I pass by this quote everyday on my walk to class. It is proudly displayed in the mall area of my campus, Sam Houston State, and it serves as a reminder to me and my fellow classmates about a purpose we are all here to serve.
This quote speaks to me pretty deeply in the fact that, for me, there has always been these questions of what my purpose is, or how can I make a difference to others before I am gone. I don’t necessarily mean only when I pass away, but even just as I move through the different chapters of my life.
Service and helping others has always been a strong foundation of my upbringing. I have always been taught to share, offer help, and to appreciate those who have helped me. I have been blessed with a mom who has instilled these core values into me at a young age. My mom has always been an inspiring role model, especially in the way she doesn’t mind going completely out of her way to help someone in need.
Being taught all of this, I pour a lot of my service into volunteer work. Throughout my life, I have volunteered at food banks, nursing homes, churches, schools, animal shelters, among other places. Moving from Dallas to Huntsville, I wanted to find a place where I could continue my service and dedicate time to places that needed help.
I found Rita B. Huff, a small, no-kill animal shelter, through a Sam Houston State student organization, Kats in Support of Shelters, or K.I.S.S., for short. I've always loved animals, so to be able to help out these furry friends was an absolute must. To begin my volunteer work, I simply had to get a tetanus shot at the student health center, since I hadn’t had one in my records, and complete an orientation at the shelter.
The shelter is located right by Bowers Stadium, so the drive was less than five minutes from my dorm, which was super convenient for living on campus.
When I arrived for the first time, I was greeted by friendly smiles and kind welcomes by the people behind the front desk. They seemed excited to have potential new volunteers.
For the orientation, an executive board member from K.I.S.S., led us through the facility, showing us the in's and out's of the facility, since he actually worked there.
When you walk in for the first time, there’s a little clinic to the left, where they administer low-cost vaccinations to pets, as well as hold patients for treatment. Then from the lobby, there is a pair of double doors that leads you in to the main part of the shelter.
There’s a little room, the cat room, which houses at least 20 cats and kittens. I will tell you, it is the most relaxing thing to just sit in there with a string in one hand, with a kitten trying to grasp at it, and then petting another cat with your other hand. I’m a dog person, but every time I volunteer, I always make it a point to at least spend 15 minutes in there. I feel like cats have more and more of a soul, each time I visit.
The other section of the shelter houses the dogs. There are inside kennels, which are for older dogs, dogs with special care needs, and dogs who have undergone surgery. There are also outside kennels which typically shelters dogs if the inside kennels are full, or younger or large dogs. My volunteer work with them includes walks, baths, cleaning kennels, feeding, and playing in the side yard.
There are usually over 20 dogs housed at a time, and dogs love walks and outdoors time, but the staff is very small, so this shelter relies on volunteers to help out to give these dogs the time they need to release some energy. I have never encountered a terrifying dog in all the times I’ve volunteered. They are all so eager to run and play, and the environment is very refreshing.
I have fallen in love with so many dogs I wish I could adopt, but living in a dorm, I just can’t.
Playing with these pups helps me de-stress after a long week, I honestly don’t even feel like I’m doing work. The time certainly does pass quickly, as there are a lot of things that can be done.
In one of my favorite experiences, I was volunteering with my friends at the shelter one day, and we were just doing laundry.
They have machines we were loading and unloading with dirty/clean towels and blankets. We were in the middle of folding towels when an employee came up to us and asked if we would like to hold baby feral kittens. We were uneasy at first, but the employee explained to us that a litter of baby kittens was found, and they are young enough to where they can be converted from being unpleasant, feral cats, to safe and domesticated cats, by constant human contact.
After that, we were all on board.
She led us into a restricted room, which contained a couple kennels, each with the smallest kittens I had ever seen. They were so cute! The mix of them had an array of black and white patterns of fur and baby blue eyes. We held these babies in our arms, wrapped in towels, as they slept, purred and meowed.
We were saving their lives.
That day we stayed until close, holding these kittens and giving them our love and affection. It was so hard to part with them, especially since it was right before winter break, and we wouldn’t be back for another six weeks.
Returning from break and making it back to the shelter, I asked about those kittens, and they were proud to say that within three weeks, all six kittens became domesticated and found their forever homes. I was so happy and relieved by the news, but I was definitely going to miss my little Remington.
If you live in Huntsville, Texas and are looking for volunteer work, this is the place to help at. Make your contribution to help these furry babies who can’t help themselves. Their lives matter, too.
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For more information on Rita B. Huff, visit www.ritabhuff.org/.
On this website, you can browse dogs and cats, find a lost pet, view vaccination and operation costs, and get in contact with the shelter to either find a new addition to your family or ask about their volunteer process.
Rita B. Huff also accepts donations of dog and cat food, blankets, and other supplies during all hours of operation, Monday through Saturday.
