Why I Volunteer: Shelley

Shelley began volunteering with TAGS in 2012. At our recent volunteer dinner, she was awarded with a 1-year pin and congratulated for banking over 100 volunteer hours. Below, she tells us all about why she joined TAGS, what roles she has, and what keeps her going.

1. What encouraged you to become a volunteer with TAGS?

Since finishing my education, moving out and getting married I have wanted a dog of my own. Well, OK, let’s be honest, I’ve wanted a dog long before that – I’ve wanted my own dog since my last beloved family dog passed away many years ago. I love dogs! And cats too! I had a cat for 19 years – she’s even in my wedding photos! But since my husband and I were living in a one-bedroom apartment and despite really, REALLY wanting a dog, I knew, realistically, that we could not provide the best environment for one. I worked some evenings, some weekends and some days and knew that with our schedules we also didn’t have the time to devote to a dog. And did I mention that my husband is also allergic to cats and dogs too, to top it all off! Totally 3 strikes against me ever getting a dog! Greaaaattt. Then I thought, “How can I still be around dogs and cats without actually having one myself?” That’s when I found TAGS!

2. What are your roles at TAGS?

Just over a year ago, I started with TAGS as a volunteer in PetSmart, supervising the dogs and telling people all about them, their wonderful qualities and our adoption process. I enjoyed informing people about the incredible journey some of our dogs have made (some from puppy mills others from high-kill shelters or similar) and I was truly inspired by these dogs’ courage and hope for a new life. And I loved seeing the amazement on the faces of people who, after hearing what these dogs had endured before reaching TAGS - like myself just a few months before - had just gained a new-found respect for the world of rescue animals in just a few moments of discussion.

Me with Rocky at PetSmart. (Rocky has since been adopted)

Over the past few months, now that I have a more regular work schedule, I now also assist with some administrative tasks and have become responsible for booking our foster dogs to be showcased in some of our supporting pet stores in Durham Region. I just love hearing when these dogs have Meet and Greets and then ultimately get adopted – and knowing it could have all started with someone seeing our dogs at the stores. It just shows that what we do here at TAGS is making a difference. And that keeps me going.

3. What are some of the memorable moments you have from volunteering with TAGS?

Jill! 

One moment that stands out for me is when I was volunteering in PetValu Ritson and I had Jill (a dog up for adoption) with me. And we were almost done for the day when a lovely man and woman came into the store to purchase some food for their other dogs. As I was packing up, Jill was on her leash and she started to pull me towards these people. I let her sniff and the couple thought she was so sweet. And then she followed them. All. Over. The. Store. I apologized to the couple and said “There’s just something about you that she likes I guess, but I’m sorry, this doesn’t normally happen.”  

Shortly after, Jill’s foster mom arrived to pick her up and the couple came back to where I was finishing packing up, and starting asking Jill’s foster mom all about Jill and her habits. Jill had melted their hearts. Within the following 10 days or so, the couple had set up a Meet and Greet with Jill, who fit right in with the couple’s other dogs, had a Home Visit and a successful Extended Visit and was officially adopted! It happened so fast! If I had ever had any doubt about this process, this sequence of events completely affirmed that having the dogs out in the community to meet people as a way of getting them adopted really does work, and I felt so lucky to be a witness to it. Me, myself and I had actually bore witness to a dog, who had been transported all the way from a Kentucky High-kill shelter, literally choose her forever family! And shortly thereafter, Jill’s new mom (and her teenage son) decided to volunteer for TAGS. How fantastic! (Click here to read about Jill's new life.)

4. Do you have any other comments/things you would like to share about your experiences? 

When I started with TAGS I just wanted to be around dogs and cats because I couldn’t have one of my own. But since learning about the significant over-population in Canada and the U.S. and the reality of the gruesome living conditions some animals have to endure, animal rescue has become something I am truly passionate about. I am realistic, and I know that despite anyone’s best efforts, that we can’t save them all. But shouldn’t we at least try to save, and give a second chance to as many as we can? A few hours a month of your time volunteering can make a huge difference in the lives of so many animals. That is now why I volunteer for TAGS. For those who do not have a voice of their own, let us be their voice.

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We are always looking for more volunteers!
Find out how you can become a part of the TAGS family on our website. 

Save a Life - Become a Foster Parent!

Today we have a special feature on our blog- a video! It provides insight about the experience of becoming a foster parent for a rescued animal. 

One of our volunteers and foster parents, Courtney Bernard, put this together. Enjoy! 

As 2013 winds down to a close, we ask that you look forward into 2014 and ask yourself what you can do to give back to the community. If the results of your brainstorming lead you to "I want to help animals," please consider TAGS as your avenue to do just that!

We are currently looking for volunteers to help us with many areas, and we are always in need of new foster homes. The more foster homes, the more lives we can save!

For more information on how you can help TAGS, or to become a foster parent, visit our website.

November Recap!

TAGS had a busy November! 

In addition to our regularly scheduled sessions at Whitby PetSmart and local Pet Valu locations, our volunteers were busy this month with several exciting events. Tags Dinner (November 16)

TAGS hosted its volunteers and supporters on Saturday, November 16th for a dinner to celebrate its 26th year serving the Durham Region community. A silent auction was held which raised over $1,000 for the organization.
A big congratulations goes out to the volunteers who were recognized at the dinner! We had 41 "One Year" milestone achievers, two "Five Year" keeners, and FOUR volunteers who were honoured for reaching the 10 year milestone. It was a very inspiring night, thank you to all of our volunteers for their contribution to TAGS, we couldn't do it without you! 

10 Years with TAGS! 
Photo credit: Heather Harton

The festivities were capped off with a slideshow of all of the dogs adopted in 2012 and 2013, bringing back memories of some of the lives TAGS has managed to improve and save in the past two years. 

UOIT Puppy Room (November 20)

What an uplifting day! Quincy, Jasper, Snoopy, Roxy, Sheldon and Biscotti were dispatched to the UOIT campus to bring smiles to stressed out students as they prepare for their exams.
Snoopy, a 9-month-old Dalmation mix was the most energetic dog to come out to play, while Sheldon, a Chihuahua mix and Biscotti, a Cocker Spaniel/Hound, preferred to win hearts by cuddling up to students.

Biscotti working the crowd.
Photo credit: Heather Harton

TAGS also visited the UOIT and Durham College campus earlier this year. Another visit is planned for early 2014.

Pet First Aid (November 24)

This course was taught by veterinarian Dr. Tanya Varley, or Dr. Tanya as she prefers to be called.

Participants learned:

-How to correctly bandage a wound on the leg, using gauze and sticky vet tape
-What key items to have on hand in a Pet First Aid Kit
-How to correctly administer CPR using compressions and breaths for small and large dogs and cats
-What human medications can be used for treatment of some animal ailments & which ones NOT to use
-What human food can be given to our pets to cure an upset tummy and which ones NEVER to give
-Having the knowledge and the confidence to treat a sick or injured pet and when to go to the vet

Oliver's mom learned how to bandage a wound.
Photo credit: Julie White

Needless to say, a broad range of subjects were covered throughout the day. Dr. Tanya answered any and all questions directed at her, which added to the value of the session by far. It was also interesting to learn her perspective on when you need to go to the vet versus knowing when it may not be necessary. This distinction is not always clear. We were also able to discuss more intense subjects such as dealing with an emergency situation in the event a veterinarian was not easily accessible. It was stressed by Dr. Tanya that it is an owner's responsibility to avoid unsafe situations: there is a fine line between letting your dog enjoy itself, and knowing when it is a good idea to stop an activity when it could be unsafe or dangerous.

Adoptions
November was also a very busy month for adoptions! Our adoption committee has been very busy these past few weeks reviewing applications, scheduling home visits, and walking potential new adopters through our adoption process. We'll reveal the adoptions on TAGS Tails this upcoming Monday, December 2. 

New Arrivals

Learn more about these dogs on our adoptions page.

This post was written by Nick.

Where To Find Us This Weekend

Every weekend TAGS sets up a booth in Whitby PetSmart on Saturday and Sunday from 12-4p.m. We can also be found at various Pet Valu locations across Whitby and Oshawa on Saturdays.

We use this opportunity to talk to visitors about the dogs TAGS has up for adoption, the adoption process, and areas where we could use some more volunteers. However, no matter how interesting the volunteer on duty might be, the main draw is, of course, the animals we have there with us.

This weekend we have quite the line up!

See you there! 

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!

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! 

Paws and Hearts Jamboree - It Was a Fun Day!

A Beautiful Day to Be Outside With the Dogs

I'm so happy that the weather was good. With a bad weather, everything looks different no matter how hard you were working on everything. And we were working hard on this alright! Our Event Planning Committee (along with GPAWS) met for two hours every week for four weeks to make sure that you and your dog had a great time. And it seems like you did!

We had one of the best local bands play music for us all day - Sean & Dave's Duo, Hard Tymes, Loud n' Clear and The Winter Vault.

Our Silent Auction was a great success, with lots of items and donations. Some people were able to get some really good deals! Our thank you goes out for the following people and companies who donated:

Inner Reflections Massage, Marie, Ladybug Massage, Cedarcove Wellness, Indulgences Gifts & Decor, Karen Koene, 99th Monkey, Aye Lighthouse, Dr duQuesnay, Valerie, Nicky MacDonald, Heather, Sandy, Andrea, Spinning Wheel Alpacas, Green Street, Nikki, Adrienn, Spruce Tree Unique Gifts & Home Decor, Hampton, Shari's Quest, Janet, Eldon Lighting, Christmas in the Village, Rolling Acres Restaurant, Blunt, Timeless Essentials.

Having such a huge dog park has its advantages - there were lots of people with lots of dogs. It was the perfect way to socialize! We got to meet many of our former TAGS dogs, too! Our selection of vendors were great, our visitors had a big variety of items to browse from. A big thank you for the following vendors for coming out and making this day more colourful: Scentsy Consultant, 5 Tails Boutique Dog Clothing, Norwex, Stewie's Cool Stuff, Tangles Pet Grooming, Apple Melon Designs, All Pawz, Multi Menu, Outside the Box, Parkadilly, Indulgences Gift & Decor, Marion's Dog Coats and Shari's Quest.

Everyone loved the doggie games, directed by our very own Sandra. We had racing, Simon says and hot dog eating from a water bowl. I would say that the dogs' favourite was the hot dog one!

A special thank you goes to Emma Joynson and her agility group, performing some cool jumps and sprints during the agility demonstration.

The food court was busy as you can expect from a busy jamboree! A big shout out goes to our food volunteers, especially for the cooks. Great job, everyone, thank you for helping us raise some much needed funds.

Check out this little video below of our food court, the TAGS booth and some of the vendors. Stay tuned for a longer video to come soon...

Thank you everyone who came and participated! See you next year on September 13, 2014!