Our "Best Friend" Honored Volunteer: Angela H.
A mentor to our volunteers and dog trainer in our C.L.A.S.S. program, we are so lucky to have Angela's help!
By
Best Friends Animal Society
"Our Best Friends" is a weekly installment to honor just a few of our outstanding Best Friends LA volunteers. This is your chance to get to know some of the shining stars in the Best Friends LA volunteer program! Volunteers are either nominated by Best Friends LA staff or other volunteers in our program. If you would like to volunteer, e-mail the Best Friends LA Volunteer Department at volunteerLA@bestfriends.org
Angela H. - honored February 2017
Angela tell us.....
What programs and projects do you volunteer with at Best Friends LA?
When I volunteer, I'm usually doing something with the dogs. I walk them, play fetch with them, work with them on their training, watch them romp around during playgroup time, and sometimes I just scratch behind their ears and give them belly rubs.
I am also involved in the mentor program so I help new volunteers become familiar with Best Friends and assist them in working with the dogs.
Why do you choose to volunteer with Best Friends LA?
I love spending time with the dogs and I've become good friends with several people along the way. It's nice to be around people who love dogs as much as I do. I also like that Best Friends offers a variety of classes and training opportunities so that you can learn more about dogs and become a better dog handler.
How long have you been a Best Friends LA volunteer?
I've been volunteering with Best Friends for over a year.
What type of fun stuff do you do when you're not volunteering?
I have my own pets that I like to spend time with and when my friends are out of town I'm usually the designated dog sitter and dog walker. I also enjoy traveling to different cities, national parks, and visiting my family in Alabama. Some of my favorite trips have been to New York City, Niagara Falls, and Yosemite.
I have my own pets that I like to spend time with and when my friends are out of town I'm usually the designated dog sitter and dog walker. I also enjoy traveling to different cities, national parks, and visiting my family in Alabama. Some of my favorite trips have been to New York City, Niagara Falls, and Yosemite.
Do you have a favorite story to share about an experience volunteering with Best Friends LA?
There have been so many great moments while volunteering. I love working with dogs that enjoy learning new skills. Some of my most memorable experiences have been with Curly and Butterscotch. Curly was a feisty, 10 year old poodle that was sensitive to being handled and was picky about who he liked. However, he loved doing agility and I had so much fun working with him. I was so happy when he got adopted a couple of months ago. Butterscotch is a smart, energetic dog that I worked with on C.L.A.S.S. training. She started out only knowing how to sit and now she knows everything from down, stay, drop it, leave it to paw, crawl, roll over, and spin.
Do you have any pets?
I have two dogs and one cat. Scamp is a small terrier that I found in the street a couple of years ago and Lexi is a pitbull I adopted from Best Friends last summer. My cat is named Louis and I adopted him from East Valley about 10 years ago.
I have two dogs and one cat. Scamp is a small terrier that I found in the street a couple of years ago and Lexi is a pitbull I adopted from Best Friends last summer. My cat is named Louis and I adopted him from East Valley about 10 years ago.
What others are saying about Angela:
"Angela has a soft spot for our more difficult kids and is always willing to follow our training plans and handle the dogs exactly how she was shown, which makes training more effective. She has always been a good listener and always looking for new ways to learn." From: Amanda Y - Dog Behavior Specialist
"Angela has a soft spot for our more difficult kids and is always willing to follow our training plans and handle the dogs exactly how she was shown, which makes training more effective. She has always been a good listener and always looking for new ways to learn." From: Amanda Y - Dog Behavior Specialist
"Angela is reliable and knowledgeable which makes her a wonderful mentor to new volunteers, the dogs are lucky to have her as a volunteer but so are the people!" From: The LA Volunteer Department