Jeanine has been with Butte Humane Society for three years and two months! She is extremely active on and off campus and always puts the animals first. In her time here, Jeanine has cleared Level 3 Dogs, D.O.G., Special Events, and Adoption Counseling, and enthusiastically participates in BHS’s new offerings such as Play Groups and Canines and Coffee.

Jeanine is a star and she alone collected nearly half of the auction items for Gala. That helped bring in huge funds for BHS!

You rock Jeanine, and this is what earns you Volunteer of the Month!

Written by Honey Souza, volunteer coordinator

Passion can strike at any moment. Lisa and Melissa started their adventures at BHS with the expectation of walking dogs here and there. A mere six months later they’ve soared through the ranks. Not only are they volunteers and fosters, but they’ve also organized a subgroup of volunteers aptly named the Durham Doggie Posse.

Their group has gone above and beyond the usual tasks of volunteers. They’ve organized grounds clean up, mobile adoptions events, and some major fundraisers to help the animals at BHS. The DDP also regularly sponsors the adoption fees for our adoptable fur babies. Let’s not forget about the homemade dog treats and cookies they spoil our pups with.

Lisa and Melissa are extremely valued and appreciated volunteers who refuse to recognize limits to their efforts in supporting the animals of BHS. Thank you Lisa, Melissa, and the whole Durham Doggie Posse!

Written by Honey Souza, volunteer coordinator

Meet Miriam!

At BHS, we have a lot of cat people and a lot of dog people, and then we have Miriam. At 22 years of age, Chico State student Miriam Ibarra spends hour upon hour volunteering in all areas of the organization. It seems that everywhere you look she is there, quietly making an undeniably large impact on the organization.

You can always tell when her semester in school is over, because the hours she spends helping BHS between semesters triple. She obviously works hard on her biology degree, but still finds time to help out the animals at BHS. When most students finish a semester they want to take a well deserved break. Not Miriam. And we love her for it!

In June Miriam earned the role of Mentor to other volunteers. We are so excited about that because if she can train new volunteers to do what she does, we would be the luckiest shelter of all.

Thank you Miriam for being an outstanding volunteer.

Written by Honey Souza, volunteer coordinator

Jane came to BHS in May of 2014 with a whirlwind of awesomeness. Guided by her intense love of animals, she fearlessly jumped in, spending an average of 30 hours a month with our cuddly canines.

We all felt her absence throughout 2015 when her job demanded more of her time and she was forced to set aside her volunteer work. But then at the beginning of 2016… she came back, and we felt whole again! “I was actually glad when I lost my job because it meant I could volunteer more”, Jane says. “I just really love helping the animals. I love spending time with them.”

In the six months she’s been back, she’s climbed the ranks of volunteers here. She was among the first Volunteer Adoptions Counselors, she’s participated in the challenging play groups, she’s been appointed to the Volunteer Advisory Council, and she’s trained to handled the more rambunctious dogs.

In fact, earlier in May, when Jane was handling one of our most notorious dogs, he got a bit too playful and wounded Jane’s arm enough to need bandaging. As shook up as she was, most volunteers would have gone home to decompress. Not Jane. Jane, in her glorious easterner accent, insisted on staying to walk other dogs. Nothing gets her down. In fact she’s made it her goal to devote more time working with the dog that wounded her.

For her determined care and concern for the well-being of our more challenging dogs and for her triumphant return, we name Jane May’s volunteer of the month. Thank you for all you do, Jane!