Just like the animals we shelter, people are very special to us. The Animal Shelter of Sacramento County has 300 active volunteers and is always eager to add more. If you have a few hours each week and a love for dogs and cats, we at the shelter welcome your participation.

Children 10 years of age or older are allowed to take part in some of our programs as youth volunteers when accompanied by an adult. The adult can be a parent, or guardian 18 years of age or older. Volunteering is rewarding for a number of reasons. Youth volunteers learn responsibility as they serve the community. Volunteers are rewarded with the love for our sheltered animals. Volunteers learn about the needs of dogs and cats and how to care for those needs.

A youth volunteer must:

*care deeply about animals and their happiness

*complete an application form

*be at least 10 years of age and accompanied by an adult

*attend a training program

Youth volunteers may fill the position of dog nuzzler, cat snuggler, or kennel aide, if there are openings. Please call our volunteer information hotline at 1-800-290-5992 to hear a recording of the positions available.

Dogs need to exchange information with human and exercise to stay healthy and feel comfortable around people. Dog nuzzlers must be knowledgeable about dogs and able to deal with medium-sized to large-sized dogs. Youth volunteer dog nuzzlers must be able to work at least two hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on either Saturdays or Sundays.

Look after our cats, giving them lots of attention. Cat snugglers must be knowledgeable about cats and their needs. Youth volunteer cat snugglers must be able to work at least two hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on either Saturdays or Sundays.

Providing food and water for the animals at the shelter is a demanding job. Kennel aides assist the Animal Shelter staff in feeding the animals in our care. Kennel aides must be able to work at least two hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on either Saturdays or Sundays.

Even as a bush fire threatened the rural Australian community, Gary Wilson and his partner Julie Willis decided not to flee their wooden house.

The two had a home full of baby kangaroos to protect. More than 10 of the baby kangaroos — called joeys — stayed safe inside fabric pouches (育儿袋) that hung in the couple's living room. Each piece of cloth looked like the opening in which mother kangaroos carry their young. Wilson and Willis have taken care of wild animals before. Recently, full-grown kangaroos and other wildlife that had left their care long ago came back to the house in search of protection as the fires grew nearer. ''We had too many animals in the house and around the house so we really couldn't go, '' Wilson said. ''We decided we were going to stay and fight. '' Their home is now surrounded by burned land and vehicles.

Wilson and Willis defended their home with fire extinguishers (灭火器) and water pumps. Their house also had a special device on top that sprayed water on hot ashes falling on the roof.

Good preparation and good luck helped the building stay safe. And the animals have survived. But the fire killed two of Wilson's neighbors. ''It was a horrible thing. '' Wilson said.

Willis said, ''It's not until after the fires when it really hits you how close you were to dying... ''

While Wilson and Willis usually care for joeys that are rescued after their mothers are struck by vehicles, they are now welcoming an increasing number of fire orphans.

She said, ''We didn't have children ourselves; this is what we spend our time doing. We think it's worthy — a worthy cause — looking after our babies no matter what they are... ''

Diane Yane always had a close relationship with her grandfather, so when he died in her twenties, the loss hit her hard. Shortly after that, Yane left her job to work with seniors. “I was hired as an activities director at a senior living center, and I took to it like a fish to water,” she recalls. “I started developing relationships with the seniors there. It was like having 200 new grandparents.”

Yane has been interacting with seniors ever since, from working at a care center to providing in-home care for private clients. Now, two decades later, she has opened a social club for adults who are 55 and older-Elder Pep Day Club & Spa(水疗中心), “I wanted to create a space for seniors interested in meeting other people, staying active and taking classes,” Yane says.

Members come in for different activities, including chair yoga, Spanish classes, indoor bowling, card and board games, creative writing, and more, and spa treatments or just to hang out. Later this year, Yane plans to open the second half of the space as a private spa.

In her years of professional experience with older adults, Yane has seen the extraordinary benefits of social interaction and human touch. According to a study by the American College of Health Care Administrators, touch is the most important of our senses, yet it is often overlooked. “Skin is the body’s largest organ and sends positive and negative signals to the brain. Touch deprivation, also known as touch starvation, leads to a range of emotional and physical problems,” it adds.

“I know how important it is for seniors to feel cared for-getting their hair and nails done and receiving massage therapy(按摩疗法),” Yane says, “but what’s really close to my heart is a private room with a walk-in bathtub. At assisted living facilities, many seniors only have access to a shower, where they sit on a bench and their caregiver sprays them with water. There’s not a lot of dignity or joy in that. I want to give seniors back the luxury of submerging(使浸没)their bodies in a warm bath.”