MICHELLE

Please tell us a little bit about yourself

Hi! My name is Michelle. I’ve been living in Ireland for five years with my partner. I’m originally from Germany and live in Cork city.

How do you volunteer with KLAWS?

I’m helping out with changing the dog microchip registrations, and sometimes I transport dogs and cats to vet appointments, foster homes etc. My partner and I also foster dogs. Within a year, we had three lovely dogs, and all of them found their forever homes!

Why did you decide to become a volunteer with an animal rescue charity?

I saw the great work my friend Julia did for KLAWS and saw all the work on social media. As we had the capacity to foster and were always thinking about getting a dog, it was a good opportunity to do some good. At the moment, we can’t have a cat or a dog, but fostering is a great middle ground for us.

What have you learnt from volunteering? Is there anything about volunteering that you didn’t expect?

It is so rewarding to see how the dogs get out of their shells and start to trust someone. I learned a lot about dog behaviour but always knew that I wasn’t alone in case I needed help. All the help from the other volunteers is amazing!

We know that working with rescue animals can be challenging — it can be stressful and heartbreaking at times. How do you cope with difficulties?

Talking about it always helps. We never had a dog before, so we didn’t exactly know what to expect but we managed it well together, I would say. To be fair, all the foster dogs we had were so lovely and easy going. It was a joy to have them and see them grow!

What have been the high and low points of your time as a volunteer? Maybe you have some standout (foster) stories to tell?

The best feeling is the joy and happiness the dogs show when they see you! When they realise that they are loved and cared for and are free to show their character!

The biggest challenge was to give the first foster away. She didn’t even say goodbye in the end. A friend of mine afterwards said “of course she is not saying goodbye to you, you are always there. She doesn’t know.” Which made sense but still hurt. But coming back home was nearly worse, as the house smelled like her and it felt so empty! But my partner and I supported and were there for each other. It was great to get all the photos from the new owners and to see how she was evolving even more. It is always hard to give the fosters away, but it is getting better over time and knowing that they are with lovely families definitely helps!

What would you say to someone who’s thinking about volunteering? Would you recommend it?

Yes, I would 100% recommend it! Don’t be afraid, just do it! You are never alone; you have a full support system of other volunteers behind you!