Pay it Forward

Volunteering with animals offers “indescribable” fulfillment

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Debby Dillon

I have been volunteering at Macon County Animal Services (MCAS) for more than 10 years. Before coming to the shelter, I had always worked many hours in a day and had little time for anything other than working and sleeping. Suddenly, I retired and found myself at loose ends. I always had many cats in my life, but an opportunity arose to walk dogs at a local shelter. I decided to give it a go, and a good friend taught me the ropes. It was the beginning of what I believe was to be my purpose on this planet. 

I later moved to Franklin and started a dog-walking program at MCAS, which has a staff as well as a group of volunteers. Their goal is to make MCAS the best temporary home for the animals of Macon County.

The volunteers at MCAS are as varied as the animals we take care of. Most of us are seniors, because we are the ones that have the time to devote to volunteering. However, we have several that work 40 hours at jobs and then in their spare time they come and spend time with animals. 

VOLUNTEERS FROM all walks of life spend time with animals.

We come from all walks of life. We are teachers, nurses, architects, contractors, waitresses, and office managers; we even have a pilot who volunteers. 

While walking dogs is a main priority of ours, we have many other needs that can be handled by individuals who are not capable of walking dogs. Two of our volunteers spend their time tending to the mountains of laundry that we generate. We have a team of “crazy cat ladies” that lovingly tend to our sweet felines. We have playground supervisors that ensure our dogs get play times outside with their friends. They have toys and a swimming pool and volunteers that just hold them and cuddle with them. Many of our volunteers participate in weekend events where animals are taken off site and exposed to the public, hopefully leading to an adoption. 

Sometimes volunteering with our animals is hard. It can be emotionally and physically draining. There are days when we cling to each other and just cry. Thankfully, those days are few. We all have our emotional baggage – losses in our life and changes in our life that can make days difficult to face. But I can say this with complete confidence: There is nothing going on in a person’s life that can’t be fixed by walking a dog. 

The minute I walk in the door, the dogs get excited. They bark and howl and don’t stop for hours. They are so excited for the day that is before them. 

At the end of the day, they get their final treat and begin to settle down. I walk through the shelter and thank them for the day they have given me. It is so quiet that you can hear the dogs breathing and some snoring. Even the puppies grow quiet. 

I say a prayer for God to comfort the animals and watch over them. I walk out the door so completely fulfilled that it is indescribable. 

If you are interested in experiencing some of the same, we could use your help. A volunteer application is available by stopping by MCAS at 1377 Lakeside Drive in Franklin.