Volunteers make a big difference at the Citizens for Humane Action Animal Shelter, and many of those volunteers head to the north Columbus shelter from Westerville.
“Volunteers do everything from dog walking to serving on our board of directors,” says Stephanie Wimbish, shelter director.
The shelter has about 350 volunteers from central Ohio. It can house about 100 animals, plus 30 to 40 more in foster homes, Wimbish says.
“Our mission is to serve the people and animals of central Ohio by providing safe, temporary shelter and care for abandoned or otherwise homeless cats and dogs, and to reduce pet overpopulation by means of spay and neuter, education, and community outreach,” Wimbish says.
Quite a few people from Westerville volunteer, Wimbish says. Some, such as Westerville resident Missi Keska, even go on to become staff members.
“Our volunteers are incredibly valuable to the animal shelter,” says Keska, an animal caretaker for the shelter.
Each volunteer must undergo an orientation session and hands-on training, Keska says, and all are supervised and assisted by experienced colleagues known as volunteer leads.
“The best way to learn is hands-on,” Keska says. “Every day is a little bit different, so we learn as we go.”
During her two years at the shelter, Keska has adopted three dogs: two Australian cattle dogs, Tanner and Polly, and one Rottweiler mix named Rosie. She also adopted a black cat that was abandoned in a parking lot.
As part of the staff for about a year and a half, Keska helps manage the volunteers as they walk dogs and keep the place clean. She also provides some assistance to veterinarians and monitors the dogs’ time on the playground.
“Volunteers get to do all the fun work,” she says, laughing.
Once a week, Keska appears on CD102.5’s Morning Show with a dog or cat to introduce to listeners.
“I wanted to do something that would give back to the community and I absolutely love animals,” Keska says.
That sentiment is shared by volunteer Mark Garver. The recently-retired Westerville resident has always loved dogs – he currently has a 12-pound Italian greyhound named Sadie – and found the shelter a perfect fit.
Once a week, Garver checks the list of dogs that need to be walked. Since he has a small dog at home, he generally walks the larger animals. Wilma, a chocolate Labrador, and Boo Boo, a Labrador mix, are two of his favorites.
Volunteering has even changed his mind about some breeds, most notably pit bulls. Garver was once afraid of pit bulls, but his work at the shelter quickly taught him they can be perfectly gentle.
“The best part about working here is that the people are nice and they work hard,” says Garver. “They give dogs and cats a second chance.”
Like Garver, Westerville volunteer Patricia Harmon walks dogs in nearby Strawberry Farms Park.
“It’s a great place to walk them,” Harmon says.
Harmon started helping out a year and a half ago. She owns a standard poodle that was once a seeing-eye dog.
Though walking dogs is her No.1 duty, Harmon is also on the shelter’s 12-person board of directors, overseeing finances, hiring staff members and organizing fundraisers. In addition, she reaches out to other volunteers and the community to raise money when animals need expensive medical procedures.
“It’s a great shelter,” Harmon says. “The dogs (and other pets) are so well cared for here.”
The shelter, located at 3765 Corporate Dr. just south of Westerville, was founded in 1975. It’s known for such community events as Picnic with the Pups, the Dog Jog and the Kitten Shower.
The next event on the schedule is Pedal for Pets, a Sept. 14 bike ride fundraiser that begins at the shelter. Distances range from a short family fun ride to a 40-mile trek and are mainly on the Alum Creek bike trail, though longer rides incorporate side streets and country roads.
The shelter will also be part of an adoption event Sept. 15 at MARS Petcare, 5115 Fisher Rd. in west Columbus.
More information on the shelter can be found on its website, www.chaanimalshelter.org.
Brandon Klein is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
