Trumpet Article

Facilities Volunteer Program Update
Carly Scholten
CCHS Facilities Manager
Issue 1.2 October 2007

Hey Volunteers!

As you all know, our new volunteer programs are well underway! The first round of training session for our socialization programs are complete and second round training dates are being set. On March 31^st the first orientation was held for NEW volunteers, and I am anxious to start training new volunteers in our Kennel Assistant programs.

On a similar note, I would like to thank Ashley Scott, Jackie Abbott, and Michael Iakiviak for all of their hard work as Kennel Assistants. Before the implementation of the new volunteer program Ashley donated her time as a dog walker and general kennel assistant, Jackie as a cat socialization volunteer and cat kennel assistant, and Michael as an general kennel assistant and intern. They all have been an enormous help to the facilities staff and myself. They have gone above and beyond, and chose to remain a part of our kennel assistant and socialization programs. In the coming months I look forward to using them as examples for our incoming kennel assistants. Thank you Ashley, Jackie, and Michael for your continued dedication to CCHS and our animal residents.

I’m sure you all remember our Kong® feeding and enrichment program. Do not worry, we haven’t forgotten about it! Since there was no initial volunteer interest in the program we decided to do a test run to determine its feasibility. Our current facilities intern is undertaking this sizeable task as her semester project. She will be evaluating how the Kongs function as a daily feeding method and how many feedings, or Kongs per dog, will be needed to meet daily food requirements. As you can imagine a lot of time and thought went into creating this program and we hope to workout some of its kinks before fully implementing it with volunteers. At this point, we will use the Kongs as an enrichment tool for our cats and small animals. If any Small Animal or Cat Socialization volunteers are interested in providing Kongs for your species please let me know.

With kitten season fast approaching, I offer a friendly reminder to all volunteers. Not only will our kitten population increase during the spring and summer months, our entire shelter population will grow. Please be extra cautious when handling our animals and take extra care to rid yourself of germs before moving to another animal. Cat volunteers consider how you are holding our feline friends. If you allow a kitten/cat (or cage of kittens/cats) to snuggle and rub their face in your shirt, please be sure to change your shirt and wash your hands before moving to another cage. If you are using the get-acquainted rooms please use a mop to disinfect the floor and tiled walls in the room before bringing in another animal/litter (this holds true for dog and small animal volunteers as well). Any toys that were used must be put in the dirty toy bin and new toys should be used for the next animal/group. Dog volunteers, any toys you bring outside with your dog, or into a get-acquainted room with a puppy, need to be placed in the dirty toy bin at the end of your session. If your dog spent time mouthing or chewing his leash please place that leash in the dirty toy bin or the laundry hamper. Be sure to put the toys and leash in the bin BEFORE you wash-up and move on to your next animal. Small animal volunteers please don’t be fooled; these little guys can get sick too! Always wash your hands and properly clean the get-acquainted rooms before socializing with another critter.

Thanks to your patience and dedication I am confident the time and effort you devote to our animal residents, through our new volunteer programs, will reveal positive and prompt results.

Your Friendly Facilities Manager,

Carly Scholten