Volunteer Spotlight - February 2022
Leslie A. Malone Center: Melissa McCarl
What inspired you to volunteer for the Dumb Friends League (DFL)?
Like so many others, I had too much time on my hands as the pandemic hit. Then I saw a Facebook post from my friend and fellow League volunteer Steven Cogswell advertising the need for dog walkers at the League, and I knew it was the perfect fit for me. I'm so grateful to Steven for steering me to it.
What’s one of the most important or surprising things you’ve learned volunteering, OR what’s the funniest thing that has happened to you while volunteering?
The most important thing I've learned is that there is usually a good reason for a dog's behavior - we just don't always understand it right away. Given that we don't share their language, I think the dogs are pretty patient with us while we try to figure it out.
Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.” – Anatole France
What do you do when you’re not volunteering at DFL?
I teach playwriting at Lighthouse Writers Workshop, among other things. When you choose the arts for a living, you have to cobble together a bunch of gigs to make it work.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I've volunteered for many shelters throughout my life. The League is by far the most organized and intentional of them, and it makes it so much more enjoyable to volunteer here.
Foster Parent Program: Harry Woontner
What inspired you to volunteer for the Dumb Friends League (DFL)?
Back in the late '80s and early '90s, I used to go to the Denver Dog Derby every year in the League parking lot. I think this was the Furry Scurry before it was the Furry Scurry, but I was very young at the time and could be remembering wrong. I've adopted many of my own pets from DFL, so when I was finally in a position to fulfill my lifelong dream of kitten fostering, this was clearly the place to be! Everything I've learned about the League since I got more involved has just made me more and more proud to be even peripherally a part of it.
What’s one of the most important or surprising things you’ve learned volunteering, OR what’s the funniest thing that has happened to you while volunteering?
The funniest thing about fostering is always the kittens themselves. They're so silly and have huge personalities at such a young age! I've had kittens who want to be held at all times. I've had kittens who like to hang their heads upside down off the sides of your hands. I've had kittens who fall completely asleep instantly every time you lay them on their backs and rub their paws. I had one kitten with cerebellar hypoplasia, who was so adorably clumsy I almost couldn't give her back. I've had very smart kittens and silly kittens; talkative kittens and silent kittens; kittens who want to run and run and run; and kittens who seem to believe they are never sufficiently snuggled. They're endlessly amusing, sweet, entertaining, mischievous, silly, and smelly. I'm at nearly 200 fosters, and I've loved every single one of them. I guess that's the surprise – even though I lose some of them and there are so many of them, I never run out of love for them.
Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
My favorite quote is from Hemingway: "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strongest at the broken places." Now that I think about it, this is a good quote about fostering. My other favorite is from Churchill: "Let us fail while daring greatly," which can also apply to fostering.
What do you do when you’re not volunteering at DFL?
When I'm not with my babies, I run a karate school in Aurora. Several of my fosters have been adopted by my students! Karate and kittens are pretty much the only two things I've done since the pandemic started.
Anything else you'd like to share?
No.
Buddy Center: John Hu
What inspired you to volunteer for the Dumb Friends League (DFL)?
I volunteered at the Atlanta Humane Society (AHS) for a couple of years when I was in college, and when I moved to Denver, the staff at AHS recommended that I volunteer with DFL!
What’s one of the most important or surprising things you’ve learned volunteering, OR what’s the funniest thing that has happened to you while volunteering?
Really fun things happen when I walk into the grooming room, and a random animal is there that completely doesn't belong. Like, a few months ago, there were random roosters in there that just seemed so out of place. The most important thing I have learned while volunteering is there are so many new animals every time I come in for a new shift. It's a reminder to really push for getting your animals fixed.
Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
I personally believe in being as flexible as possible, especially when volunteering. Since your time is devoted to helping others, you should try to help however you can in any way you can and have as open of a mind as possible when trying new things. So, I try to live by this quote from Bruce Lee: "Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves."
What do you do when you’re not volunteering at DFL?
I spend a good amount of time working. Outside of that and volunteering, I usually rotate between watching shows with the wife, reading fantasy novels, participating in nerdy hobbies like playing Magic: The Gathering, and taking photos of my dog and me with cheese on our heads in matching outfits.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I apparently had a tooth that grew in my nose until I was 22. When I got my wisdom teeth taken out, the dentist mentioned, "Hey, there's a tooth in your nose on the X-rays." It was legitimately visible if you looked into my nostril, and they were able to pull it out during the wisdom tooth surgery. I've named the tooth "Noothy the Toothy" and still have it to this day.
Also, a photo of my dog Allie went "slightly" viral because there was a slice of cheese on her head:
Harmony Equine Center: Julie Cornelius
What inspired you to volunteer for the Dumb Friends League (DFL)?
I was looking for a volunteer opportunity and happened to be driving by Harmony, not even aware that the facility existed. Having had horses growing up and a love for animals, I stopped in to take a look. I was impressed with how beautiful the facility was! After walking around, grinning from ear to ear, I knew this was a place where I wanted to spend time volunteering.
What’s one of the most important or surprising things you’ve learned volunteering, OR what’s the funniest thing that has happened to you while volunteering?
I learn something new about horses every day I’m at Harmony. I never knew horses were such social animals. The majority of them bond with another horse, who becomes their very best friend. Seeing them groom one another and run around chasing after one another is heartwarming. It is bittersweet when one is adopted and says goodbye to the other. The one left behind is distraught, but in a couple of days, that horse has a new best friend.
Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
“Begin and end each day with a grateful heart.”
What do you do when you’re not volunteering at DFL?
I’m enjoying my recent retirement, reading, baking, flower gardening, and camping with my husband and dog.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Between the employees and volunteers at Harmony, each brings their own strengths to the table and complements each other. I would especially like to highlight my wonderful teammates Sharon Alexander, who always takes pictures of us with the horses and sends them to us, and Kelly Parsons, who is also an incredible photographer and took a picture of two horses kissing that I love. Sharon even took the picture of me and the colt you see in this issue! We are all there for the same reason – to nurture the horses and send them on their way towards the next chapter of their story. I am so grateful to be a part of such a worthy cause.
