08/14/09

Dog walking is a very common activity at the Twin Falls Animal Shelter; officials say they see anyone from community service groups to individuals who love to help. Plus, if you can't have pets at home - it's a way to receive that interaction.

Debbie Blackwood, Director of the Twin Falls Animal Shelter says, "Volunteerism offers both a service to the community and hands-on benefits, even physiological benefits of handling pets and stuff."

Since the animal shelter is dealing with an overpopulation of pets, Blackwood says walking the dogs helps to increase their rate of finding a home- especially if that volunteer has experience.

"It's really special to have a dog handler or a kitty-cat person that helps bring their training level up and that improves their adoptability. It calms their nerves as well as the people."

If this sounds like something you would like to do, you can call the animal shelter at 736-2299.