Joe and Vicki D – another Dynamic Dou to volunteer at AAWL! Have we mentioned how much we love when couples, friends, siblings, etc volunteer together? Well , we do! The husband and wife duo of Vicki and Joe are no different. They have dedicated their time to AAWL for going on three years, collectively giving over 1,300 hours of service. These two are involved in so many aspects of the shelter, we do not even know where to start. They are laundry masters, event veterans (particularly kicking butt at our raffle table at the Walk), and an incredible foster family. They have fostered many of our shy and timid dogs – giving them a home filled with unconditional love and allowing these pups to blossom and find their furever family. Their willingness to work with some of the hardest of hard cases is inspiring and heartwarming, and the fact that they tackle these tasks together as a united couple is what #couplegoals are made of. Often times when a last minute volunteer request is made we can count on Vicki and Joe to step up and help and always with smiles on their faces and a pep in their step. We feel so very lucky when people choose to spend their free time volunteering at the shelter and thank Vicki and Joe for being a vital part of our AAWL family!

 

Joyce is a truly wonderful human, not only at the shelter but in her regular work hours as well. She has dedicated her career to special needs children working as a teacher’s assistant. She also runs marathons and is a talented artist! Since 2013, Joyce has spent over 1,500 hours volunteering at AAWL (WOW!). Through thick and thin she has been a vital member of our Cattery team. She is at the shelter almost every weekend socializing kitties (especially the ones who need a little extra attention), helping at events, being a mentor to new volunteers or helping with cat adoptions. Whether the events are at the shelter or offsite, where there are kitties, Joyce is guaranteed to be there. She is a regular volunteer at our Kitten Pop Up shops as well as on board whenever we have large scale adoption events at the Main Shelter.

Historically, we have only ever had a handful of Cattery Mentors so Joyce has been a true godsend in that department. She has trained countless new volunteers over the years about the Cattery protocols and cat behavior which extends her capacity to help the cats she loves so much. Not only can she spend time with them herself, she also has an army of volunteers she has trained who can socialize and snuggle our cats in need.

Joyce also spends her free time helping potential adopters find the purrfect kitty for their home! The time she spends with the cats gives her extra insight into what type of home each cat will need to be successful and happy. We owe so much to Joyce for all that she has done for our cats and AAWL as a whole. Thank you Joyce for all that you do! We are truly blessed to have you as a volunteer.

When asked about the sorts of tasks Andy & Michelle G help out with around the Chandler Mall Adoption enter, Katlyn Riggs, the Adoption Center Manager, said “What do they NOT do?? They are incredible! They are reliable and basically do everything! When they are in the store I just get out of their way because they have everything handled!” This incredible couple has been volunteering their time to the Chandler Mall Adoption Center for almost 6 years and together they have logged over 4,000 volunteer hours. They do everything they can to make sure the center is clean and the dogs and cats housed there are well cared for. Not only do they clean kennels, feed hungry tummies, do massive amounts of laundry and dish cleaning, provide customer care support, they also are a part of the mentor team. They have trained hundreds of new volunteers over the years, giving newbies the tools they need provide the best care possible for our shelter pets while they wait for their forever homes. These two have been generously giving their time and love since the Chandler Mall Adoption Center began and we simply cannot thank them enough.

Manny M. has been a volunteer for only 7 short months but has already logged more than 400 volunteer hours! He truly found his “place” when he landed at AAWL and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have him as part of our volunteer family. Manny has achieved one of the highest rankings when volunteering with our shelter dogs, a K3 volunteer, and is also a Mentor to new volunteers and a Playgroup Lead. For some volunteers coming into the shelter can be an overwhelming environment that can leave people feeling lost. Manny is not one of those volunteers! He came in and immediately got involved in every area of the shelter so he could pinpoint where he was needed most – that landed him on mentoring and playgroups. Manny always has a smiling face, a cheerful personality, and is SUPERB at following rules and protocols so he is perfect to train new volunteers coming to the shelter – although his training classes might run a bit long because he just loves to chat. The position of Playgroup Lead was a harder role for Manny to tackle but he buckled down and absorbed all the knowledge and feedback he could from more experienced volunteer leads and staff. The position of Playgroup Lead requires you to be extremely calm and methodical in tense doggie situations but also laid-back and relaxed enough to trust that the dogs within playgroup will manage themselves to a certain degree. This position comes with a huge amount of responsibility but is also highly rewarding. We started the Dogs Playing for Life program in April 2017 and Manny is the first new Playgroup Lead was have added since it’s inception – which speaks volumes for the level trust we have in his skill sets. We could go on and go about Manny and how amazing he is work with and how dedicated he is to the animals but we’d be here all day! Instead we’ll just say thank you, Manny. You’re the best, man.

 

Volunteer Spotlight: Amy O.

 

Amy has been a volunteer at AAWL for almost 5 years (her 5 year Anniversary is in 2 months) and works with both dogs and cats! During her time at AAWL Amy has always been a regular in our Saturday morning Bully Manners and Shy Dog volunteer classes (where volunteers work with shelter dogs), and has become a huge asset to the Behavior team in helping with some of our more special pups. Last year AAWL started working with Dogs Playing for Life to institute dog playgroups at AAWL – Amy immediately immersed herself in learning how to run playgroups and was chosen for one of the coveted “Playgroup Lead” roles. Amy now hosts playgroups at least once a week (if not more during the cooler months) and will even host them during business hours so the public can come watch the dogs interact in a more natural, care-free environment. As a playgroup lead, Amy has the unique experience of getting to know almost every dog onsite and how they interact with other dogs, because of this knowledge Amy has started to take the steps of becoming a Volunteer Adoption Counselor so she can better assist families in finding their perfect furever match! When Amy isn’t helping with our pups she can be found at one of our offsite Petsmart locations snuggling and caring for AAWL kittens & cats waiting for their new families. Amy also volunteers at various events throughout the year – you can always find her at our signature gala An Evening to Paws and our annual Walk to Save Animals. Did we mention Amy also has a real job?  Through Amy’s “real job” she was able to connect AAWL with the Maricopa Association of Government’s office last year so we could work with them to launch 2017 Domestic Violence Awareness month to shine a light on the fact that many people are afraid to leave their abusers because they would have to leave their animals behind, as many abusers often threaten their animals as a tactic to prevent them from leaving. Amy’s commitment to the community through her love for animals and people alike is one of the many reasons we feel so lucky to have her as part of our AAWL family.

 

If you are in danger or know someone in a domestic violence situation please CLICK HERE  for resources to help.

Mike M. has been a volunteer at AAWL for the past 4 and a half years, logging more than 3,550 hours of volunteer time! He started out as a Dog Walker, and still does that almost every visit to the shelter, but he really found his place volunteering in our shelter clinic helping animals get ready for adoption. Since volunteering in the clinic, Mike has regularly logged between 80 – 100 hours each month helping prep and recover animals during their surgeries. Mike doesn’t have a medical background, he learned all this by shadowing other volunteers/staff and observing over time – an amazing accomplishment. Besides being a valuable member of the clinic team Mike lends his talents to the events department where he dons the AAWL mascot costume to all of AAWL’s major fundraising events. This might seem like an easy gig, but trust us, it gets HOT in that costume J Everyone looks forward to seeing Mike at the shelter and we can’t imagine our AAWL world without him, Thank you for all you do, Mike!