The Volunteers of 2005 back at Chihuahua Rescue in Burbank who have
each
in their own way done so much to see to it that we moved a lot of
little doggies to a wonderful new Sanctuary
These courageous Volunteers have earned the right to
have a grateful tribute
here on our website dedicated to all their tireless
efforts to help Kimi Peck and Chihuahua Rescue.
Chihuahua Rescue Volunteers
Many volunteers began volunteering at Chihuahua Rescue
with the intent to improve the lives of abandoned and helpless dogs. The
goal of the rescue site in Burbank was to provide a temporary home to unfortunate
animals until permanent homes could be found, along with providing veterinary
services for the dogs. Some puppies were personally fostered by volunteers.
Other volunteers made sure to keep in touch with the American Humane Society,
took photographs of the dogs, saw to it that the dogs received plenty of
human contact, had sufficient food, plenty of water and exercise each day.
Some dogs were part of "rehabilitation" projects at the rescue and volunteers
were eager to assist in those efforts. Kimi Peck relied on her volunteers
for a wide range of helpful concern for the little doggies at Chihuahua
Rescue. The volunteers always came through for the dogs. If a dog arrived
at the rescue in need of a bath, the volunteers made sure the dog received
a bath pronto. Some took on the responsibility to personally take dogs
to a Glendale dog grooming company that gave discounts to dogs from rescue
groups for grooming. If Kimi was not available to personally help a particular
dog, the volunteers on their own initiative would step in right away and
help - no waiting for the say so of a "hall monitor." Volunteers often
did way more than simply report to Kimi or others what needed to be done
to help the dogs, they took action as volunteers and accomplished what
needed to be done on their own initiative, done right and done right now.
Meeting with potential adopters. Food and water of course. If floors or
other surfaces needed spick and span cleaning, the volunteers would not
merely note it -- oh no, they would step in and lend a hand to get the
work done. Often volunteers only do tasks that they are assigned to do
-- but not these volunteers. They knew Kimi was eager for each of them
to take on responsibilities and show their leadership skills, utilizing
their own abilities, caring nature and personal initiative. Our volunteers
included school teachers, animal trainers, veterinarians, other dog rescuers,
homemakers and a wide range of responsible citizens many who volunteered
at Chihuahua Rescue for three years or more and knew well the work that
needed to be accomplished there - and got it done. Some volunteers were
experienced at supervising teams and created task schedules for on-going
volunteer assignments.
Other volunteers worked to organize the records documenting treatment or immunization of the dogs by veterinarians. One volunteer created a revised and improved file system on her own to keep track of incoming dogs, file medical records and identify dogs that were adopted. She made sure records were kept, as well as a schedule of each dog that needed medication so doses would not be missed. She insured that adoption applications were not lost, personally returned phone calls and scheduled home checks with each potential adopter. She often gathered up stray files from various locations at the rescue and saw to it that they were accounted for and organized properly. Quite a task to undertake, and we're so grateful for all her efforts on behalf of Chihuahua Rescue.
We also appreciate the efforts of veterinarians. One vet in Sylmar, California provided care to Chihuahua Rescue animals for 2 years or more, then operated a veterinary clinic for a time in a building shared with Kimi Peck next door to Chihuahua Rescue. As a responsible vet he often hired professional crews to arrive on a scheduled basis to make certain his facility and the adjoining areas were cleaned to his veterinary standards and he paid for those services right out of his veterinary clinic budget.
Some organizations have been known to have volunteers who often only complain. Volunteers at Chihuahua Rescue instead got the work done that needed to be done. If they had a concern, they would fixed it and we appreciate all their efforts to help. It was a big job and we needed their generous and caring help in so many ways. They were all committed to the success of Chihuahua Rescue and accomplished all they could as individual volunteers to make it all go right for the little doggies. Just a helping hand. That's the spirit.
Our Paid Staff
We also had a terrific staff of paid employees, typically
five including -- Sam - Mikey - Tony - Jaymee - Shay -- who were responsible
for cleaning, scooping, mopping, hosing down kennels, runs, the "Disneyland
area," changing bedding daily, watering and feeding all with the enthusiastic
assistance of our volunteers. One employee, Sam, typically did the laundry
in our washer dryer at Chihuahua Rescue. Those workhorses ran all day making
sure each dog always had a clean blanket/bedding.
