Change is Good

After living in Utah for a little over a year now I have decided to take what I have learned and use it for the greater good. In a few short weeks I will be saying goodbye to Best Friends and hello to the next adventure, Mt. Pleasant, MI. That's right I am heading back to where it all began and I couldn't be more excited!!! Life is so funny to me! Discovering the shelter right after starting college was exactly what I needed at the time. Making friends that would challenge my beliefs, push me to work harder and support me through anything lead me to discover my love for service. My love for service combined with a bad ass friend encouraged me to bike across america. Bike and Build taught me to live each day to the fullest and to truly cherish the time that you have with the people in your life. Bike and Build also gave me the courage to let go of the shelter and come out to Utah. Utah has had it's ups and downs but overall it has been an amazing learning experience. Moving 3,000 miles away from everything that is familiar will teach you more about yourself than you could imagine. Seeing sanctuary life has been refreshing and helped me to recharge and learn balance in my life. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I have learned about dogs and their behavior and training since coming here. I have to thank my awesome trainer for that because it has made my experience here a positive one. I also have to thank all of the shy dogs for teaching me about patience and trust. I have to thank the Cecilias of the word for showing me that hard work and determination pay off. She has also taught me that there are few things more rewarding than earning the loyalty of a dog and I will miss her every single day. I have made a few very good friends here and I know that we will stay in touch. But the point is everything has a time and a season. I feel like I have learned enough here to go back and help other places not only reduce euthanasia rates but also improve quality of life for the animals in their care. I'm ready to take what I have learned and help encourage and motivate others to be the best forms of themselves. So I'm taking all my experiences back to the place where it all started. HATS opened my eyes and changed the entire course of my life and I feel like it is my responsibility to help them grow and improve in any way that I can. I am dedicated to helping them achieve a better brighter future for the staff, animals, visitors, and volunteers. So here we go again! Look out Michigan Trinity and I will be back and we are more determined than ever to create positive change and love on as many people and animals as possible :) If you'd like to support our journey and the work that we will be doing you can donate here http://summerduboismovingfund.chipin.com/mypages/view/id/f79064da9a70011f

Can't Shake the Shelter

Since moving to Utah and starting here at Best friends I have learned so much. I've learned about myself, I've learned about the dogs, I've learned about all the things that are possible with a little bit of hard work and a lot of determination. In October I had the privilege of attending the NO More Homeless Pets Conference in Las Vegas. Seeing all of the people from rescue groups and shelters across the country was so encouraging. Being surrounded by all of these people and hearing about their struggles and triumphs on the local level reawakened that piece of my heart that always has, and always will belong to the shelter. It has also helped me become more aware of exactly where my passion for homeless animals lies. For some it's releasing a dog from a life on the end of a chain, http://www.fencesforfido.org/ For others it's tackling the community cat issue, http://www.indyferal.org/ and for so many others it's a specific breed that has captured their hearts, http://www.greatlakesbcrescue.org/. What I have come to realize over the past 9 months is that for me it is the face of each and every dog sitting in a shelter across the country. It's the dogs that will be euthanized for space, for health conditions, and for behavioral problems that have a solution given time and a little bit of training. No matter how hard I try I cannot seem to shake the shelter and I'm not sure I want to. The reality is always with me driving me forward. Pushing me to work harder and learn more and more. To live a life of impact. This past month I had the opportunity to visit out L.A. center fir a week. At first I was nervous about going since I hadn't set foot in a shelter in 10 months. However as soon as we arrived I felt this tinge of excitement. upon entering the facility I was hit by the familiar yet forgotten smell of litter boxes and dirty kennels. It reminded me of the first time I walked into a shelter. So many memories. After a brief tour I walked through the kennel area and looked at all the dogs. As always I tend to gravitate toward the dogs that are spooky baring or running up and down their kennel walls. Spending the week in the shelter setting was surprisingly refreshing! At the end of the week we went to South Central L.A. Shelter to pull dogs. Walking through the kennel at least 80% of the population was some sort of bully breed mix. I was so happy for the dogs that we pulled but I couldn't help wondering if a few of the others that had caught my eye would make it out alive. L.A. was a welcomed reminder that there is still a lot of work to do and I for one do not take that lightly. Some say ignorance is bliss but I believe knowledge is power and I choose to share that knowledge with others. So as I said before, I can't seem to shake the shelter and I'm not sure that I want to.