Before I turned 30, I had a goal to find a way to regularly volunteer with dogs. I loved dogs, but I was living in an apartment where I couldn't have them, and I was looking to get my "dog fix."A few months before my 30th birthday, by chance, I was talking to a colleague that I didn't see very often, and we happened upon the subject of volunteering with dogs. He recommended that I look at volunteering with Lucky Dog since he had been doing so for a few years. I went home and applied to start volunteering that day. I started out as a driver, bringing dogs to adoption events on Sundays.

I enjoyed it so much that I decided I wanted to start fostering, too. So, I moved apartments specifically so that I could take in dogs that needed foster homes. To date, I have fostered 22 dogs, and my third foster cat just got adopted.

With the job that I have now, I don't get to foster as much as I would like to. But when a foster animal first comes to your house and is overwhelmed and confused by everything that is going on, one of the best feelings is finally watching them fall asleep for the first time in front of you. They let out this sigh, like they know that they're finally safe and will be happy. It's the best feeling and a huge drive for why I continue to volunteer. You actually have a chance to make a real difference.

A couple years ago, I took on the role of being one of the volunteer liaisons, helping new volunteers get acquainted to the rescue and with the events on Sundays. I remember what it was like to come to my first events, so I try to make everyone feel welcome and try to get them excited for what they're doing - saving furry little lives! I am going on five and a half years volunteering with LDAR, and I hope I can inspire someone to continue to come back to help such a great cause. To volunteer with Lucky Dog, email [email protected] or visit luckydoganimalrescue.org/volunteer.