Volunteering at Paws Chicago

Over the course of this winter and spring, I volunteered at Paws Chicago. Paws is a no-kill shelter in Lincoln Park. They also have locations in Little Village and Highland Park. Paws has a program in which minors can volunteer with their parents. I am only 17, so I couldn't volunteer alone, my mom had to do it with me too. The program is for kids ages 12-17. We took a training course where the staff shared the basic rules and regulations and showed us around the facility. We signed up online for different shifts. Paws offers many different shifts at all different locations. These include reading to the animals at the surgical center in Little Village or being a door greeter at the Lincoln Park location. You can also volunteer to clean animal rooms and socialize animals. My mom and I first took a greeter shift. This was a 3-hour shift that consisted of standing in the lobby and directing people depending on what they were looking for. The Lincoln Park location is very busy, especially on the weekends, so we kept busy. We were able to help people fill out adoption surveys, and directed donations that people dropped off. The next time we went we did a cleaning shift. The first part was cleaning the cat rooms. We would mop the floors and clean the bedding and change the litter. We also got to socialize the cats in the shelter which was a lot of fun. We helped clean dishes and wash beds. We also got to clean the dog rooms while they were on walks. This consisted of spraying down the room with water and soap and use a long brush to scrub the floors and walls. Then, we would use a squeegee to drain the water. The most fun part about this whole job is the socialization of the dogs and cats. On this particular shift, we got to socialize a group of 3 labrador mix puppies. They were absolutely adorable. They were about 9 weeks old and cute as can be. We played with them, and then when they got tired, they slept on our laps. This was definitely the best part of volunteering. If you want to learn more about Paws click here. If you would like information about volunteering click here. 

Katie Moody. "Puppies" (2019)

Katie Moody. "Puppy Pile" (2019)

Katie Moody. "CM and Puppy." (2019)