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.
