Volunteering That's Fulfilling and Fun

Following their respective retirements, Judy Gertz and Lisa Phifer discovered the joy and purposefulness of volunteering with animals. Making a difference in their lives and also the lives of the families who take them forever-home, inspired their commitments. After an orientation event, they came to ADW and WOW, are we grateful!

These two outstanding women volunteer regularly at our Puppy Enrichment Center and are skilled not only for their care, but also their “homework” assignments for the service dogs in training. PEC volunteers have a great deal of responsibility because these little ones are very vulnerable when they first arrive.  

They also have age-specific enrichment protocols that our trainers shape which volunteers like Lisa and Judy carefully reinforce. “With every litter, we discover more about dog behavior by watching ADW’s expert trainers. And with every litter, we fall in love with a new batch of wiggly, chunky, precious pups,” they shared.

Like proud grandparents, they watched their first litter graduate. Many litters later, they enjoy following the pups they nurtured and seeing the difference they are making in their jobs and the lives of those they serve.

“If you want to make a difference while volunteering with animals, find an organization like ADW that values its volunteers, that invests in training them and then makes volunteers feel challenged and welcomed,” they concluded.