Melissa Travels: Care for Dogs Foundation

Lately I've been spending 1-2 afternoons a week volunteering at Care for Dogs Foundation. Care for Dogs is a large indoor/outdoor dog shelter about 40 minutes from my house. They house about 150 dogs at any one time, and they do everything from sterilization and rehoming of street dogs, to feeding temple dogs, to rescuing dogs from abusive or neglectful situations, to giving medicine and necessary surgery to homeless dogs and dogs whose families can't afford the care. The poor doggies have been through some terrible situations, and some of them are in horrific conditions when they arrive at the shelter. But most of them still love humans sooo much, even after all the terrible things we've done to them. I regularly find myself gingerly petting some scabby or hairless or disfigured dog after it hesitantly approaches me, unsure of what I might do to it. It's heartbreaking. But these dogs are the lucky ones, since they are at the shelter! All the other thousands of dogs left out on the streets and in abusive homes are the real concern. It's pretty obvious that I'm a n00b, though... whenever a dog gets adopted, everyone at the shelter is so happy because it's one less dog to feed and care for. Meanwhile I get sad because it's usually a dog I became attached to!

Naturally, the shelter accepts donations, or you can sponsor a dog. While they are not a nonprofit organization in the USA at this time, they are working on gaining that status so hopefully that will increase donations and we can help more dogs!