DameDog: Who are your personal pets and how did you come to have them?
Jackie: At the moment we have one dog and one cat. Our dog, Marcus, was rescued only in the sense that if we hadn’t taken him as a puppy, who knows what would have happened to him. His Mom had already produced a couple of litters before this one, and her owner just wanted to get
rid of all the puppies at $25 each, although my husband bartered some carpentry work - a big wooden kennel for Mom - in return for the puppy. Marcus is a Magnificent Mutt –he has the body of a dingo, the face of a Belgian Malinois and the ears of a mule deer. He’s 18 months old at this point and still has a lot of puppy power, but he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body and kisses everyone he meets, including all his buddies at the dog park.
Our cat, Princess, is 10 years old and her nose has been out of joint for some time now at our having allowed the aforementioned mutt to reside in the same house. Princess showed up out of the blue when she was about 10 weeks old and promptly made herself at home on the verandah railing of our house. We were happy to add her to our larger menagerie at that time. Princess has since told me her name is a misnomer. “Empress” would be far more appropriate. She’s everything a cat should be.
DD: What is your volunteer work here in Hillsborough County and what inspired you to volunteer?
J: Volunteerism is something everyone should do, I think. I started back in the Seventies with the Buddy Dog Humane Society in Sudbury, Massachusetts, which was probably one of the very first no-kill shelters in the country. And though I have done other volunteer work with human organizations, I decided when I semi-retired that I wanted to do something with animals, and it had to be “hands-on,” so I volunteer a few hours a week as an animal companion at the
Jackie: At the moment we have one dog and one cat. Our dog, Marcus, was rescued only in the sense that if we hadn’t taken him as a puppy, who knows what would have happened to him. His Mom had already produced a couple of litters before this one, and her owner just wanted to get
rid of all the puppies at $25 each, although my husband bartered some carpentry work - a big wooden kennel for Mom - in return for the puppy. Marcus is a Magnificent Mutt –he has the body of a dingo, the face of a Belgian Malinois and the ears of a mule deer. He’s 18 months old at this point and still has a lot of puppy power, but he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body and kisses everyone he meets, including all his buddies at the dog park.Our cat, Princess, is 10 years old and her nose has been out of joint for some time now at our having allowed the aforementioned mutt to reside in the same house. Princess showed up out of the blue when she was about 10 weeks old and promptly made herself at home on the verandah railing of our house. We were happy to add her to our larger menagerie at that time. Princess has since told me her name is a misnomer. “Empress” would be far more appropriate. She’s everything a cat should be.
DD: What is your volunteer work here in Hillsborough County and what inspired you to volunteer?
J: Volunteerism is something everyone should do, I think. I started back in the Seventies with the Buddy Dog Humane Society in Sudbury, Massachusetts, which was probably one of the very first no-kill shelters in the country. And though I have done other volunteer work with human organizations, I decided when I semi-retired that I wanted to do something with animals, and it had to be “hands-on,” so I volunteer a few hours a week as an animal companion at the
Humane Society of Tampa Bay, and occasionally with their mobile adoption unit and at other special events. With a couple of other women who are always there at the same time, we make sure all the dogs are taken out of their kennels to walk, run, play and socialize. I have fallen in love with so many of those animals, and it’s gratifying to know that sooner or later everyone finds a home, and that we help make their stay at the shelter a little less stressful and a lot more fun. Many people have asked me how I could volunteer at an animal shelter and not get upset, but I tell those people that the shelter staff are always very busy, so without us volunteers the dogs wouldn’t have all the “fun” times we are able to give them, and it’s incredibly rewarding.
DD: I understand you spend your vacation time in an interesting way. How did you learn about Best Friends Animal Sanctuary?
J: I have volunteered at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southern Utah four times (so far!), the first time being a month after Hurricane Katrina. Many of their staff were in New Orleans rescuing animals, or at the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary in Tylertown, Mississippi, where the animals were then taken to be cared for. Originally my name must have gotten onto the Best Friends mailing list from other animal charities and I had been receiving their brochures for a few years and always thought visiting the sanctuary might be nice some time if ever I was in that area. But when I read an article online in the Seattle Times written by someone who had volunteered there, I promptly decided it was what I wanted to do, and a few months later I went with a friend. It’s the kind of place you just want to keep going back to.
DD: How did the sanctuary get started ? How do you spend your days there and what is that experience like?
J: A group of best friends, many of English origin, started a shelter in Arizona to take in animals that were going to be euthanized. As the number of animals increased they decided to look for a larger place, and in 1984 found Angel Canyon just outside Kanab in southern Utah. It was slow going and a lot of hard work at first, but their collective commitment to helping animals and an enormous amount of hard work paid off, and the Best Friends Animal Society has become an incredibly well-organized and well-respected animal rescue group. Among their many outstanding accomplishments is taking in 22 of Michael Vick’s fighting dogs a few months ago. They pushed for all of his dogs to be rescued and rehabilitated rather than euthanize
d, and some went to other rescue groups. The pits at Best Friends are doing wonderfully (see photo of Curly to the right, taken by Best Friend's photographer, Sarah Ause) – I ask you, is that a vicious fighting dog?!!.
The Best Friends Sanctuary facilities are spread out over their huge 3,000 acre property, so a car is necessary to get around. There are two separate areas for dogs - Dogtown and Dogtown Heights, also Cat World, Feathered Friends for birds, Bunny House for rabbits, all of which have wonderful indoor/outdoor communal living areas rather than separate kennels or cages. There are also various pastures and enclosures for horses, donkeys, mules, pigs, goats and sheep. The sanctuary offers free 1-1/2 hour tours for visitors; volunteers always take the tour and can decide where they want to work and what schedule suits them, whether it’s one day, one week, or one month.
I usually spend one or two days volunteering with dogs, the other days with cats. With the dogs a volunteer usually walks them in the mornings, which is a huge pleasure because the paths wind through juniper and sagebrush with wonderful views of the vermilion cliffs. There’s also “housework” involved, such as sweeping their indoor rooms, feeding them, washing their dishes, scooping their poop, brushing them, and then generally socializing with them. With cats it’s cleaning out the kitty litter boxes, sweeping and mopping floors, cleaning all the sleeping areas, brushing their blankets etc. but it’s always a pleasure doing that kind of housework. And then there’s the reward of socializing with them and boy, most of the cats just lap that up!
DD: Do you have a favorite animal there?
J: It’s hard to say, because the sanctuary has about an 80% adoption rate I think, and a dog I may have fallen in love with one year may not be there the next. My favorite of all was Churchill, a mostly black pitbull who we took on a “sleepover” with us at the motel one night last year; he was one of the sweetest, most loving dogs I’d ever met (I’m a sucker for pitbulls anyway). Others obviously felt the same, as he has since been adopted. I love the older and special-needs animals most of all, and try to make a point of volunteering in those areas.
DD: What have you learned from your time spent volunteering with animals in different places?
J: I have learned that animals who’ve been through any kind of trauma (even just the trauma of being given up by their owners) and wind up in a shelter are definitely grateful for any sort of kindness shown them. And that more and more people are realizing that animals are sentient beings who are as worthy of love, respect, care and kindness as humans are (sometimes more so!) I think the Michael Vick dog-fighting case, the atrocity of puppy mills and disasters such as Katrina and their attendant publicity have taught us that no matter the calamity, there is always a silver lining to them in that the plight of these animals is brought to light, and that gets people thinking and talking and acting positively. I think education plays a huge role. Everyone needs to understand that spaying and neutering their pets is not only beneficial to both the pets and humans, but the only way the euthanization numbers are going to be reduced. We still have a long way to go, even though there are many low-cost spay/neuter programs available. And if we can not only teach, but practice, kindness-towards-animals to youngsters, they will grow up knowing we are all the animals’ caretakers.
DD: Do you know of any places in Florida that are like the sanctuary?
J: Not really, because the sanctuary in Utah is a physically huge operation, with close to 400 employees, and well over 12,000 volunteers a year (probably more since the “Dogtown” series appeared on the National Geographic Channel earlier this year – Best Friends has been inundated with offers of volunteerism) and the scope of its work is enormous, especially domestically, and is growing internationally. But the number of shelters and rescue groups in Florida amazes me and basically they are all working towards the same goal – no more homeless pets. So big or small, it’s the dedication of the staff and volunteers at the shelters and rescue groups that really makes a difference, and the animals benefit, which is what it’s all about.
DD: I understand you spend your vacation time in an interesting way. How did you learn about Best Friends Animal Sanctuary?
J: I have volunteered at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southern Utah four times (so far!), the first time being a month after Hurricane Katrina. Many of their staff were in New Orleans rescuing animals, or at the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary in Tylertown, Mississippi, where the animals were then taken to be cared for. Originally my name must have gotten onto the Best Friends mailing list from other animal charities and I had been receiving their brochures for a few years and always thought visiting the sanctuary might be nice some time if ever I was in that area. But when I read an article online in the Seattle Times written by someone who had volunteered there, I promptly decided it was what I wanted to do, and a few months later I went with a friend. It’s the kind of place you just want to keep going back to.
DD: How did the sanctuary get started ? How do you spend your days there and what is that experience like?
J: A group of best friends, many of English origin, started a shelter in Arizona to take in animals that were going to be euthanized. As the number of animals increased they decided to look for a larger place, and in 1984 found Angel Canyon just outside Kanab in southern Utah. It was slow going and a lot of hard work at first, but their collective commitment to helping animals and an enormous amount of hard work paid off, and the Best Friends Animal Society has become an incredibly well-organized and well-respected animal rescue group. Among their many outstanding accomplishments is taking in 22 of Michael Vick’s fighting dogs a few months ago. They pushed for all of his dogs to be rescued and rehabilitated rather than euthanize
d, and some went to other rescue groups. The pits at Best Friends are doing wonderfully (see photo of Curly to the right, taken by Best Friend's photographer, Sarah Ause) – I ask you, is that a vicious fighting dog?!!.The Best Friends Sanctuary facilities are spread out over their huge 3,000 acre property, so a car is necessary to get around. There are two separate areas for dogs - Dogtown and Dogtown Heights, also Cat World, Feathered Friends for birds, Bunny House for rabbits, all of which have wonderful indoor/outdoor communal living areas rather than separate kennels or cages. There are also various pastures and enclosures for horses, donkeys, mules, pigs, goats and sheep. The sanctuary offers free 1-1/2 hour tours for visitors; volunteers always take the tour and can decide where they want to work and what schedule suits them, whether it’s one day, one week, or one month.
I usually spend one or two days volunteering with dogs, the other days with cats. With the dogs a volunteer usually walks them in the mornings, which is a huge pleasure because the paths wind through juniper and sagebrush with wonderful views of the vermilion cliffs. There’s also “housework” involved, such as sweeping their indoor rooms, feeding them, washing their dishes, scooping their poop, brushing them, and then generally socializing with them. With cats it’s cleaning out the kitty litter boxes, sweeping and mopping floors, cleaning all the sleeping areas, brushing their blankets etc. but it’s always a pleasure doing that kind of housework. And then there’s the reward of socializing with them and boy, most of the cats just lap that up!
DD: Do you have a favorite animal there?
J: It’s hard to say, because the sanctuary has about an 80% adoption rate I think, and a dog I may have fallen in love with one year may not be there the next. My favorite of all was Churchill, a mostly black pitbull who we took on a “sleepover” with us at the motel one night last year; he was one of the sweetest, most loving dogs I’d ever met (I’m a sucker for pitbulls anyway). Others obviously felt the same, as he has since been adopted. I love the older and special-needs animals most of all, and try to make a point of volunteering in those areas.
DD: What have you learned from your time spent volunteering with animals in different places?
J: I have learned that animals who’ve been through any kind of trauma (even just the trauma of being given up by their owners) and wind up in a shelter are definitely grateful for any sort of kindness shown them. And that more and more people are realizing that animals are sentient beings who are as worthy of love, respect, care and kindness as humans are (sometimes more so!) I think the Michael Vick dog-fighting case, the atrocity of puppy mills and disasters such as Katrina and their attendant publicity have taught us that no matter the calamity, there is always a silver lining to them in that the plight of these animals is brought to light, and that gets people thinking and talking and acting positively. I think education plays a huge role. Everyone needs to understand that spaying and neutering their pets is not only beneficial to both the pets and humans, but the only way the euthanization numbers are going to be reduced. We still have a long way to go, even though there are many low-cost spay/neuter programs available. And if we can not only teach, but practice, kindness-towards-animals to youngsters, they will grow up knowing we are all the animals’ caretakers.
DD: Do you know of any places in Florida that are like the sanctuary?
J: Not really, because the sanctuary in Utah is a physically huge operation, with close to 400 employees, and well over 12,000 volunteers a year (probably more since the “Dogtown” series appeared on the National Geographic Channel earlier this year – Best Friends has been inundated with offers of volunteerism) and the scope of its work is enormous, especially domestically, and is growing internationally. But the number of shelters and rescue groups in Florida amazes me and basically they are all working towards the same goal – no more homeless pets. So big or small, it’s the dedication of the staff and volunteers at the shelters and rescue groups that really makes a difference, and the animals benefit, which is what it’s all about.
