Finding a forever home

More than 3,000 animals have been under the care of Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue since 2008, with about 1,000 of those animals seen in 2013 alone.

Rescue Executive Director Dari Oglesby says it takes more than 820 volunteer hours each week to keep the shelter running smoothly. The figure would equate to $6,387.80 weekly, if the shelter had to pay a worker minimum wage.

“We couldn’t stay open without volunteers,” Oglesby says.

Oglesby says the need for volunteers is at an all-time high during the summer, when snowbirds have headed North, families go on vacation and the summer heat makes volunteering physically stressful at times.

“From April to November, we have about half the volunteers we normally have,” Oglesby says.

Honor Animal Rescue houses animals at two locations: its “Ranch” location at 4951 Lorraine Road and at its adoption center, called Nate’s Place, at 8437 Cooper Creek Blvd., Bradenton.

VOLUNTEER INFORMATION MEETING
A volunteer information meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 8, at The Ranch, 4951 Lorraine Road, Bradenton.

RSVP to [email protected].

VOLUNTEER OPPERTUNITIES
• Transport — Transport animals to and from Nate’s Place, to surgeries and to veterinary or grooming appointments.
• Petco — Seven days, volunteers provide care for cats housed at Petco.
• Adoption counseling — Greet the public, work with prospective adopters, review adoption applications and check references, among other duties.
• Dog walking
• Kitten/cat socialization
• Maintenance — Repairs, painting, etc.
• Thrift store — Open, run and close the thrift store Wednesday through Saturday.
• Open Paw — Program has four levels, which range from working with dogs in the kennels to taking dogs off site to events and for field trips.
• Lexi Paw Pal — Program is for children ages 7 to 15; training focuses on learning the basic principles of positive reward-based training with dogs and cats.
• Laundry/cleaning — Wash dishes, do laundry, sort through donations and help with organization at the Ranch, among other tasks.
• Office clerical/computer
• Foster program — House animals who are underage or have medical or behavioral needs.

AT A GLANCE
Each week, rescue volunteers:
• Wash 70 loads of laundry
• Cut up 700 treats
• Fold 350 towels
• Wash 560 bowls
• Conduct 840 dog walks
• Complete 55 hours of dog training
• Spend 80 hours cuddling, loving and brushing kittens and cats
• Take 17 trips to transport animals to vet appointments and to the rescue’s other shelter locations
• Answer 350 phone calls
• Greet 300 visitors
• Provide foster care and rehabilitation for young, old, sick and frightened animals coming into care.