Awesome Volunteers Ariella, her daughter Chanah, and Chanah’s best friend, Korinne, are an incredible team that has been helping our shelter dogs since January 2018. They came to Animal Friends Alliance with abundant experience in dog rescue. Ariella’s journey into rescue started with fostering. Over the last 7 years, she and her family have fostered over 80 dogs from several rescues! Ariella also spent 5 years as a Transport Coordinator for an animal shelter in New Mexico. During that time, she grew their transfer program and frequently drove their van back and forth between New Mexico and Colorado with rescue dogs, while Chanah and her brother, Eliyahu, helped out by sterilizing kennels, dishes, bedding, and toys.
Volunteering at Animal Friends Alliance was a great way for Chanah, Korinne, and Ariella to spend time together while helping the local shelter dogs. Every week, they come in to walk dogs, play with them, read to them, and give them love. Korinne and Chanah have developed excellent dog handling skills, and they do a great job with even our bigger, rowdier dogs. They are active in their Girl Scout Troop, which Ariella leads. To help younger Girl Scouts learn about pet care, Chanah and Korinne organized several Daisy Journey events called, “3 Cheers for Animals.” Animal Friends Alliance staff attended the events to lead the discussion and answer questions, and the Girl Scouts made winter cat shelters to distribute to community cat caretakers.
When asked what they enjoy about volunteering, Korinne says, “I love the fact I get to help animals that are waiting for their new family to adopt them!” Chanah explains, “Volunteering is a really good way to help your community. It helps you get outside of your own head and everything you might need to do that day and just focus on the dogs.” Ariella loves giving time back to help make the world a better place. “Be the change in the world you wish to see, right?” she says. In the future, Ariella plans to take the K9 Coach Class so that she can further help the shelter dogs that have special behavior issues or needs. “They just want love and it is nice to be able to spend some time with innocents giving them just that basic need,” she says. Ariella and her family have 3 rescue dogs, Rina, Rosie, and Crystal, and Korinne’s dog, Walter, is an Animal Friends Alliance alum.
Ariella, Chanah, and Korinne, we are so thankful for you and the time, friendship, and love you give the dogs each week! You are an essential part of the Animal Friends Alliance family!