We will never know what it’s like to be a shelter animal, reeling from abandonment and spending day after day behind bars with strangers constantly walking by. But Cape Ann Animal Aid in Gloucester, Massachusetts gave a handful of volunteers a taste of what it’s like to spend an entire day in a kennel.
During the “Night Without A Family” event, six volunteers spent 24 hours with a dog, living in its space and following its schedule.
They had group playtime, interactive snack time, played outdoors, and even had clicker training!
Of course, there was lots of time when they had to try to entertain themselves.
The event brings to light how hard many shelters work to try to give dozens of animals the best life possible, given their limited resources. But nothing will ever compare to having a forever family and home of their own.
Rebecca Baylies, director of development at Cape Ann Animal Aid, told The Dodo:
We hear a lot of people say that they don’t want to visit the animal shelter because it makes them sad. We do our best to not only shelter the animals, but to also find ways to engage them mentally, physically and emotionally while they await adoption. The saddest part is that the animals don’t have families or homes of their own.
While we animal lovers often think about what life must be like for shelter animals – often, leading us to adopt – it’s something that many people simply haven’t considered. Cape Ann Animal Aid hopes that the event will bring awareness to the realities of shelter life.
“There is a lot to do and see but at the end of the day, the animals still need homes,” Baylies told The Dodo. “That was the goal — raise awareness about animal adoption while also raising funds for our animal adoption program.”
Would you ever consider volunteering for a program like this?
(h/t: The Dodo)
