Volunteering is a Walk in the Park
by Stephanie Swain

Last Saturday, I took Princess for an outing to give her some time away from the dog shelter.  I also wanted to have her all to myself for a while. This is the first instance that I’ve taken a dog on an outing since I’ve been volunteering and it was so much fun!

First off, Princess is amazing in the car. She jumped right in, sat down and seemed to totally enjoy the ride. When we got to Wills Park, I opened the car door and she waited patiently for me to gather her leash. She didn’t try to jump out and take off.

Once we were there, she had a great time wallowing in the grass on her back in the shade. Princess loves to have her belly scratched. Since the heat was sweltering, we headed to Bruster’s Ice Cream where she received a complimentary Doggie Sundae. Oh, man, did she love it! After Princess finished her ice cream, she wanted a sip of my milkshake, but I was too greedy.

Not wanting to take her back to the shelter yet, we headed over to air-conditioned Lowe’s since they allow dogs in the store. We walked the aisles and Princess was happy to receive any attention from strangers.

When  I brought her back to the shelter a couple of hours later, she seemed happy and relaxed. I definitely plan on taking more dogs on outings in the future, and I encourage other volunteers to do the same.

Spending the day with a dog is one of the many perks of being a Furkids volunteer. Please consider applying today at www.furkids.org/volunteer or stop by a shelter to fill out a form in person.