PLEASE HELP: Round 2 Voting for $10,000 Prize
With your help, Austin Humane Society was in first place at the end of Round 1 voting for I Live Here, I Give Here's Big Give prize -- $10,000! But we still need your help if we are going to win this money for the animals -- we need you to vote in Round 2! Voting for round 2 starts at noon today and ends on September 15th!
During the second round, you will be able to give qualitative personal testimony about how great AHS is at http://voting.ilivehereigivehere.org. You will also be asked about how good we are at:
-
Making each “ask” personalized
-
Thanking each donor promptly and in a meaningful way upon receipt of the gift
-
Communicating the impact of each gift
-
Using innovative techniques to communicate with and engage donors
Your vote for this round is completely seperate from Round 1, so please, take a moment to vote again! You do not have to have voted in round 1 to vote in this round, but you do have to be an AHS donor (at any time). Remeber, if you are a volunteer you donated at orientation. If you have not donated, please consider donating to AHS today, every little bit helps, and will get us one step closer to reaching the $10,000 prize!
The Big Picture: A BRATT's Perspective on Volunteering
The greatest reward of Volunteering at AHS besides getting all of the “free love” that our pups give us is knowing that I am a part of the Big Picture. I feel an urgency to share my personal experience at AHS to a lot of the New Volunteers as I have approached my Year Anniversary. My first two months I started out doing community service hours in the back, doing laundry and washing dishes knowing that once this was completed I was going to volunteer as a dog walker/handler. I have been a major dog lover my entire life…
I am a level Blue Bratt now, which is not very intimidating to newer bratts, so I am often approached by a lot of them about issues, questions, concerns and advice on a variety of different scenarios. If there is something I could say to each one of them it would be to stick around and volunteer for the long haul, because more rewarding than the love you get from the pups is what you will receive from The Big Picture….
Over the past 10 months I cannot mention all of the pups names I have fell in love with, there are too many. In my first few months volunteering I would have a hard time struggling with the loss of one of my favorite dogs when they got adopted. This was selfish on my part, but you may go through this also. However, knowing they were going to be in a loving home I got over this very quickly. Then I had a hard time feeling like I wasn’t appreciated by a higher level BRATT or I felt like I was not treated or talked to in a very nice manner. You may go through this also, but I quickly got over this because my love for the pups was more important to me.
I have had the privilege to meet and fall in love with so many great pups, and they will stay in my heart forever: Buddy, Nya, Becky, Shorty, Boomerang, Gabby, Mojo, Lady and Tessa, just to name a few off the top of my head. Knowing that while these pups were by no choice of their own placed out of loving homes, it is the most rewarding experience to be and have been a part of their lives. Words cannot express my gratitude towards all that care, love and endless hard work and devotion to find forever homes for these guys…. This is what I personally feel is the Big Picture and would love to pass along to all new volunteers to please stay focused on the Big Picture as this will become more apparent to you with time. Please don’t let any obstacles distract you from why you are here and giving your time and love to the pups…
-James Lynch, Austin Humane Society BRATT Volunteer
As a volunteer, if you feel that you are being treated disrespectfully by another volunteer, or anyone, please speak with a member of the AHS staff immediately so that this can be rectified. We appreciate each and every one of our volunteers, and without you we could not accomplish our mission, so please know what your work is always noticed and appreciated!
Featured Pet: Trey
Trey is friendly, affectionate dog who loves people, especially if they're willing to be active with him. He needs exercise daily, whether walks or playtime, to keep him happy. Sometimes he likes to play with toys, but other times, he is too distracted by his environment.
Trey has been working on some basic obedience commands. He knows "sit" and "down" and is learning to wait nicely at doors. He wants to please and will focus on you, especially if you happen to have treats in your hand. Potential adopters are encouraged to continue his training to help him become a well-behaved member of the family.
While at the Austin Humane Society, Trey has been in several successful play groups. He has a rambunctious play style, but is generally well mannered and likes most dogs.
Trey would do well in home with an owner who will exercise him consistently and be his leader. Because of his size and energy level, his probably best around older teens.
"Trey is a smart dog, so it's fun to teach him new tricks!" says Rusty K., his primary trainer.
