Joy has been volunteering with Butte Humane Society since August and has been a star dog walking volunteer ever since. In that short amount of time, she has helped with over 60 hours of dog walking at our facility. She has become walking buddies with over half of our pups! Joy also recently started going on adventures to Upper Park with some of our dogs and always finds new quirks to share about them and we love to hear how well they are doing outside of the shelter. We appreciate all that Joy does here at BHS and look forward to all of the memories we make together for years to come.

Why did you get involved with volunteering at BHS? 

I got involved with a friend, for the love of animals.  I grew up in a household full of dogs and cats. My family almost always adopted rescues from shelters or from people who could not continue their pets’ care.

What is your favorite part of volunteering at BHS? 

I have just recently got involved in D.O.G., which is not only rewarding put very fun.  My favorite part of volunteering is the excitement of the dogs when they get to go for a walk or play.

Is there anything you have learned at BHS that you have carried into your personal experience or shared with others?

Teaching can be a very stressful occupation.  When I go to work, I proudly announce to people that I am a volunteer at BHS and that no matter what mood I am in, I feel so happy after working with the dogs. You could say, the dogs rescued me just as much as I rescued them.

Do you have any animals of your own?

Gemma started volunteering with Butte Humane Society at the beginning of the Fall semester of 2022 with Chico State’s CAVE Program. In that short amount of time, she has become a staple volunteer, dedicating her time to any opportunity we need help with. She has been actively involved in laundry, walking dogs, socializing cats, and she even helped us during our 111th Anniversary Gala event! In her time with us, she has already earned over 50 hours of volunteer time! Thank you Gemma for all you do for BHS.

Why did you get involved with volunteering at BHS? 

I got involved with volunteering at BHS because I heard about them through Chico State and I would love any opportunity to help volunteer with shelter animals and improve their lives. 

What is your favorite part of volunteering at BHS? 

My favorite part of volunteering at BHS is seeing your direct impact on the animals as they become so happy once they see you.

What is your favorite area to volunteer in?

My favorite area to volunteer is with the dogs because they are a lot of fun to play with.

Do you have any animals of your own?

I do not have any animals of my own, so it makes me really happy to be able to spend time with the animals at BHS.

Marty began volunteering with Butte Humane Society in February of 2011, and in that time she has become a staple volunteer at Cat Adoptions and volunteering in our Warehouse. She has also been a great help during our special events. There is not a volunteer area in BHS that she has not touched in some way. During her time with us, she has dedicated well over 1,700 hours.

In Marty’s own words, she first began volunteering with BHS because, “I’ve enjoyed animals all my life and even considered being a veterinarian when I was a kid, although teaching won out as a career.  I had wanted to volunteer at BHS for a long time, but training was always offered on Saturdays, and I was usually playing music somewhere. At last, in February 2011, there was training I could attend, and I did. I have enjoyed all my time at BHS, and I also volunteer with NVADG during local disasters, such as the Camp Fire.”

When we need a volunteer, Marty is always ready to jump in wherever she is needed. Her favorite area to volunteer in is Cat Adoptions, but she also enjoys our special events for dogs. Marty is able to socialize our shiest cats and help bring them out of their shells.

When asked what her most impactful moment has been volunteering with BHS, Marty said, “That would probably be the time I have spent working with our cats, in all areas of the shelter, although it was two dog experiences that came to mind first!  A few years ago, when we did our initial tandem walks and social play in the yard, that was a special day.  The dogs had such a wonderful time, all the planning and effort were totally worth it.  The second was working with Hector, a little Chihuahua who, for some reason, was with us for quite a while.  He was very smart and loved learning new things, quickly mastered the basics and started on the utility course. His adoptive parents got a very special pup.”

Without volunteers like Marty Sampson, BHS would not be able to operate in the way we do. She has helped us grow throughout the years, and will always be a cherished part of our organization.

Amber started volunteering with Butte Humane Society in March of 2021 as our new Cat Photographer.

Since that time, she’s helped find numerous cats their furever homes with her beautiful cat photos. She is also heavily involved in our event photography.

Check out the answers to her interview below!

What made you want to start volunteering?

I started volunteering in March 2021 in when my friend (and long-time BHS adopter!) tagged me in BHS’s post looking for a photographer to do the cats’ adoption photos. I reached out to Kelly on and started taking photos the next week! Since then I have also started taking a few dogs’ adoption photos, was the event photographer for the 2021 Gala, and have also gotten to do some clinic photos for the website!

What has been your most impactful moment volunteering here?

When it was coming up on my 1-year volunteer-iversary, I knew I wanted to make a collage of all the cats I had taken photos for. It wasn’t until I started piecing that together when I realized just how MANY cats I had gotten to spend a few special moments with! Volunteering my photography skills has allowed me to help find homes for these 161 sweet whiskered faces and make a difference in their lives.

What is your favorite part about volunteering?

My favorite part about volunteering is getting to spend a few special moments with each cat and capturing their true purr-sonality to show a potential adopter! One of my favorite things is when I get a really sweet photo out of a scared or “spicy” cat. Also all of Clementine’s grumpy faces!!

What has surprised you most about working with shelter animals?

One of the most surprising things I have discovered since working with shelter animals is how quickly they can relax with just a few minutes of love. My cat used to be feral, so I know it can be a long process and a lot of work to get them calm and comfortable with you. Some days when I come in to do photos, I get warned that certain cats may be super skittish, scared, or “spicy”, so I may not get a good photo. Most times, I can calm the cat down with a few quiet minutes of pets, chin scratches, or hugs.

What do you like to do for fun? 

My biggest passion is photography! I have had my photography business (amberthompsonphoto.com) since 2014 and recently converted an industrial warehouse into a studio. Outside of photography, my biggest passions are ballet and all things Disney! I dance at Uptown Dance Arts in Chico, and do all our studio photography and web design. I also own a children’s entertainment company called Once Upon A Wish (onceuponawishevents.com), which brings princesses, super heroes, and other beloved characters to children’s birthday parties and community events.

Do you have any animals of your own?

I have 2 cats: a senior named Simon and a BHS adoption named Nova. Simon was feral and would come once a day for food for at least 8 years before I was able to get him inside, and now he’s a super spoiled cuddle bug! Nova’s favorite things are her toy Jon Slow the sloth, people watching through the window, and pestering Simon.