The disillusionment of the shelter world
This photo was taken in 2006. I had been volunteering at one of the local shelters for several years when this was taken. I was gainfully employed in a job which paid me a good salary, so I not only donated my time in walking dogs, but also my money to help the shelter thrive. I was on the board of directors, made friends who were as passionate about animals as I was, and worked tirelessly to find the shelter pets a home. I began my animal blog at the newspaper, and I wrote a weekly column on shelter animals. This translated in to several stories, which generated lots of donations for the shelter. As is true with most nonprofits, decisions are made at a higher level than I am normally at. When these decisions conflict with my internal thoughts and a compromise cannot be found, I simply vacate the organization. I try not to speak badly of them, even if that is the way I feel. The reason is because it is not the humans who suffer when a volunteer leaves; it is the animals. For the pas
