When you hear the word "volunteer," what do you think of?

For some, it means a requirement they have to complete as a part of a job or organization.

For others, it's a fun way to give back.

But for me, it is a way to share my compassion and help those who can't help themselves. Volunteering is a joy bringing experience for both the volunteer and for those you are helping.

I volunteer almost every Saturday with an organization called Husky Pack Rescue. They specialize in finding a home for huskies, as well as many other kinds of working breed dogs. They are a foster-based program, meaning they don't have a central shelter of any sort and all of the dogs live with a family until they are adopted and adoptions are held every Saturday in a Petsmart.

I first discovered Husky Pack Rescue (or HPR) in September of 2015 at the back of a Petsmart. My family had just lost our dog to cancer and we were looking for some joy in our lives. I came home from college one weekend and my dad told me we were going to look at puppies. So we all got in the car and drove to Petsmart to browse the adorable canines. Long story short, we now have two dogs from HPR and I try to give back to them as much as I can through my volunteering.

So what do I do when I volunteer with HPR?

Well, a lot. I start with setting up all the kennels and lining each one with blankets and puppy pads as needed. Then we add the toys (gotta make sure Fido has something to chew on!) We set up the table for donations and paperwork and finally, we bring in the dogs. Each week the number of animals changes. One week, we had 23 dogs, and the next we had 6. Each full grown dog gets its own kennel and any litter of puppies that we might have are put in a puppy pen to play with each other. As soon as the dogs are in their kennels, people start showing up to peruse the pups.

We do our best as volunteers to talk the dogs up to potential adopters. We tell them the dog's story of how they came to us, how old they are, and the type of temperament they have within their foster homes. We get to show off the dogs and play with them for hours.

It seems like heaven, right? Wrong. There's a lot of work that goes into volunteering that many people don't see. We have to clean up after poopy puppies and we help families who are grieving over a recently lost pet. We even drop everything to go save a dog who's escaped from its new home. We do a lot to keep our organization running and we might look bedraggled and insane upon first glance, but take a closer look.

Behind the craziness of our work, there is the joy of seeing a little girl meet her first puppy. There is the excitement when a husband says yes to adopting not one, but TWO eight-week old fur balls. Tears of happiness are constantly shed when the dog you've had for the longest time finally finds their forever home. And most importantly, gratitude is poured out all over the volunteers from the families who have just found their newest additions.

Yes, volunteering is hard, and yes, it is stressful, but the moment you see an instant connection between a human and a dog, you know it's all worth it. Husky Pack Rescue changed my life when I adopted my dog and now I'm giving back in what little ways I can, one puppy at a time.