In 2018 Amy relocated from Northamptonshire to Lincolnshire. She had always wanted to do volunteering and/or work with dogs and it was the perfect time to do this. Plus, being out of work during the move also meant she had time on her hands.

What does the role involve?

Her role involves helping at the centre, with a bit of cleaning, but is also very ‘hands on’ with the dogs who she walks. She really enjoys giving the dogs lots of enrichment – ranging from one on one time, playing, to cuddles, in fact anything that makes their tails wag and gives them time away from the stress of the kennel environment.

Working part time, Amy fits volunteering around her work, giving a couple of mornings per week to the dogs at the centre. She loves spending time with them and has a particular passion for the big dogs, finding it so rewarding when the dogs are excited and happy to see her. There is lots of variety in her role; from taking the dogs for a walk in the countryside, where she can walk for miles, to giving them off lead play in the enclosed areas of the centre where they enjoy a good sniff or play with any of the many toys. With an agility course on site the dogs can also really burn off some steam. Or, for quieter times, there is a cozy ‘Meet and Greet’ room where cuddles are plentiful in a more ‘home-like’ environment.

Proud to volunteer

Amy finds volunteering incredibly rewarding. As a dog lover she doesn’t want any dog to suffer, or be lonely in kennels. She would like to take them all home and give them all the home comforts that her own dogs have, but knows this is unrealistic as she already has two rescue dogs of her own. But enjoys being able to give a little to the cause and break up the monotony of the days in rescue for the dogs. But she has also found that volunteering has given her so much more confidence and is very proud that she is doing something now that has been a lifelong ambition.

Encouraging others to volunteer, she says that every dog is so special and seeing dogs out of the kennel environment is so satisfying. So if you are thinking about owning a dog, or circumstances prevent you from doing so, then spending time volunteering could be really beneficial to you and definitely to the dogs. It provides great exercise and dogs never judge you, just accept you as you are. It’s flexible and there are lots of different roles. With no pressure it’s very relaxing and it never feels like a chore.

We think Amy is justified in feeling proud of the work she does as a volunteer!

To find out more about how to volunteer with us please visit our main volunteer page here.