Caring for man's best friend at Blk 2 Furever Canine

Walking some 13 rescued dogs around the neighbourhood, showering them with treats and cleaning their kennels spotless.

The slew of activities have become a weekly affair for volunteers at nonprofit dog shelter Blk 2 Furever Canine, such as myself.

Since joining the team two years ago, I’ve learned that moments caring for these animals are highly unpredictable.

Therefore, it becomes very important for us to understand the personalities of our dogs well and react to situations spontaneously.

Once, the leash on one of our dogs, called Lucky, broke and it dashed away towards the road before any of the volunteers could react. Luckily, we managed to catch Lucky just in time and prevented an accident from happening.

Being our largest dog, Lucky wasn’t comfortable enough with human contact for us to put a leash on him until early last year, making it extremely challenging for us to keep him calm and relaxed.

Furthermore, volunteering with animals requires us to be alert at all times — especially when some of the dogs are skittish around other dogs or passers-by.

We  have to always be alert because loud noises from passing cars on the road can also easily startle them.

My biggest takeaway from volunteering is not to expect immediate results, but to hold on to the small things. Changes don’t just happen in one day. A few of our dogs took more than two years to get comfortable to us, as a result of our efforts to show our love and patience.

Many animal shelters hold donation drives and require short introductory write-ups for the dogs being put up for adoption. Even in aspects that are less publicised such as pushing for the adoption of senior dogs, students can offer to film videos to be shared online. As communications students, these deliverables are more or less second nature to us and we can do our part to contribute back to the community with the skills we have.

Where you put your time is where you put your heart. If you’re passionate about a cause or simply want to help a certain group of beneficiaries, go for it.

In the beginning, we all had our concerns and insecurities. But it is up to you to take the first step and learn along the way. ∎