I have been a volunteer at Brown County Humane Society since March 2008.
As a volunteer, you always wonder if the time & energy you are expending makes a difference. I could have never imagined that in August of 2010, I would face a situation the likes I had never seen before. It all centered around a little red dog whose name was Dawn. She had been abandoned at the shelter, left tied to our fence. There was practically no hair on her body. It all had been replaced by bloody scabs. She was frightened, emaciated and anemic. I am grateful that once the disbelief we all felt wore off, everyone kicked in to gear to find out exactly what was wrong and how we were going to fix it. There was never any question in our minds…WE WERE GOING TO FIX IT. Gradually staff & volunteers alike went from tripping over each other to settling in to an organized team that would oversee all aspects of her care…from meds and food to baths and walks.
I always carry my camera and I started to take pictures of Dawn. The first few pictures were hard to look at—but then the changes started to become noticeable and exciting.
Dawn symbolizes many things for those of us at the Brown County Humane Society: compassion, commitment, perseverance and hope are a few things that come to mind. For me personally, she taught me that I am making a difference.
To experience her amazing story, watch the video below.
-Becky Burr