Portland residents Audrey Dorshimer, 16, and Michelle Dorshimer, 11, walk a dog named Onyx in the rain Thursday at Capitol Area Humane Society, 7095 W. Grand River Ave. The sisters have been regularly volunteering at the society for six months. CAHS has about 740 active volunteers that donate time in various ways.
For many college students, bringing a pet into their household and their lives seems almost impossible.
However, with the opportunities offered by Capital Area Humane Society, or CAHS, students are given the chance to indulge in their love for animals without making a lengthy commitment by getting involved with the humane society’s volunteer and foster programs.
CAHS is growing as a popular place for people to volunteer and interact with animals, and in the past year it has doubled the amount of active volunteers to more than 740.
“Most students just want to come out and play with the puppies, and that’s the best thing for us because that keeps our animals active and it keeps their minds working and we try and make this a home environment as much as possible, but obviously it’s not,” volunteer program coordinator Stasi Bates said.
“It’s not a big area they get to live in, and although the staff loves them as much as we can, we’re so busy constantly cleaning, feeding, trying to get them adopted and doing everything else for the animal to make it possible for them to be adopted. And that’s where our volunteers step in. They provide the comfort and tender, love and care our animals need.”
On average, CAHS houses up to 300 animals at one time and utilizes its volunteers to comfort all the animals and give them attention. With only 30 staff members, the CAHS holds all of their volunteers to be a priceless resource, Bates said.
In order to be adopted, all animals are properly socialized, exercised and cared for by the staff and volunteers who utilize the 65 acres of land, which includes a pond and nature trails.
More than 6,000 animals enter CAHS doors annually, and, on average, each animal stays for two weeks.
Without the help of volunteers to provide a positive experience for every animal, the CAHS would not be the same clean, positive environment it is today, Bates said.
“It’s just been a really positive experience. I think what they do here is really good because they try to help save as many animals as possible, and I think that’s a really noble cause,” human biology and animal science senior Amanda Keedle said.
Keedle began her involvement with CAHS last year and started working once a week as a volunteer in the CAHS clinic this year.
Many MSU students volunteer at CAHS because it is convenient and many tasks are controlled by volunteers.
“For MSU students, if you can’t have an animal in the dorms or something, you can come here and just walk dogs, and that’s a way to not have an animal, but to get exposure,” Keedle said. “It’s kind of a stress reliever many would enjoy.”
CAHS is a unique volunteer opportunity because its convenience, as it allows volunteers to come into the shelter whenever they have the time to do so, including students who want to come in to fulfill required community service hours, as long as the required orientation hours are met beforehand.
For people with housing options that allow them to have animals, another great way to interact with animals and volunteer is to take part in the CAHS foster program, foster program coordinator Kristen McCann said.
“For college students it’s usually a good time because their classes are flexible and they don’t have any resident pets in their home,” McCann said. “We do have a handful of pretty dedicated college students who foster,”
After filling out a foster application and gaining approval, students or locals can foster pregnant dogs, sick animals, puppies, “stir crazy” animals or other animals with behavioral problems.
College students might find the foster program to be an ideal opportunity if they aren’t looking for a long-term commitment with an animal, McCann said.
“Fostering is a great opportunity, especially if they’re trying to figure out if they are ready for a pet or if they have time to take a pet,” McCann said.
“It’s a good short-term option as opposed to adopting, especially when they don’t know what they’re going to do after graduating — it’s a really good alternative to adopting if they’re not sure they can handle a long-term commitment yet.”
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Grand Ledge resident Connor Marsh said he volunteered for three years before becoming a staff member and fostered 18 dogs last year.
Marsh said he enjoys fostering animals and feels he is making a difference because to the opportunities given by CAHS.
“The first time I fostered, I fostered sick dogs. But ever since I’ve taken pregnant moms,” Marsh said. “It’s a great thing to do instead of sitting and watching them, you get to actually help.”
