as anyone who knows anything about me is well aware, a good portion of my life involves dogs. animals in general, but specifically dogs. and even more specifically, abandoned or neglected dogs that need loving homes.

and some may know that from time to time i visit various animal shelters around the area and lend a helping hand.

however, i don't officially volunteer at any of them.

that is, until today.

until today, i could only handle a little bit here and there. in the past, when i've been heavily involved in volunteering and shelter work, i've suffered from burnout. what's more, i've rapidly become depressed and antisocial. i haven't previously been able to overcome my feelings of sorrow and pain for the dogs - and simultaneously, my anger and rage at the people responsible for them being so bad off.

i haven't been able to work in a shelter environment up to this point because i'd arrive in tears and go home in tears. (and that isn't healthy for me, or the dogs.)

today though...

today marked some kind of turning point. i'm not sure what triggered it exactly, or why it was enough to make such a dramatic difference in my outlook. but it did.

today i realized that tears accomplish nothing. and although most would say i've `done my part` in adopting/rescuing seven dogs thus far in my life, i'm never satisfied with that.

and while it is true that my home is full, my heart still has so much room.

and i want other people to see what i see; i want to share the joy that can be found in a canine companion. i know i'll never accomplish that goal in it's entirety, but even if i can only make a difference to one dog a month, that's still one more life saved that otherwise wouldn't have been.

and so, with that in my mind i went and signed up, officially, to be a volunteer at the local animal shelter. i have two areas in which i'll be participating. the first of which i'm required to bring in my camera (roughly once a week) and take pictures of all the new dogs that come in for the website. i'm excited about this, as it's a proven fact that pictures = higher adoption rate. this duty falls under the title ``animal angel`` to which i've already gotten teased by rob and tyson about. *g*

my second `job` will be to spend time with the dogs one-on-one. i will be providing them socialization and human interaction, as well as training (which means treats!), too. no doubt, they'll be happy to see (smell) me when i come, and i already know leaving those smiling faces as i did today will pain me.

however, i'm also leaving with the knowledge that i can help place some of them in good homes, and that's what i'm going to rely on to keep me motivated.

and really, i think i'll still feel positive about this down the road. i acknowledge that there's always the chance of `burnout` again. and i wouldn't doubt that i'll mentally blacklist anyone i see that comes in to dump a dog.

but i feel different about the situation this time, as i've never gone into it thinking like i am now. previously i've carried with me the `save the world` mentality, and i was never happy with only helping to remedy some of it.

and while i haven't given up on saving the world, i guess my goals are just a little more realistic this time out. :o)

any thoughts? (0)����������������