JEREMIAH
MUTTVILLE

"I completed a school internship volunteering at Muttville, and it was so awesome being there, that I couldn’t leave. After volunteering for just under a year, they decided to hire me as part-time staff. And that’s how I got into animal rescue — through volunteering. 

Volunteering is my way of giving back some of the unconditional love my dogs gave me growing up. A lot of us grow up with pets, and losing them is such a hard thing. It’s not until after that chapter in our lives that we realize how much value our pets give us, how much joy and laughter. I volunteer to bring that joy to the world, one senior dog at a time, encouraging and reassuring them that they are safe, loved, and that there’s warmth and goodness left in the world, just for them. 

The reward of seeing the new dogs come in and quickly get adopted out — there’s something about helping them though that process that keeps me going. And that’s exactly it — it’s a process. There’s a cycle involved: A new animal comes in and you have to assess them and give them certain types of care. At some point during that care, they are rehabilitated enough to adopt them out. In less than three years, I’ve seen close to 1,000 dogs get adopted through Muttville. I think getting exposed to the field, the day-to-day operations of animal rescue, is what keeps me coming back."