Geeks Giving Back, February: Animal Rescue
How often have you been playing your favorite game, only to have your cat jump up and bat at the monitor, or “help you out” by warming your hands, i.e., sit on your hands on the keyboard? Our geeky staff love their animals and love giving back to the animal community. In this first installment of Geeks Giving Back, we focus on volunteering with animals. There are a variety of ways to volunteer with animals, but today we focus on volunteering with rescue.
What is animal rescue? An animal rescue organization saves animals of an established type from a variety of sources and places them, through adoption, with new owners. Pet rescues are easy to find. Google your favorite breed of dog or animal with the word “rescue” and your locale to find a rescue near you.
Our Manager of Fundraising, LB Chambers, volunteers at Greyhound Pets, Inc. in Woodinville, WA—a non profit organization that finds homes for retired racing greyhounds (or those deemed unsuitable for racing). Our Manager of Social Media, Ana “Vee” Visneski, volunteers at the Seattle Animal Shelter.
Everyone has their own reasons for choosing to volunteer for such an organization. For Vee, her own adopted dogs contributed to her motivation. She says, “I have two adopted dogs who are such a joy in my life, and I firmly believe that every animal deserves a loving home. Rescuing your pet instead of buying should be something everyone really considers. The Seattle Animal Shelter is a great asset to this cause.”
LB wanted to adopt after meeting greyhounds and volunteers from Greyhound Pets, Inc. at a local pet store. Rather than jump full tilt into the relationship, she decided to volunteer for the organization to get to know the breed a little better. A dedication to adopting need not be your motivation. Perhaps you just like to play with cute puppies, kitties, or your animal of choice.
Within these organizations, there are many types of volunteer positions to fit your motivation. For example, some of the volunteer positions listed for the above organizations are booth volunteer, foster home, transporter of animals, in-shelter volunteer; individual, youth, or group volunteering. These range from activities that require an hour of your time to constant care, from irregular timing to highly specific scheduling.
“If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering at Greyhound Pets, Inc. they should visit the website (at www.greyhoundpetsinc.org) and then contact Moira Corrigan who is the President (her contact information is available on the website). Before you become a full volunteer you must attend a training session led by an experienced or head volunteer, but Greyhound Pets, Inc. is very accommodating in finding times that work for their volunteers. This is a great way for someone who wants to volunteer regularly, but not on a strict time schedule. Volunteers are needed twice a day to take out the dogs and there is the option to take a weekly spot, but volunteers can also be on a contact list in case more volunteers are needed to fill open spots (usually there are spots open every couple days),” LB responded when asked what someone who wanted to volunteer with Greyhound Pets, Inc. specifically might expect.
“You can also become a foster home for greyhounds which is equally important. A lot of the time a greyhound has spent his or her entire life in a small cage with only moments of speed on a racetrack; they have no knowledge of mirrors, cars, televisions, other animals, even stairs (especially stairs!). It’s a lot of work to foster a greyhound and work him or her through discovering the world outside a cage, but very rewarding and a lot of fun.” Different organizations have different needs, so be sure to check with your favorite rescue as to what their volunteer needs are and how to go about volunteering with them.
Vee warns that you may want to take every single animal you work with home. “My first dog was a rescue, and she is the best dog ever. (I might be biased.) I began working with the Louisiana SPCA after being a responder during Hurricane Katrina because I felt it was a way to keep helping the region even in my off time. There was so much healing to be done in that region, and I knew how much my dog had always been a big part of my own life. I hoped that reuniting people with their pets, or finding families new pets to love, could help some of that healing happen.” Vee kindly provided the adorable photos shown on this blog from her work with the LSPCA, and are used with her permission.
If you have an interest in volunteering with a pet rescue, the animals give their unconditional love in return, and you may find other rewards. We’d love to hear about your experience.

Photo by Ana “Vee” Visneski