Dog-Walking

I got this idea from a Better Homes magazine. In a section, a woman had written that she wanted to spend more time with her daughter doing something meaningful. So, they went to an animal shelter once a week to pet kittens and cats, in order to help keep them socialized, and therefore, easier to adopt. Immediately, I thought it would be a great idea for us to do the same. What a fun way to volunteer in the community with my girls, and have fun while doing it.  

We did it for about 4 weeks straight. We pet the cats and kittens. We walked 2 or 3 dogs each visit we made.  Both got super attached to this dog in particular, named Apache. He was an older dog, who needed to be neutered. Every week I had to be strong and say, "No, we are not adopting, we are just volunteering, and having fun, too!" On our third week, as we went to the normal cage to get Apache to walk him, we were unable to find him anywhere. We found out that he had been moved to another shelter in Montana, where they hoped he would be adopted. I was not prepared for the storm that followed. Natalia was literally heart broken. She sobbed. For an hour. Unconsolable. She still talks about him and how she hopes he found a good home. 

In spite of her broken heart, she agreed to go back the following week.  We found another spunky dude, called Mikey, who was fun to walk. However, I could see that Tory was really taken with him (and frankly, so was I). Natalia, however, remained sure that no dog was as good as Apache had been ("'cause he was so gentle, and didn't pull me or jump on me").  Unfortunately, the following week, both girls were unenthusiastic about returning to the shelter. So, I have pushed the pause button on this activity for now, and hope to push the play button again in the near future.