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Friends of Pets
(Who Saved Who ?)
(Who Saved Who ?)
In January 1999, I moved back to Anchorage, Alaska, after a 2 year break and bad relationship. I was brainwashed into thinking I was a minority with the way my heart loved animals. Lo and behold, I discovered Friends of Pets (FOP) and immediately put in my application to become a volunteer.
My first experience was helping to stuff bags for a fundraiser called “Dog Jog”. A fun event for dogs and their humans. I felt pretty shy at this first team get-together but quickly became attached to 3 special gals. As I bonded with them... it dawned on me: there are so many people with like-minded hearts!! I wasn’t in the minority; I was in the MAJORITY!
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| SnowBall |
My first volunteer job was to answer the information phone line one day a week. I took messages and conveyed them to the volunteer who handled specific areas like behavior issues. I took applications over the phone for adoptions and listened to many, not so nice messages like “I found 2 puppies in a box in a dumpster. What do I do?!” Those were the hardest. I did my best to help the person find a solution. Many would call me back and tell me they decided to keep them!
One of the most important lessons I learned from FOP was that Animal Control (A/C) is not the enemy. Many think that A/C is the end all to the animal IF they brought in an animal to the shelter. I would explain that many folks who had lost an animal; A/C would be the first place they would go to see if someone had turned them in. Many were afraid to give puppies & kittens up to A/C but puppies & kittens normally have the best chance of being adopted.
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| Shelby |
FOP is routinely called by A/C concerning animal medical, senior and abuse cases. We routinely rescue them; get them the medical care needed including spaying and neutering. All animals adopted through FOP are spayed and neutered. No exceptions! This is the best way to control overpopulation of unwanted animals. Each animal is licensed, micro-chipped, vaccinated and medical care given paid for by FOP. Just that cost alone doesn’t cover FOP's reasonable adoption fees.
FOP matches the best human/family to the dog’s or cat’s needs. Not the other way around. Applications are carefully screened. After a possible match is made, FOP does a home visit to ensure that the home is safe. To the best of our ability. There is also a trial placement period... if for some reason the match doesn’t work out, every animal placed has a forever home with FOP. We have a network of foster homes by volunteers =)
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| Dupree |
I volunteered for FOP for 11 wonderful years. This organization and its members helped heal my heart. FOP’s volunteers taught me many, many things about animals- I couldn’t begin to list them all!
Next week, I will share my adoption story of Angus; my beloved senior golden retriever...
What a wonderful story Andrea and a great group to be supporting this month. Look forward to reading your next post!! Aloha, Ginger
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