Volunteering

   

       For the past 3 years since returning to school, I have had more time to volunteer. Most people who don't volunteer think that volunteer is about helping others. However, those who DO volunteer realize that volunteering is really about helping others and yourself. Serving others is good for your personal growth. It gives you a purpose with meaning that is well beyond making money and accumulating stuff. Personally speaking, helping others in their times of need, reminds me of just how precarious my own existence is. It also makes me more appreciative of my good fortune.
          For my volunteer hours this semester, I worked with a dog rescue called IMPS, which stands for Internet Min-Pin Service. It's a breed specific rescue that takes in abandoned, unwanted, or injured min-pins. There is no physical building or shelter, but numerous volunteers in almost every state and Canada. As a volunteer, I pull dogs from shelters, foster them, work applications for adoption, do Home Visits, take dogs for vetting, and transport them. I have fostered 14 dogs so far and transported numerous others on the road to their new homes. My newest foster is Kiko. She is a sweet 10 year old senior that has had a terrible past. She was originally saved from a hoarding situation. There she had to fight for any scraps of food. She has several scars and a ripped ear to prove it. After that she ended up in a home that kept her crated all day...all the time. Poor Kiko went from years in a crowded prison to years in solitary confinement. When she was finally rescued from her plight, she was adopted out to a nice senior woman and finally seemed to be in the home she deserved. However, within a short time, her new owner became ill and needed surgery. I was asked to doggie-sit Kiko for a short time until the owner could recover.  Unfortunately, the woman's health issues were so severe that she could no longer care for Kiko. So, now I am fostering Kiko and looking for a new perfect home for her.
       Despite her troubles, Kiko is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever known. Sure she shows some signs of abuse, but it doesn't define her. I have learn a lot from fostering dogs. Most give out their love unconditional, even when humans have treated them horribly and forsaken them. They still seek to bond with a person. Kiko is a testament to their strength and capacity for forgiveness and love. Dogs are my heroes! I hope to continue fostering and working with rescues for as long as I possibly can.