By Taylor Timinskas, ’18

One of my favorite volunteering services is helping out at the Animal Protection Society of Durham. Motivated by Cary Academy’s Key Club to find new volunteer organizations, I volunteered at a fundraiser where I met a group of dogs looking for a family. I immediately connected with the volunteers working there; they took the time to explain to me how much the dogs have been through to get to this point. To see how happy all the dogs were in the moment, all wagging their tails with excitement as potential adopters approached, made me happy as well; I knew I wanted to be part of that change for other animals.

As a non-profit organization, APS needs all the help they can through the workers, trainers, staff, and volunteers that form their community. I focus my efforts on walking dogs at the shelter, and the number of volunteers that show up on any day determines how often the dogs can go out. Being able to go out gives them some time to go outside of their rooms, socialize with humans, and  get trained. I love when I am able to stop by the shelter often because I get to see many of the dogs improve over time. Some of them come into the shelter very shy and scared and some come in that are a little too mouthy, but with more exposure, they are all open to learning and improvement when they feel loved and cared for. With a mission to continue these efforts until all shelter animals are healthy and find loving homes, I am proud to be part of such an influential and welcoming organization. I’d love for any member of the Cary Academy community who may be interested in helping out to come by for a training session. On the APS Durham website, there are multiple dates for all kinds of volunteer opportunities with different animals – even opportunities where you don’t need to be in contact with animals at all. I invite everyone to take the chance to become part of this mission, especially if you are passionate about animals, because it has become one of my most cherished experiences.