Why I Volunteer: Emilee

This post has been contributed by one of our long-time volunteers, Emilee Gassien. She was the first TAGS volunteer to reach the 10-year milestone mark and is the unofficial Mrs. Clause for TAGS. In this piece, she tells us how she became involved with TAGS and how her roles have changed over the years. 

I met Kathy Asling, the founder of TAGS, at PetSmart about 13 years ago. At the time, I had a little Schnauzer named Gracie. I had just retired and was looking for something to do to make myself feel useful again, and TAGS seemed like a great place to do just that. I gave Kathy my phone number and told her to contact me when she had a chance.

A few weeks later she called, but the timing was no longer good for me. Unfortunately, I had just lost my beautiful Gracie. She was hit by a car and I was devastated. I told Kathy I would call her again when I was feeling better. A few months later, I was ready, and my journey with TAGS began.

Over the years, I have helped TAGS in a variety of different areas. I have volunteered at many a PetSmart shift, I've assisted with home visits, and I do a lot of fundraising for the organization. I set up booths at our events to sell baked goods and products, and I am often at the booth again when we have our TAGS display showcased at places around the community, such as the Oshawa Centre. Every year I host a yard sale for TAGS in Port Perry, which has become quite the "yard sale town" over the past few years.

Emilee at the TAGS booth during the Furry Friends 5K last June.

While volunteering with TAGS I have also fostered several dogs; my first foster dog was a giant Schnauzer, and I instantly found fostering to be very rewarding. It is so nice to see a dog you have cared for go to their forever home.

The last rescue I fostered was Eddie, formerly known as Vedder. Eddie is a Havanesse and since I already have two Havanesse of my own, the foster coordinator at TAGS thought my place would be the best place for him. Well, they were right...and they were also wrong. We fell in love with him, and as his adoption papers were signed, I'm afraid my days as a foster parent ended. That was two years ago.

Over the years, I have seen so many great dogs find forever homes. Really, there are too many to count at this point. It is so rewarding to know that I had a small part in making that happen.

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Emilee has clearly helped TAGS immensely over her years of being a volunteer.
We would never be as successful at fundraising without her dedication and effort.
Click here to find out how you can help, too!

Wordless Wednesday: Two Peas In A Pod

Molly (adopted in August) and her foster sister
Willow (still available) are so close, it's difficult to tell them apart!

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This is a blog hop. 

Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs by clicking on the image below.

Volunteer Bloggers Needed!

Do you like what you see on our blog? Do you think you could help make it better?

We are looking for volunteer blog contributors. As a reader of TAGS Tails, you already know that we like to share original content about pet health, events, the pets we have up for adoption, and good news about our adopted pets.

We have a few regular features we like to keep up with, like our Happy Tails and our Wordless Wednesday posts, but we also have specialized articles when a contributor thinks of an interesting idea for a series, such as our informative Pit Bull posts, or our fun TAGS Awards series.

Now, we want to add some new things to our repertoire, and for that we need new people with new ideas! That's where you come in.

If you are interested in gaining some social media experience, please submit an application to volunteer on our website. In your application (the link is at the very end of the page), mention that you are interested in helping out with the social media committee. You can contribute once a week or once a month as we are flexible and understanding of school and work schedules. If you have any questions before applying, feel free to contact us or leave a comment down below.

We can't wait to hear from you!

-The Social Media Committee

Bosco is bored of the same old content.
Help us spruce up our blog! 

October Adoptions!

Congratulations to all five dogs who were adopted this month! 

Please click on the image to see a larger version.

Buffalo came to TAGS from a shelter in Kentucky on August 10. This 9 pound Chihuahua mix has a lot of love to give - if you let him come to you.

Bailey was surrendered to TAGS when her family decided that they weren't being fair to her by leaving her home alone so often. Now this happy dog is in a new home where she gets lots of attention!

Hope, still a puppy, was found locked in an abandoned out house on a farm. Luckily, the person who found this Collie/Shepherd/Husky (who knows, really) mix brought her straight to TAGS so she was able to get a second chance.

Dexter was sprung from the pound a few months ago. Once out of there, he turned into a completely different dog - happy, carefree, and playful.

Diamond, like Bailey, was an owner surrender. Her family said she didn't fit in with them and they wanted to find her a new home as a result. This adorable, funny little dog quickly, and easily, won over the hearts of her new family, and now fits in just fine!

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As you can see, the dogs adopted in October came to us through a variety of different ways. TAGS is constantly getting requests to take on more animals. Unfortunately, we need more foster homes in order to be able to accommodate these requests. If you or someone you know is interested in being a foster parent, please apply on our website. We look forward to hearing from you! 

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Halloween!

One of the perks of having a forever home is having someone to dress you up for Halloween! 

(though it is difficult to tell if they all think of this as a 'perk')

Chloe, Buffalo, Blondie and Starr were all adopted through TAGS.

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This is a blog hop. 

Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs by clicking on the image below.