For this September Volunteer Spotlight, we would like to honor one of our amazing volunteers, Alane Urban. Alane has been with Animal Friends Alliance since 2019. After moving to Colorado, Alane decided she would like to spend some of her free time volunteering. In the past, Alane has volunteered with animals and she loved every minute of it. Alane’s volunteer journey began at the Children’s Hospital of Denver, CO. She and her dog Blondie volunteered in the Pet Prescription Program. After Blondie’s passing, Alane was unable to adopt another dog due to her traveling often for work. She knew she had to get involved helping save dogs in any way she could.
Alane wanted to get involved with another organization closer to her new home in Fort Collins. Once she found Animal Friends Alliance (then Animal House) she decided it was a perfect fit. Upon walking into Animal Friends Alliance, Alane realized she had found a special organization. Not only did she see compassion for animals but she saw compassion for people as well.
Alane has had several roles with Animal Friends Alliance. She has volunteered in Shelter Dog Care, Dog Walking, Adoption events and Animal Transport. Alane is always finding ways she can be helpful at the shelter. She sees how much goes on behind the scenes and she’s always willing to help support our staff.
One of her fondest memories was with a dog named Caterpillar. She fell in love with her right away and has since found that love in many other shelter dogs since she began her journey with Animal Friends Alliance. When she was told that Caterpillar had gone home with a little girl who proudly announced that this was HER dog, it filled her with joy. Though Alane is without a furry friend at home, she’s able to give her love to the dogs at the shelter.
Professionally, Alane began her career working in corporate America shortly after college. Then in 2014, she had the opportunity to bring her business knowledge to a start up company that had a great product and needed operational leadership. They were able to grow the start up into a successful company and in 2018, it sold to a major corporation.
Being born and raised on a farm in rural South Dakota, Alane has always had a love for the outdoors. After deciding South Dakota was not the place for her, she decided she wanted to move somewhere with more opportunities to be in nature. Alane is an adventure seeker so you may find her trekking along the beautiful Colorado trails, camping in the forest, riding her bike or canyoneering. In the future, Alane would love to continue traveling and volunteering. She has also begun learning the guitar and gardening in her free time.
