Volunteer Spotlight

April 3, 2023 By bhsadmin

Volunteer Spotlight: Nettie Wolfe

1. Why did you get involved with volunteering at BHS?

The simple answer to this question is, I love dogs. I moved to Chico less than a year ago and attended the Home and Garden show in the fall. At the show the Butte Humane Society (BHS) had a booth and I picked up one of their brochures. I had been looking at volunteer options and the volunteers staffing the booth were all enthusiastic about the opportunities that BHS offered. Seemed like it combined my love for dogs and my desire to help out the community. Win – Win

2. What is your favorite part of volunteering at BHS?

My favorite activity is walking and playing ball with the dogs. They are so excited to see you! It warms your heart. My second favorite part is finding out that one of my dogs found a forever home. There is a part of you that is sad, but you know that they will be so happy being loved full time and they will also be happy being able to love full time back!

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

I am pretty sure I have friends who would like me to stop talking about the dogs I have met and how high they can jump or how enthusiastic they are about playing ball. But that’s what you learn from dogs and animals, they are single minded and focused on their fun, on their food, on their walk, on rubbing their backs on the grass and on smelling for friends. We can all learn from that. Wouldn’t be great if we could remember to put our noses in the air, take a deep breath and focus on that moment and that moment only.

4. Do you have any animal experience or animals of your own?

I was raised in suburbia with a dog and 2 cats. I have always had a dog in my life. In fact, thinking about it now, I don’t think I have ever gone a full year without having a dog, either at my parents house or owning one on my own, when I moved out. My husband knows it’s kind of non-negotiable that we have a dog. We very recently had to say good bye to our rescued German Shephard. We adopted him at 7 years old and had him for over 5 years…. it was very hard to say good bye. But he was a great dog and I would recommend rescuing an older dog… they still have a lot of love to give. And who doesn’t need a lot of love?

https://buttehumane.org/9583-2/

February 27, 2023 By bhsadmin

Volunteer Spotlight: Gigi Ghiselli

Gigi started volunteering at BHS in the fall of 2022 through Chico State’s CAVE program. She quickly fell in love with walking dogs and getting to know all of their quirks. We were so excited when Gigi joined us for another semester and decided she wanted to unlock more advanced volunteer opportunities with walking and socializing dogs. We always appreciate Gigi’s positive energy and willingness to learn and we hope to continue to see her smiling face at the shelter!

1. Why did you get involved with volunteering at BHS?

I got involved with volunteering at BHS because I love working with animals, they help me destress from school.

2. What is your favorite part of volunteering at BHS?

My favorite part about volunteering at BHS is the ability to interact with so many different dogs. They all have very different personalities and interests that make it entertaining to play with them. ‘

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

I have learned to be more patient and slow down, if it’s with school or interacting with others. Sometimes the dogs are acting up and it can be hard to harness them or take them on a walk, and just slow down and wait until the dog is ready.

4. Do you have any animals of your own?

I have two dogs, Denim and Dakota, and lots of chickens.

January 11, 2023 By bhsadmin

Volunteer Spotlight: Joy Padden

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?

At home, I have a Border Collie named Bailey, who is a rescue, and a senior cat named Mia, who came from BHS.

December 7, 2022 By bhsadmin

Volunteer Spotlight: Gemma

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.

November 11, 2022 By bhsadmin

Volunteer Spotlight: Marc Jovel

Marc began volunteering in September of this year and quickly became a familiar face at the facility. Marc came to walk dogs just about every day the past couple of months and has been such a huge help! Marc loved volunteering with our animals so much he decided to seek employment in the adoptions department and continues to assist in any way he can. We are excited to have Marc here at BHS and look forward to seeing his smiling face for years to come!

Why did you get involved with volunteering at BHS?

I love spending time with animals and I am also hoping to go to UC Davis to become a veterinarian in the future so I wanted to get some more experience to be prepared for when the time comes.

What is your favorite part of volunteering at BHS?

I love walking the dogs. I met Athena on my first day of training and she has been my favorite since. I have almost walked every dog here at the shelter at this point and am excited to see when they get adopted.

What is your favorite area to volunteer in?

I like spending time with the dogs, whether it’s to play fetch in the play yards or just socializing with them in their kennels. I spend a lot of time here at BHS, so much so that I have been able to learn the behaviors of most of the dogs and have been able to help the staff when they don’t have as much time to take the dogs out.

Do you have any animals of your own?

Yes, I have two rescue animals. One cat I adopted in 2018 and then a dog in 2019. They have a mutual respect in our home and I love them to death.

Volunteer Spotlight: Gigi Ghiselli

Volunteer Spotlight: Joy Padden

Volunteer Spotlight: Gemma

Volunteer Spotlight: Marc Jovel

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