By Emmy Warren

Since starting volunteer at Neighborhood Pets 4 months ago I have found it to be an amazing place to volunteer. Everyone there is so welcoming and caring that at the end of the day, it feels like I was just hanging out with friends. Walking into this, I was definitely not expecting to have this outcome considering that my past volunteer experiences have always felt like a scramble to find something for me to do. Instead, here I truly feel like I have made an impact each day. 

This experience definitely has its challenges as well, even though most of the time I get to hold puppies and give free pet food to owners. Sometimes I need to help people make difficult decisions. The hardest thing to do is when a person comes in with their dog or cat who is very sick and in need of immediate medical attention, but the owner simply can’t afford it. It’s our job to not only convince the owner that the best thing to do is to surrender the animal, but also to comfort them. At times, it was an uncomfortable experience, but also a very rewarding one. Seeing people’s faces light up as you hand them bags full of animal food for free, giving them the coupons they need to afford their vet care, and the ability to provide a healthy life for their pet is what Neighborhood Pets all about.