Why Not Walk a Shelter Dog?

Written and photographed by Paulina Witkowska

If you like animals and outdoor activities, why not walk a shelter dog?

Animal shelters try to help unwanted, injured, and lost animals, mostly dogs and cats. They provide a home, food, and medical care for them. However, since they are very often overcrowded, underfunded, and understaffed, it is really difficult for staff to take good care of all creatures living there. There are many ways to help animals in need. We can simply donate some money, gather supplies, or just spread the word using social media. Another good idea is becoming a volunteer at a local animal shelter. Volunteers are usually responsible for walking dogs, playing with cats, and cleaning cages.

Nowadays, more and more people are interested in walking a shelter dog because it is a good opportunity to interact with the animals and spend some time outdoors. While walking a dog, we are able to help it become more sociable and rebuild trust with people, and as a result, we may create a better chance of finding a new home for it. Animal shelters are short of hands so usually they are not able to walk all the dogs. In order to allow animals to leave their cages more often, they try to involve more volunteers. For example, the Muncie Animal Shelter in Indiana has used the Pokémon Go craze to attract players and, at the same time, get them to walk the dogs.

If you wonder how you can help abandoned pets and do not know where to start, just contact your local animal shelter or volunteer group. Many animal shelters in Korea run a volunteer program. In Gwangju, every Sunday at 1 p.m., a group of volunteers goes to the local pound to walk dogs. The Gwangju Animal Shelter Volunteering group was created in March 2016 by Lisa Crone and Rob Smith, who are English teachers and animal lovers. The group has goals of not only walking dogs but also fundraising, promoting dog adoption, and fostering animals. The “Sunday Dog Walking” has turned out to be a very successful program that attracts many people keen to help animals in need. Currently, Gwangju Animal Shelter Volunteering has more than 600 members. Many of the members are exchange and international students, as well as foreigners working in Korea. Taking part in the “Sunday Dog Walking” program lets us do a good deed for animals while at the same time relax our mind. For some dogs, it is the only opportunity to leave their cages for the entire week.

Unfortunately, due to the animal shelter manager’s resignation, the “Sunday Dog Walking” program is not operating these days. Nevertheless, we can still support pets in another way. Nowadays, the Gwangju Animal Shelter Volunteering group is putting emphasis on fostering. Fostering involves taking a pet into your home and taking care of it for some specified amount of time. Some dogs need a quiet place to recover as they are not in a good condition for living in a shelter. Usually, the foster person is supported with money to pay for veterinary bills. The most important part of fostering is that the chances of a dog in foster care being adopted are higher than for a dog living in an animal shelter. While giving a temporary home to a pet, we are training it to be more sociable and helping it to learn pet etiquette.

Even small acts can make a big difference, so do not hesitate to take some action and help animals in need!

THE AUTHOR
Originally from Poland, Paulina is an exchange student at Chonnam National University majoring in business administration. In her free time, she likes taking photos, traveling, and learning languages. Currently she is a volunteer for GIC Talk and enjoys being a part of the Gwangju International Center.