By Chris Cunningham
The Scene staff
Ann Coleman knelt down to comfort Lovey Duvey, an 11-month-old pit bull that was frightened by a passing truck.
Minutes later, the excited dog was jumping and eating snow along Macklind Avenue.
“This is the immediate gratification,” said Coleman, 54, of St. Louis, a former freelance writer who lives in St. Louis.
She is one of 300 volunteer dog walkers at the Humane Society of Missouri, which is next door to St. Louis Community College at Forest Park.
More volunteers are needed.
“There aren’t enough of us,” said Coleman, who walks dogs three hours a day, three days a week. “Sometimes we can’t get enough dogs out for a walk.”
Dogs at the shelter spend most of their time in kennels. Walks and human interaction give them a change of pace.
“A shelter is stressful for a dog,” Coleman said. “By (walking dogs), you are decreasing stress. You are also working on manners, which helps them get adopted.”
The Humane Society’s volunteer manager, Emily Fishman, notes that dog walking also can benefit volunteers, including college students.
“It fills the need of having a pet if they maybe don’t have a housing unit that allows them to have pets, or if they’re just away from home for the school semester,” she said.
The Humane Society is a non-profit agency that rescues neglected, abused and abandoned animals.
“You see skinny dogs, frayed dogs, dogs who have never been outside before,” Coleman said. “Some (from puppy mills) have lived their whole life in cages.”
Patty Krosch, 65, of Clayton, a retired teacher, is another Humane Society volunteer. She walks dogs three hours a day, three days a week.
Her favorite dogs to walk are pit bulls. She enjoys their playfulness.
“Sometimes when they are on the leash and they get excited, I say, ‘They are having a moment,’” she said.
Krosch hates to see what happens to dogs in puppy mills or neglectful or abusive homes.
“It’s hardest when we lose a dog,” she said. “They may have heartworms or bad breeding.”
The unfortunate past of some dogs gives Coleman a sense of purpose in her work with them.
“It (makes volunteering) worthwhile,” she said. “If the dogs didn’t need help, then it wouldn’t be as rewarding.
Coleman’s favorite dog at the shelter is a pit bull that goes by the name “Kisses.”
“She’s a very friendly and sweet dog,” she said. “A lot of the staff really like her.”
It’s easy for volunteers to get attached to the dogs, but Coleman loves to see them get adopted.
“You miss them, but you can’t take them all home,” she said. “It’s what the dog wants and needs. It’s what keeps us going.”
Humane Society dog walkers must be 18 years old and willing to commit one to three hours a week for six months. To apply, visit HSMO.org/volunteer.
Kennel enrichment volunteers are also needed. They interact with dogs to keep them active while in kennels.
In addition to volunteering, Fishman encourages people to adopt pets.
“A lot of folks buy from breeders instead of adopting,” she said. “But we have a lot of animals that are looking for their forever homes that are just as lovable and friendly.”