One of the most rewarding aspects of this type of work is the love and happiness you can bring to animals. Most of the animals that wind up in a shelter were abandoned or were found wandering or trapped. They are helpless in the kind of lives that they are dealt. Most come in and are scared, beaten, and hurt. Fostering and helping with shelters can help ease some of their pain, and it can help them feel the love that every animal deserves.

The local shelters in the area include; AHeinz57 located in DeSoto, Furry Friends Refuge located in West Des Moines. They are both great shelters that are always looking to better the lives of animals and are always in need of more help. Both organizations are volunteer-based and do amazing things for animals and families in need of a furry family addition.

My family started volunteering at AHeinz57 in 2019. My Mom and I were especially invested in helping out and getting involved in this organization. I have grown up with pets my whole life, and they have been a huge part of my life. When I was little my grandparents had acreage and had outside cats, I spent summers raising the kittens and playing with the cats. So when AHeinz57 needed more foster families I felt called to help. My family has fostered 18 cats/kittens and of those, we have adopted 2 and added them to our family, and we have 5 fosters now, and 4 other pets that we love and cherish.

Hosting these animals has enriched my life immensely. I get to watch kittens grow up, and feel safe and loved within our home and then be able to find their forever family. It is so rewarding to see animals that get adopted and are so happy because all animals are so deserving of that kind of love. Most of the animals that wind up in the shelter have had a very hard life, and it was a struggle each day for them to even survive, but they are still so full of love, and life.

Animals show us love every day, they may not be able to talk but they make sure to let us know how important we are. They need our help. Each animal’s life that is saved because of shelters, fosters, and adoptions are lives that are made better. I encourage anyone and everyone who loves animals to find a way to help local shelters.