Volunteer week...

I became a volunteer at Halewood RSPCA in summer 2016. I'd always wanted to work with and help animals in need, but working full time it was very difficult to be able to find anywhere that would be viable for me to volunteer and really make a difference.

Due to family tragedy and being made redundant from my job, I found myself wanting time off and assessing what I wanted to do and something that made me happy. This was the prime time for me to explore my p...assion of looking after animals. Getting started was pretty easy, I simply asked around a few animal shelters to see if they were looking for volunteers.

Halewood RSPCA were really helpful. They gave me leaflets and information on what I'd need to do to become a volunteer with them and let me go away and think about what I was volunteering for. It wasn't long after I'd handed back my forms that I was contacted to come in for an induction day. After that I was kicking myself I hadn't done this sooner!

The staff and volunteers at the RSPCA are like one big family. It was nice to see the love that is given to all the animals in their care. This is the type of support I really wanted to be involved in. The staff couldn't have made me more welcome and part of the team right away. It wasn't long before I was making bonds with the animals, and it was so lovely when they started to recognise me and get so excited for play time.

There were 4 dogs I really bonded with from the start and will always hold a special place to me, Pearl, Freddy, Mr Scott and Choc-Choc. Choc in particular was a very timid dog with a rough start in life and found it really hard to trust people. There was something about her and I just knew I wanted to help her and make sure she knew she was loved.

Choc had been in the centre since September 2015 and when her case finally ended at the end of 2016, I just knew we had to make her part of our family. Convincing my husband to get a dog when we already had 2 rabbits and I was still looking for a job at the time was very difficult! However when he met Choc it was love at first site. Within 2 days, Choc was ours. Working with her for 6 months and her getting to know me really helped her grow and learn to trust, and it only strengthened the bond I had with her (she's deffo a mummy's girl much to the dismay of my husband ).

I would recommend volunteering to anyone. Every little helps. Whether it's a hour or 10 hours a week, any time you spend with the animals makes a real difference to them. The main reason I do this is to show every animal they are loved and help them find their forever home. I'm happy to say that Choc found hers and we couldn't love her more if we tried. Adopt, don't shop. Become a volunteer, I promise it's worth it