Gimme Shelter

Oh, the corniest of all titles tonight, but a new start for me as I began today to move towards some volunteer work.

The Toronto Humane Society dates back to 1887, and has its roots in preventing cruelty to children before it devoted itself to the care of unwanted and mistreated animals in my fair city. It was, and still is, a wholly charitable organization that depends on donations from the public and its members. Two years ago, it was raided by the OSPCA (Ontario SPCA) for terrible practices, which included the refusal to euthanize dangerous and sick and dying animals, and its entire board of directors were thrown out and clean-up started to make it a better place. I had been a supporter for a long time, and was horrified at the legal mess they were in, not to mention the chaotic nature of the day-to-day operations under their previous management.

Today, as I walked through the main doors to attend a volunteers' meeting to become an official dog walker, I was stunned at the changes around me- friendly reception area, clean premises, in short, none of the overwhelming signs of disarray and despair that would have greeted me just a few short years ago. I was amazed to learn that infections and diseases kept many cats out of the adoption rooms, hidden away in back areas the public never saw, and that volunteers did at times come in the morning to help out to find dead animals in their cages because the belief was that no one was allowed to be mercifully put down. Animals sometimes lingered for years in cages, un-adoptable for reasons of temperament or illness; while the new management clearly states that no animal is killed for space, they do maintain that it is not possible to be an absolutely no-kill shelter and that there are times when it is the best course of action to let an animal go. Their current rate of euthanasia is 2%, which seems acceptable when you consider city shelters run by governments sit around 50% and routinely kill because they have no more cages left.

So, my next steps are pretty straight-forward, and I am further impressed that the process to becoming a volunteer is rather strict, and quite detailed. I am filling out the application, going for an interview, and if accepted beyond that, I will begin some proper training to learn how to walk a shelter dog. They are not exactly like family dogs- stressed, fearful, grieving, anxious, confined, these are all reactions to being in a new, sometimes scary and often noisy place, and I am going to have to learn how to "read" them. I am quite excited for the opportunity- volunteering was always a part of my plan for my year off, and I finally settled down and decided that I am going to do some dog walking and some French-language liaison with newly arrived immigrants from French post-colonial African countries with a local organization. The dog walking is going to get incorporated into my new exercise regimen, and suits me fine because I love animals and I am a big fan of daily walking. The commitment is for 2 hours at a time, once a week, in a regular time slot, which I will manage quite easily, I think. I have no yet finalized my plans with the French group, but they have promised to contact me via email by September to see how I can help. What I was determined to avoid was anything to do with teaching, although making dogs do new tricks will be just fine.