Animal Harbor is the local animal shelter in Franklin County. They take in a limited number of animals, providing health care and temporary shelter to animals in need. Started in 2003, it was the first animal shelter to come to the Franklin area, making it vitally important. Part of their mission is to “prevent cruelty to animals” and “educate the community about animal welfare.” They have a limited professional staff, and rely heavily on volunteers and donations. All around the community you’ll see jars for dornations to Animal Harbor, but that’s not the only way you can help out. Going there to volunteer, which includes everything from playing with the animals to cleaning the building, allows the staff to spend more time getting these guys adopted and into good homes! If that alone doesn’t convince you to go, here’s a list of more reasons.
1. Playing with animals: A lot of what they have you do is directly related to interacting with the animals. When I went, I got to bathe puppies, walk adult dogs, and brush cats’ fur. Who doesn’t want to play with cute animals?
2. You can do it as a group: They allow groups of up to five people volunteer together. So not only do you get to play with puppies and kittens, you you get to play with them with your best friends. You can go with just your friends, or you can go with a youth group or Fraternity/Sorority.
3. It’s good for the animals: Some of the animals have been abused in their life, so interacting with volunteers is good for them. It socializes them so when their ready to go up for adoption, they can be their best self. The more interaction with people the animals get, the happier and healther they’ll be, making them more likely to get adopted.
4. De-stress: Playing with animals is cathartic. The puppies all lick your hands and the kittens climb all over you, so it’s a great break from studying.
5. Knowledge: If you’re looking to adopt in the future, volunteering at an animal shelter is great. You get to learn what kind of care animals require. You can also get to know what the adoption process is like before you actualy go through it. Maybe you’ll even find your new perfect companion while volunteering!
*Pictures provided are all cats and dogs available for adoption at Animal Harbor!*