Walking for the dogs

BY REGGE EPISALE
Correspondent

Susie Breese has been walking dogs at True Friends Welfare Center for four years.

“My sister, Sheri Breese, went through cancer and needed to rehabilitate. Someone she knew was a dog-walker. She got me coming here, and we’ve been doing it for four years. It’s an exhilarating, fulfilling job,” Breese said.

But it isn’t a job in the sense that they get paid. The daily dog-walkers are all volunteers. They make sure every dog in the kennels, 21 dogs in the front kennels and 16-20 in the back, get out three times a day. Cards are posted on each kennel so they can make sure none gets missed. Those who walk the dogs regularly often spend three to four hours a day when they visit the shelter.

There are currently only eight dog-walkers dedicated to the job. Many people fill out the application and start, but very few make it more than a few months. But those who do feel a deep camaraderie with the other walkers and the True Friends team. They rejoice when a dog finds a home and develop a deep affection for those who live at the kennel long-term. “They get to know us and we get to know them,” Breese saif.

The hours walkers put in vary. One comes on her lunch break. Some can only come on weekends.

Breese is a seasonal worker so walks more during the winter than during the warmer months. “I have to take a day off here and there because I have six dogs of my own at home,” she said.

As a matter of fact, Breese has adopted five of her dogs from True Friends. “I only take the biters, the ones no one will take, mostly small dogs.”

She isn’t alone. Of the staff and dog-walkers involved with True Friends, about half have adopted at least one dog. Many, like Breese, have adopted more.

“True Friends has the best staff ever,” Breese says, “devoted to the dogs.” The dogs are well cared for and, for the most part, content. There are some dogs where the kennel is the first place they’ve been safe. Some of those take to True Friends like ducks to water. It’s harder on other dogs who feel scared or nervous, especially if they’ve been the only pet in a home.

The staff works with each dog. They take them out to the reception area to see how they respond to cats. They walk them down the old railroad trail where they are exposed to bicyclers, joggers, golfers, and other dogs. Staff and volunteers are able to see how the dogs respond and are careful to note any issues with temperament or social behavior. The best chance to place a dog in a “forever home” is to know what situations are good and which are not.

Mike Halesky, golfer and grounds keeper for the Montrose Club, said, “I see the dog-walkers out there every day. They don’t get enough credit.”

He tells the story of one large dog who was walking with a ball in his mouth, content and well behaved on his leash. Somehow the ball got away. The dog went running after it, right down over the 5th green, while the dog-walker was pulled behind. Once the dog got the ball, he went back to the trail and continued on peacefully.

Ken Florence has also been a dog-walker for True Friends for about four years. He visits the center three to four times each week, for about three hours each day. “Sometimes you get a favorite, and then they leave,” he said.

His current “favorite” is Charlie, an active retriever mix, about 1-½ years old.

He also spends extra time with Tempo, a spayed female Terrier/American Staffordshire mix, nearly 5 years old. Because Tempo loves activity, he occasionally takes her for a walk at Salt Springs to give her more time outside.

Florence said, “If (a person is) retired or looking for exercise, it’s a great thing to do,” adding that if a person just chose one dog to walk for an hour a week, it would be a great help to the dogs. It doesn’t have to be everyday or even every weekend day, he said. In bitter cold weather, it isn’t good for people or dogs to spend too much time outside, but the dogs still need to get out in the yard to exercise, if only for a few minutes.

To be a dog walker, a person needs to fill out a short application at True Friends. Both Breese and Florence say it’s rewarding work, more volunteers are needed to do it.

The shelter is open 7 days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., including weekends and holidays. Information can be obtained by stopping in or visiting their website at http://www.truefriendsanimalwelfarecenter.com.