A day in the life of a Paws Mission volunteer

As an animal lover who is unable to keep a dog due to space constraints in my small apartment as well as long working hours, I had been considering volunteering some spare time during my weekends to help out at an animal shelter.

I discovered Paws Mission by searching for a shelter not too far from where I live, and decided to pop by one weekend with a friend to see how we could help out. 

It turned out there's no shortage of work to do for anyone who's willing to lend a hand!

Here's a peek at some of the things we did over a few hours on Saturday afternoon:

We were greeted by a HUGE teddy bear as we turned into the road where Paws Mission is located. Of course we had to take a picture!

The moment we stepped out of the car, we were greeted by much barking and joyful enthusiasm. 

Most of the dogs are very friendly and sociable - in fact, some of them are a little TOO enthusiastic, and require a firm 'NO!' to keep them from jumping all over you. 

But seriously, how many other places are there where will you be greeted by so many faces this delighted to see you?

We arrived in the middle of feeding time, and quickly realized that these canines LOVE their food. Like desperately. To the point of licking every last drop from every bowl or bucket used to hold food. Mmm.

After feeding, what comes next is, of course, a response to nature's call. And the cleaning up after of it. 

This is Thomas making sure these sick puppies (who can't mingle with the other dogs as they will spread a contagious virus) have a clean living environment!

And as anyone who's ever had a meal at home knows, dirty dishes don't wash themselves. So we helped to wash the dishes next. 

Thomas said I looked like one of those 'Ah Soh's beside the road. Gee, thanks. 

After the chores were done, for some full and satisfied doggies, it was nap time.

For these rest, it was time to be showered with lots of love and affection. Doing so, one has to wonder - What would make a person abandon dogs like these?

Whatever it is, one thing's for sure - these loyal dogs deserve better than this! 

So if you're free, whether to help out with basic maintenance of the shelter or simply play with the dogs, there will always be something for you to do! 

There are currently about 100 dogs at the 'no-kill' shelter, even though it can only comfortably hold 60-70. Despite rehoming hundreds of dogs in the 1+ years it has been in operation, more dumped or abandoned dogs keep coming in. 

Paws Mission is run completely by volunteers, who are always barely keeping up with the many demands of running such a shelter. We need your help to spread the word, volunteer your time at the shelter, or if you can, even adopt a dog yourself.

Now that you've read about what to expect, why not drop by yourself and see how you can lend a hand (or a paw)!