Volunteering

As appeared in the Albuquerque Journal Rio Rancho section 9/12/09

Much like the volunteers who erect houses for Habitat for Humanity, the same sort of house building took place yesterday in the form of temporary dog kennels at two PetSmart locations in town. Volunteers started turning out Thursday evening to unload trucks and put together makeshift kennels for a three-day dog and cat adoptathon.

Events like this don’t just happen by themselves. And they don’t happen by hired laborers who get down on their hands and knees to build cages, fill water bowls or drive animals hundreds of miles and reverse the whole process on Sunday. They happen by the dedication of volunteers who don’t expect anything in return other than finding loving homes for the stray, lost and abandoned animals of our state.

New Mexico’s largest no-kill animal shelter, Watermelon Mountain Ranch (WMR) is hosting a fall adoptathon this weekend at two PetSmart parking lot locations: Coors west side location just north of the Cottonwood Mall and 350 Eubank Blvd., NE. This adoptathon promises to be a big event with lots of purebred and not-so-purebreds coming from dozens of shelter and rescue groups from around the state including Espanola Valley Humane Society, Siberian Husky Rescue of New Mexico, Rio Rancho Animal Control, A.I.M Rescue, Raton Humane Society, Enchant-MUTTS Rescue, Animal Amigos, Northern New Mexico Humane Society, Clovis Animal Rescue, Hobbs Animal Services, Arizona Animal Welfare League, Colfax County Pet Rescue, SPOTS, ANEW and Santa Fe Pit Bull Rescue.

It's interesting to see how a large number of shelters & rescue groups from all over the state converge under one tent with their animals and work so well together to accomplish so many adoptions in one weekend. A well oiled machine is what it takes to get 300-600 puppies, small dogs, big dogs, cat and kittens into new homes in one weekend.

Connie Kuresman knows what it takes to put together adoptathons like this one, she is the Mobile Adoption and Special Event Manager at WMR. Connie and her volunteer crew are out every Saturday in the Walmart parking lot at Southern Blvd. and Unser with a new group of homeless dogs looking for warm homes. It takes a team to run the WMR mobile adoption unit, a team of volunteers who take their precious Saturdays and dedicate them to helping the animals. “I have a very close team and we are all friends. I couldn't do it without everyone who faithfully shows up every Saturday to help me,” says Kuresman. “It is so wonderful to see these dogs go to their new homes with their tails wagging,” says Kuresman, who is always looking for new volunteers. If interested please call (253) 951-0207.

Whether it’s riding a bus up to Denver with the RRHS marching band or building kennels for WMR or making sure an insurance binder is intact for the Corrales Harvest Festival, volunteers are as essential to our community as water is in the desert.

Word is there will be loads of puppies and small dogs out there today and tomorrow. You might find me in the tent cuddling the cats, walking dogs or filling water bowls. And please, if you see me standing in the adoption line with another dog in my arms, remind me I already have two at home.

Quote of the Week: “Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls.” -David Thomas