On any given day, Little Rock Animal Village has about 150 animals in its care. During the first part of the covid-19 pandemic, only the shelter staff was allowed into the facilities to take care of the animals, says Betsy Robb. Robb is president of Friends of the Animal Village, a volunteer organization that provides supplemental support to the shelter.
"Volunteers really got invited back probably 10 months ago," Robb says about the return of volunteers, "but we've lost a lot of volunteers since covid because we were shut down for so long. We're down to just a handful."
The good news is the village will resume volunteer orientation starting Saturday -- which is a requirement for volunteering.
"It is going to be the second Saturday of every month just like it was before," Robb says. "We're going to be limiting spots at each orientation due to covid and all of that. There's going to be 15 spots in each orientation class and you have to sign up in advance."
Orientation teaches new volunteers the ins and outs of the shelter, she says. Potential volunteers will learn "what different color kennel cards mean, different procedures like the number of days an animal is on stray hold, the animals you can and the ones that you should not take out in play yards, and how to introduce dogs to each other."
So what do volunteers do?
"One of the biggest things is just getting animals, especially dogs, out of their kennels into the play yards, letting them get some exercise," she says.
Being in a shelter can be difficult on animals so playtime and time outside of their pens is important.
"If they're here for a couple of weeks and they've only gotten playtime in the yard a couple of times, they're going be stressed," Robb says about the dogs in their care. "They can get depressed and slowly become less adoptable. So we really rely on volunteers to help keep them happy and healthy."
The shelter has had problems during covid staying fully staffed, adding to its difficulties. "The staff doesn't have time to take out 150 dogs a day," Robb explains. "Can you imagine?"
Being a volunteer with the shelter can be very gratifying, but Robb says she does hear concerns from people. "Obviously you get lots of love. But a lot of people think, 'Oh, I could never volunteer. It would make me too sad,' or 'I would want to take them all home.'"
Robb says that while volunteering does have its sad moments, there are many more positives.
"It is so easy to help save a life. You wouldn't believe how little it takes sometimes to help get one dog adopted. And when you make that happen, it's the most rewarding thing ever. And that's what keeps you coming back. It's knowing that you really truly are making a difference and you see it right there in their eyes."
Robb, who besides heading up the Friends of Animal Village as president, also volunteers as a media coordinator taking adoptable animals to local television stations for segments about adopting a pet at the village, helping plan fundraisers and coordinating the foster and volunteer programs. She has been a volunteering for 10 years.
When asked if she has a favorite adoption story, she says she always thinks about her two long-term "fosters." (Fosters are animals taken home by volunteers which opens up space at the shelter for other animals as well as helping the animal socialize and get used to being in a home.)
"I've had two that were with me for quite a while. They both had heart worms, so they had to go through heart-worm treatment, which is three months.
"I think they both had been in the shelter for three months," she says. "They still weren't getting adopted. One was a hairless pit bull named Dante, who was a mess when he first came to into the Animal Village. We still don't know why he's hairless. He's still hairless to this day.
"And the other was Freckles, who looked like he'd been half shaved when he came into the shelter. Never figured that one out either," she says showing a picture of a furry dog except where it was shaved on one side.
While being treated for heart worms, Freckles' hair grew back in and he was later transported to Colorado for adoption.
"Freckles is just absolutely beautiful now. When he first went up to Colorado and got adopted, I got some pictures of him literally standing on top of a mountain. I was like 'That's it. That's the whole goal.'"
"And then we have Dante." Robb says she fostered the hairless pit bull for nine months during covid. He wasn't available for several months because they were trying to figure out his skin problems. "Plus," she says, "I knew he was really really special and I wanted a really special home for him."
Dante was adopted locally and has even made a splash on TikTok, Robb says. "So those are two of my favorite victory stories."
And she says it all came about because of volunteering.
"Both dogs, even though I was an active volunteer up here, probably wouldn't have even come up on my radar if it hadn't been for other volunteers bringing them to my attention. So you create a network of volunteers that help get the ones that really need help the most. And it's volunteers who really make the magic happen."
For more information about the organization Friends of the Little Rock Animal Village and Volunteer Orientation visit their website at friendsoftheanimalvillage.org.
Spring through fall is kitten and puppy season, says Betsy Robb, who volunteers at Little Rock Animal Village, and that’s when intake numbers explode. The shelter is restarting its volunteer orientation program Saturday. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)