Volunteer Appreciation: Cliff

Happy Thanksgiving! Berkeley Humane is grateful for so much: the support of our wonderful community, the chance to help adoptable animals, dedicated staff who love what they do, and amazing volunteers who help us fulfill our mission. Today we'd like to give thanks to a special volunteer: Cliff.

Two years ago, Cliff and his wife dropped by Berkeley Humane for an event and ran into their friend and Berkeley Humane volunteer, Romy walking a dog as a “canine friend”. Cliff had a lifetime of experience with dogs, he and his wife having welcomed seven rescues into their family over the years. Cliff had trained dogs and knew his way around their behaviors. Talking to Romy about her experiences with Berkeley Humane, he thought he’d found the perfect new opportunity for himself after a thirty-plus year career as a building contractor—working as a Berkeley Humane volunteer.

Cliff signed up and attended a volunteer orientation session. What he remembers from that first meeting was the bathroom. He’d gotten a glimpse of it during the facility tour and could see that the room was in desperate need of help, so far gone that staff and volunteers barely used it. He shared his background as a building contractor with the volunteer coordinator and asked if Berkeley Humane could use any help in that area. Could we? You bet ... and the rest is history. Cliff has been a volunteer with us for the past two years.

After giving the bathroom the TLC it needed, he turned his attention to an under-used space jammed with ancient appliances, no longer in use. Cliff turned the space into a laundry room with shelving to store the tools and parts (nails, screws, nuts & bolts) that he uses in his facility maintenance work.

“Being organized is important,” he said. “If you can’t find something, you end up buying it twice. It's small stuff, but it can drain a budget pretty quick.”

Budget is important for a non-profit organization like Berkeley Humane, and Cliff’s keen eye for organizing and for salvaging items that can be reused, helps make sure that every penny counts towards the Berkeley Humane mission: serving the people and animals of our community by providing life-saving programs for cats and dogs, cultivating compassion, and strengthening the human-animal bond.

While most days you’ll catch Cliff with a hammer in his hand instead of a leash, it doesn’t mean that he has no interaction with the animals. He shared the story of “Meaty”, a love biscuit at Berkeley Humane a couple of years ago with a “head like a cinder block” who greeted everyone with big, loving thwacks from his beater of a tail. Cliff also talked about repairing slip strips on a ramp and having a dog on a walk take a detour to shower him with licky kisses.

Meaty the Greeter

Cliff is as popular with the humans as he is with the canines. His extensive knowledge has made a big difference tackling the problems of the eighty year old building that houses Berkeley Humane.

“It’s like this,” he said. “You go to hang a picture on a wall, only there’s no studs. And then you find out the wall is rotten. And then ...”

Well, and then—Cliff fixes it! It goes without saying that having someone with Cliff’s level of skill is a huge asset.

Cliff looks at it another way. He calls Berkeley Humane his “home away from home”. He talks about how his work at Berkeley Humane helps him keep his skills sharp, and how the organization has made him feel like he’s part of something valuable.

I asked Cliff if he had any advice for folks who were thinking of volunteering at Berkeley Humane. He encouraged people to “just join”—sign up for a volunteer orientation session and don’t be too concerned about defining a role beforehand.

“It’s like life,” he said. “It just happens. Show up and the right role for you will show up too.” 

He commented on how Berkeley Humane is an organization that understands that volunteers “make the place run” and that Berkeley Humane goes the distance to show how much they appreciate the people who donate their time.

What about the other side of the equation—the reward? Cliff said that for him, the reward is just being there.

“Doing something outside of yourself. I get a lot out of it,” he said.

And we are SO glad that you do Cliff. Thank you!

If you’ve got an interest in volunteering, we’ve got a lot of roles at Berkeley Humane—one of them might just be the perfect fit for you. Check us out—we’ll give your skills a good “home away from home.” Learn more about becoming a volunteer on our website. 

Volunteer Appreciation: Melissa

Volunteer Melissa and her husband Jake have made some interesting deals the past few years. Interesting, because when Melissa and Jake make a deal, animals in need seem to benefit.

Take for example, how Melissa came to be a volunteer at Berkeley Humane. When Jake received a San Francisco job offer, the couple made a deal: if Melissa went along with the plan to move across two state lines, she wouldn’t have to work. Done and done. But with her long history of volunteer work with animals, once she got here, Melissa jumped on an opportunity at Berkeley Humane to volunteer as a part-time thank-you caller. A perk of the new gig was meeting all the wonderful dogs the staff brought by to say “hello”.

One day someone brought a one-eyed Shih Tzu named “Leo” for a visit. Turns out that Melissa and Jake’s family included two cats and two dogs: and that one of the dogs (James) was also a one-eyed Shih Tzu. And so a second deal had to be struck: they would foster, but wouldn’t add any animals to their family.

And so Melissa’s volunteer duties as thank-you caller expanded to include being a foster. Berkeley Humane staff started calling her house “the zoo”. She became a greeter and started working events… Melissa has even been known to make unscheduled Costco runs to get needed supplies because, well—Melissa is just that kind of person.

"Zoo" resident James (left), guests Ellie (right)
and the amazing Maggie (center) go for a walk

I had the opportunity to chat with Melissa about volunteering at Berkeley Humane and her foster experience. She and Jake have been fostering for about a year: twenty dogs and one cat have been guests in their home. I asked Melissa about letting go. How do you say goodbye when an animal joins a new family?

While saying goodbye is difficult, Melissa said it feels great to know that you’ve helped an animal gain skills that will help them become part of their new family. With the foster volunteer, the animal learns or re-learns what it’s like to be in a home, and that it’s okay to be touched. Animals experience—maybe for the first time, what it’s like to be loved in the care of fosters like Melissa.

I asked if there were any fosters that made she and Jake reconsider their second deal (no more animals).

“There were three,” she tells me, and shares the story of one: Maggie the Chihuahua, her second dog foster. Maggie was smart as a whip and got along great with their other dogs and cats. Melissa and Jake made a side deal: if Maggie weren’t adopted by a certain date, they’d welcome her into their family. Maggie was adopted the day before, and the second deal stood.

But sometimes ‘goodbye’ is really ‘see you later’. Because Melissa is a volunteer, she has the opportunity to meet people who might eventually adopt the animals she has fostered. Some of the new adopters stay in touch, share pictures. This year, she and Jake are having a Halloween party and three former foster dogs and their adopters will be there.

“Fostering takes work but it’s rewarding,” she said. “You get to see an animal become well socialized, learn to live with people and other animals.” Melissa shared that many of the foster animals have gone through multiple shelters or been homeless before they arrive at Berkeley Humane. It takes a few days for them to relax. “It’s very rewarding when that happens,” she said. “You get to see the real personality of the animal emerge.”

Jake spoon feeds three-legged Tika as
she recovers from a respiratory infection

Her advise to new fosters is, “Give it two days: let yourself get used to the animal and the animal get used to you and the new environment.” She said it takes about forty-eight hours to win an animal’s trust. Not much time when you consider that fostering is often the first step an animal takes toward becoming a cherished family member.

Melissa and Jake coordinate their schedules so they can work together when an animal comes into their home for the first time, just to make sure everyone’s needs are met. Melissa shared the story of she and Jake bathing a new dog. After the bath the dog shook itself, like dogs do—but with each shake, loose stool the dog was unable to control splattered the couple and their bathroom. A calm Jake helped Melissa clean the dog off and handed her the leash. “Take her outside and don’t come back for a half hour. I’ll take care of this.” Now that’s some teamwork.

Two of the Oakland litter, Nephrite & Kunzite

The second deal about no more animals held until last spring. Delta (you can read her story here) was a community cat that needed a special home. Her two kittens, Epsilon and Zeta had been socialized and adopted. But Delta needed a place where she could be safe and cared for, but still live the community cat lifestyle she was used to. Melissa and Jake welcomed Delta to their back yard where she is now the newest member of their family. Jake renamed her “Loophole” because Delta was the loophole in that deal he and Melissa had made. Loophole (formerly Delta) knows her new name, comes for food every morning and has bonded with their two indoor-outdoor cats.

Melissa notes that Berkeley Humane goes out of their way to make it easy for volunteers who foster. She said that BH offers an incredible variety of supportive resources. Anything from a gallon of Nature’s Miracle for those oops moments to clothing for a dog with the shivers, diapers—even advice on how to get through situations that might be new to a foster volunteer.
"Like what?" I asked. Melissa laughed and told me about the first time she fostered puppies: two from the “Oakland” litter—each named with a letter from the city because there were six puppies and the mother. Kylie Reed, Berkeley Humane’s Foster Care Coordinator was on hand to give Melissa plenty of support as she learned the ins and outs of puppyhood and how to function on not a lot of sleep—a skill that is going to be very handy in the not too distant future. Melissa and Jake recently learned that they are to be first time parents. Will the new addition be a future Berkeley Humane volunteer? Time will tell.

Beware! Puppy teething!

Meanwhile, we extend our heartfelt thanks to volunteer Melissa (and Jake). May their love, commitment and compassion for the work come back to them many times over as this next chapter in their life unfolds. And we’ll look forward to hearing about any new deals!

There's a saying:"It's in giving that we receive." If you'd like to experience giving as one of our wonderful Berkeley Humane volunteers, we'd love to hear from you. Chances are you've got a talent that would make a difference. Visit our volunteer page to learn more.

Going Home: Theo

This past August, the end of summer marked a special new beginning for a handsome pup, Raj Mathai, and his new family.

Adam and Emma adopted Raj at this year’s Bark & Meow Around the Block. If you’re thinking, “I recognize that name!” you’re right. We initially named Raj after NBC anchor, Raj Mathai because Berkeley Humane worked in collaboration with NBC’s Clear the Shelters, a nation-wide pet adoption drive. Raj has a new name to go with his new family: he now goes by Theo.

This is what adopters Adam and Emma had to say about Theo on Facebook:

“Adam and I want to say thanks to everyone at Berkeley Humane. We got this pup on Saturday, barely over 48 hours ago, but almost can’t remember life before him.”

But it was Theo who had the last word (not sure how he figured out how to use Facebook, but he's a smart boy...). Check out what he had to say about Adam and Emma: 

The World According to Theo A.K.A. Raj Mathai

“Dear Berkeley Humane, I am really happy with Adam and Emma! We go to the beach and dog park, so I have many dog friends. Adam takes me to work all day, so I have many people friends too. Thank you for taking such good care of me. I wouldn’t be here without you. Love, Theo (A.K.A. Raj Mathai)”.

Oh, Theo (and Adam and Emma), we are really happy too! Thank you for sharing the update and the adorable beach picture. Do keep us posted.

Got love? We do! Come visit us at Berkeley Humane. We’re open Friday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Our website has great information on the adoption process and our available cats and dogs.

Going Home: Loki

Is there a Comic-Con for cats? Because if there is, this dapper lad is ready--and he won't even need a costume. Because that pose he's struck, those green eyes and that bit of ginger coloring? Well, he looks an awful lot like his namesake, don't you think? 

Loki strikes a pose ...

I suspect that young master Loki has zero interest in the convention experience, given what his adopter Amanda shared with us on Facebook:

"We adopted Loki (formerly Cobain) almost a year ago from you guys. We make a great family and he is so handsome. Thank you for your work."

Amanda, we are so thrilled to hear that Loki has been part of your family for a year already! We SO appreciate the update on your handsome (yes!) boy.

Animals make the magic happen. So if you're not on your way to Comic-Con or Asgard... why not make Berkeley Humane a destination? We’re open Friday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Check out our website for great information on the adoption process and our available cats and dogs.

Going Home: Bella

Happy, Happy Woof Wednesday!

Yes, it's finally official - fall is here! Enjoy our wonderful East Bay weather as it gets a little cooler and the air a little crisper with each passing day. And (pssst, don't tell!)... the holiday season will be here before you know it!

Thinking about all that wonderful fall "stuff" got us in the mood to celebrate. And so we picked this Woof Wednesday to share the story of how three-year-old Funny Valentine - who now goes by the name of Bella -  is bonding with her wonderful new family.

Here's how Felicia, Bella’s adopter, announced the newest member of her family on Facebook, including how Bella got her new name. 

“We just adopted Funny Valentine from Berkeley Humane. We renamed her 'Bella' because she’s just so pretty!”

We couldn’t agree more. Just look at her soulful eyes and amazing eyelashes… Bella indeed!

Bella enjoying a new toy!

Felicia went on to say:

“She fits right in with our little family. I woke up with her cuddled up right next to me. She’s very lovable and gentle. Thank you for this beautiful gift, Berkeley Humane.”

Bella’s new family has been busy making their newest member feel right at home. Bella has her own house outdoors as well as an indoor bed - both wonderful choices.

But can you guess Bella’s favorite? Safe to say that Bella’s favorite is wherever she can cuddle with the family that has welcomed her as one of their own.


 

Thank you, Felicia and family, for being loving and committed adopters and for sharing this heart-warming update. We are sending you {hugs} from Berkeley Humane, and please keep us posted.

We love hearing about animals bonding with their new families. And since every picture tells a story, well, we love seeing photos as well!

Come visit us at Berkeley Humane if you’re thinking of adopting a “cuddle” of your own this fall. We’re open Friday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Our website has great information on the adoption process and our available cats and dogs. Hope to see you soon!