In August 2006 Minister Crystal Yarlott was practicing what she preaches to her Unity Church of Traverse City congregation – she was donating her time and talents to the community. On a volunteer shift at the local Cherryland Humane Society, she noticed one of the dogs, Armstrong, was limping. She asked the staff and was told he simply wasn’t getting enough exercise; the shelter had such a large volume that the pets weren’t walked or played with regularly. And an idea began to take shape:
I love animals and animals have always made a difference in my life. … I happened to mention [the need for dog-walking] to another member of the church, Sue Schwartz, who was retired. … Now, under her organization, volunteers walk dogs six days a week.
The dogwalking program, informally dubbed Armstrong’s Walkers for Unity, is only one way volunteers contribute at the society. Others come in to groom the animals, or to pet and play with the cats. But it’s the dogs that brings in Crystal, Sue, and 90+ volunteer canine walkers, six days a week for several hours at a time.
I do it because animals I think teach us how to love imperfect human beings. … We also learn so much about yourself when you volunteer. There are so many surprises that you can never expect. … I also get to take the calmness that I’m learning to have with animals and I translate that with people.
To sign up for a national animal volunteer database, visit the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. If you have the opportunity to visit northern Michigan and the beautiful Traverse City area stop by the Cherryland Humane Society and if you can’t adopt a pet, join Crystal and walk a dog or two.
