I recently started volunteering at Heartland Humane Society and am extremely impressed by the way in which the animals are treated. Not only are they given a clean, safe environment, but they are also given lots of love and stimulation. It's a wonderful shelter and I feel very lucky to volunteer their every week.
I LOVE this place!! I have trouble leaving when my shift is over ~ sometimes I wish I lived closer and didn't have anything else to do. For the past four years, I have been fortunate to volunteer with Heartland's cats and dogs, and for over a year, I have also served on the Board, for an entirely different view of the organization. It has been the most rewarding volunteer experience of my life, due in large part to the excellent staff. The whole staff, especially Director Andrea Thornberry, have consistently made me feel respected, needed, and appreciated. I have seen them make difficult decisions about how to best help a particular animal, and how to re-direct volunteer efforts which were not appropriate. The challenge of triage for limited resources and unlimited need is met with an effective blend of reason, passion, creativity, and long-range planning. Efforts to establish an 'Open Paw' environment which nourishes and socializes cats and dogs with stimulating human contact several times a day, have led to calmer animals, less barking, cleaner kennels, and animals becoming 'adoptable' more quickly. One of the most rewarding experiences I have personally had is the preparation of a special photo album which tells the story of a major rescue of over 90 dogs from a local hoarder. Many happy endings finally resulted for those dogs, and the public is often moved to donate their time, money, or talents when they see the stories.
Heartland Humane Society and its Executive director Andrea have been amazing! The advances they have made in humane education have gone unnoticed for too long! I don't think the Corvallis community has yet understood the difference they are making and how important donation continue to be. Kudos to anyone involved with this organization!!! The women that I serve on the board with, take passion to a new level. Their empowerment is so strong it empowers the men. I joke with my lady friends a lot about how much tougher it is being a woman and how glad I am a gent, but being involved with Heartland changes that type of thinking. Through humane education and other programs, girls everywhere are looking forward to being woman and continuing to fight the fight for animals everywhere.