Socialization at the Animal Shelter

Our girls really enjoy animals. They, like their mother, would like to live on an expansive property (or at least 3 acres) where they could have dogs and cats, horses and chickens, maybe even a goat or two to milk for healthy, raw milk every day. Alas, we live on less than 1/4 acre in a homeowners association in town, so we've settled on cats, and V has begun a farm she can manage including: worms, ants, ladybugs and SeaMonkeys.

Three miles or so from our house, however, is the county's animal shelter, which is incredibly full of dogs, cats, rabbits, even chickens. The Humane Society has another shelter a few miles further out.

The project: Volunteer at the local animal shelter.

Today we checked in, helped socialize several of the animals and inquired about regular volunteer positions that would accept both the girls and me. Alas, the minimum age limit is 12, so we'll settle on occasional, unofficial socialization sessions for a few more years.

Time:
60 minutes

Why bother?
Most of the animals at shelters around the globe are friendly, house trained, and in need of homes. Our shelter is overfull. And animals that aren't adopted can be put to death. What a waste of perfectly good lives.

Worth it?
Certainly, though walking dogs and playing with cats, petting rabbits and feeding poultry doesn't get them adopted. I wish there were a better way to get the word out, and encourage people to check the shelters for wonderful animals before shelling out for newly-bred, high-dollar animals. One option is Petfinder.