Reflection by Amos: Volunteering in a shelter

During my National Service, I found myself lazing around aimlessly on the weekends and was desperate to find something meaningful to fill my time with. That’s when I stumbled across the Animal Lover’s League website where I made the decision to become a shelter volunteer.

2 years on, and I can safely say that this was one of the best experiences I have ever had. While the vision of every shelter will differ slightly, the one goal that they all have in common is to protect the well-being of the animals here in Singapore, particularly the strays. Before joining the shelter, I was aware of the presence of strays on our streets. However, I failed to grasp the actual severity of the issue.

Our shelters are jam-packed with an innumerable number of stray and abandoned animals, and find themselves in a constant struggle to gather the resources and manpower necessary to sustain their operations. Of course, this issue is not exclusive to animal shelters, and is indeed one that troubles most charitable organizations. As volunteers, we are able to alleviate a big part of this burden and make a major impact.

Working at the shelter, I was initially responsible for maintaining the facilities that the animals are housed in, as well as for walking and showering them. Eventually, more experienced volunteers were given the opportunity to rehabilitate the animals, conditioning them to be more suitable to be kept as pets.

The most incredible aspect of my experience at the shelter, is that whether I’m playing with the animals, rehoming them, or even washing the floors of their kennels, I always leave knowing that I have made a significant difference in their lives. The truth is that volunteer work isn’t always easy or pretty. However, what it is able to give you, is a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment that few other lines of work can offer.