For the Least of These...
I spent a good period of time the last few years discerning a regular place to do some volunteer. I had tried a few different options since Covid in 2020, ranging from taking on a case with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate office) to attempting to go back into student mentoring with teammates.org. I found it was a real struggle to find something that I found meaningful and were interested in having me work for them. One would think good volunteers are hard to come by, but I approached several grounds over the last few years, and either I wasn't all that interested in committing or they were not all that interested in committing to me.
The journey was all really a bit bizarre. I had really hoped to find some meaningful ministry in or through the Church again. For whatever reason, it has become clear that my current Diocese and Parish really are not all that serious about using my skills and training for any productive purpose other than occasional menial tasks. That is a long story that I won't go into here, but I have finally come to terms with the fact that I am probably never going to have any meaningful ministry again in a parish setting other than to occasionally teach an OCIA class or lector on a Sunday. The Catholic Church is really bad at fostering lay vocations. They talk a good talk (and for the most part walk a good walk) about fostering religious vocations, but lay people are pretty much on their own if they want to engage in meaningful ministries.
But, that's neither here nor there. I have started doing some volunteer work a few afternoons a month at a small dog rescue shelter in a small town outside of town. There are a few animal rescue shelters here in town, but they are both oddly run. One is extremely standoffish to the public and the other is subsidized by the city but seems to be seriously mismanaging funds and resources. As such, I never could get either of those shelters to call me back, which I find strange. Granted, it has been about ten years, but I have many years of helping with various dog rescue organizations in South Dakota and Chicago.
I write this not to toot my own horn, please do not take it as such. Really, I say "volunteer" work with a dog rescue, and it is really as much an excuse for me to go play with big dogs for a few hours every few weeks than something totally altruistic. But, there is something to be said for helping other creatures in need.
We often hear Jesus quoted as saying, "Do unto the least of these...you do unto Me" and we generally take that to mean helping out the poor, i.e. human beings. We are also called to be good stewards of all creation, not to to care for humans. As such, doing work to help out animals who, through no fault of their own, end up in animal shelters, is also a form of doing the Lord's work. Now, I am not one to think such theological vanities as "All dogs go to heaven" or that dogs have a soul like unto humans, but our furry friends are still part of God's creation, and for those who have a gift in helping such neglected and lost animals is also a form of "doing unto the least of these."
Animals end up in shelters, often through no fault of their own. Sometimes they accidentally get lost or separated from their owners and end up in a pound. A lot of times they just get surrendered to a shelter intentionally. Sometimes that is because the owner can no longer care for them, due to illness or being evicted from their home.
Unfortunately, many dogs just get dumped for no good reason. Those cute little puppies quickly turn into gangly teenage adult dogs that are not so cute. Some dog breeds just are not domesticated couch potatoes and a need a lot of training and exercise. Working breeds in particularly still need to work or be given something to do, or they find themselves work-work that I can pretty much guarantee will not be to the owner's liking. Some dogs get largely and hairy in ways owners who impulsively bought a cute little puppy were not expecting.
One of the saddest events is when an older dog just ends up at a shelter because he or she gets too old. They don't necessarily have elderly health problems, they just get frosty faces, and the family tires of them. They give their whole life of love to a family, only to find themselves at a shelter because they are too old. I say that is a sad event because older dogs that end up in kennels have a really hard time getting adopted because, let's face it: people don't usually go to a shelter or pound to adopt an elderly dog. They want a puppy or at least a young, spry dog that's full of life and energy.
obnoxious chew-your-slipper puppy phase. Take, for instance, this older gent of a husky I have come to befriend at the shelter that I volunteer at. His name is Balto and he was originally adopted out of the kennel 8 years ago, but ended up back at the same shelter later in life because his owner got cancer and died, and the family did not have room for a big husky dog. But he is such an amazing dog. If I had a big yard out in the country, I'd adopt this dog in a heart beat. He's just such an amazing older gentleman of dog. Walks great on a leash. Friendly and polite as all get out, once he gets to know you. Beautiful ice blue eyes. (If you are interesting in this particular dog, you can learn more about him here.)
There is just something about helping out dogs like this who, through no fault of their own, end up in shelters. If you can't adopt, you can always help out. Most volunteer shelters need dog walkers or people to just go and help socialize the dogs.
So, if you are looking for a dog, I highly recommend going to a shelter. Plenty of amazing dogs out there, waiting for new homes.
Do unto the least of these...
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