when I lived in California. I chose NKLA specifically because of their no-kill policy. They are part of an organization, Best Friends Animal Society, that has yielded a movement against the killing of shelter animals called Save Them All. If you’re interested in learning more about this cause, definitely click here.
It was a no-brainer that I was going to find another no-kill shelter here to volunteer at. I went to the Best Friends Animal Society website and found a list of their network partners. If you are looking to volunteer at an animal shelter near you, I really encourage you to look into this database. It’ll ensure that the animals you work with are not at risk of losing their lives!
Once I found the animal shelter that I wanted to volunteer at, I sent my application in, completed my orientation, and now I can volunteer whenever I’d like. It was super simple!
Today was actually my first day volunteering at the Springs’ shelter and I loved it. There are different tiers to being a volunteer. I will be in the first one until I take some supplemental training courses (which are free and provided by the shelter). The first tier primarily entails socializing with cats and giving them treats, which means that I basically just played and cuddled with a bunch of them all morning–what a dream!
Towards the end I was asked to visit a couple of the quarantined kittens who were recovering from an illness. I agreed, but expressed that I was concerned about transmitting their bacteria to my own cat–you guys wouldn’t believe the measures that they went to in order to make sure that I would not contaminate my clothing. I completely redressed into clean scrubs and wore several disposable materials to protect my hands, arms, feet, and hair. I felt very safe entering and I was really glad that I did because those sick kittens had a LOT of energy and were ready to play! Afterwards, I disinfected thoroughly and then ran errands to give the bacteria time to die before going home and jumping in the shower. I also did my laundry right away to be extra safe.
While I was at the shelter, I also met some really cool fellow volunteers. Total cat people–which we LOVE!!–and plus, it's always amazing to see communities come together for a good cause.
Overall I had a really great time, and I cannot wait to go back. If you are thinking about adopting a pet or just want to be around pets without adopting one, I would highly recommend volunteering. Shelters are constantly on the hunt for more volunteers and I’m sure that the animals will appreciate having some more friends too:)
Okay, that’s all for today! Thanks for tuning in and I’ll see you guys laterrrr<3
