Watauga Humane Society

Last fall my friends and I spent our Saturday volunteering at the Wagauga Humane Society. Most of our time was with the dogs and puppies. We walked them, washed week-old puppies, and helped clean up. It was a lot harder than I expected, but overall very rewarding.

The nice thing about the Humane Society is that it's built so that everyone can participate. The hallways are wide and there are big open spaces around the building and the entryway. This allows room to play with the pets, but also so if someone has to use a wheelchair or other aid they can get around easily. The back rooms and washrooms were the same way. The newly remodeled building was clean and attractively designed.

The main problem I saw were the cages the dogs were kept in. The cats had a few rooms where they could walk around free, but the dogs were kept two to a cage. The doors were difficult to open and a were sufficiently more narrow than the rest of the doorways. A dog would have to be brought out of the cage by someone else and the limited access limits volunteer opportunities for the disabled.

But the positives outweigh the negatives, so if you are looking for a good volunteer opportunity, I would highly recommend the Humane Society. The staff members and other volunteers are nice and ready to help, especially if you come ready to love on a pet.

(Individual, Volunteer)