Furry Friends Field Trip

I advise an after-school volunteer group called The Difference Makers. 

Last week, we went on one of the kids' favorite outings--

We visited a local animal shelter to deliver some cash 

and pet supply donations that we'd collected.

We first got a tour of the facility.

One of the interesting things we learned 

was that many pets that come into the shelter are micro-chipped, 

but for various reasons, the chips are not registered, so they can't find the owners. 

Here's a microchip next to a Difference Maker's finger (for scale). Interesting, no?

Then we visited the kennels.

This pitbull mix was adorable and sweet; I loved him. 

This particular shelter has a good history of placing pitbulls, 

so they actually seek them out, getting them from other shelters. 

When we visited, six or seven of their nine dogs were pitbull mixes.

Meet Whiskey:

who reminded me of George (from the county fair last summer):

 Another sweet pup...

The kids folded several loads of laundry

and prepared the evening's dog treats

and then spent the rest of the time loving up on cats and dogs.

Sweet, sweet "Chester" comes with no adoption fees;

 someone who couldn't take in another pet but loves the 9-month-old cat paid the fees. 

We could definitely see why; he is a doll!

We got to hang with many of the dogs, too.

It may surprise you to earn that I did not take any animals home with me; 

not even this one, who reminded me of Milo's mom.

Something tells me many of the Difference Makers' parents heard some pretty persuasive pleas when their kids got home that night!