IU employees volunteer their time at local animal shelter

Few pet owners like cleaning out their animal’s litter box. But IU employee Marne Potter willingly cleans dozens of cages every week.\nPotter shows up at the Bloomington Animal Shelter at 8:30 a.m. every Saturday and changes a whole kennel’s worth of litter boxes.\n“They’ve had it a bit rough,” Potter said of the cats she’s helping. “Trying to make them feel a little better makes me feel better that I’m doing something good. Just a clean litter box makes a cat feel better.” \nWatching her work, no one would think Potter minds having to clean up after these felines waiting to find a good home. She knows their names, their habits and their personalities as if they were her own pets. \nAnd she only works there once a week. \nPotter is a full-time Web services specialist for University Human Resource Services at IU. She is also one of many IU volunteers currently working at the shelter. \nErika Knudson, associate director for the IU Office of Creative Services, also works every weekend as an adoption counselor and volunteer. \n“(Volunteering) is so rewarding,” Knudson said. “It can be difficult because you see animals who’ve been through a lot, but when you see them find a home it’s so rewarding you just want to cheer.”\nKathy Obrakta is the volunteer coordinator at the shelter and says qualities such as dependability, compassion and patience are some of the most important for potential volunteers because of the hands-on aspect involved with animals. \n“It’s important for animals to have as much contact as possible,” Obrakta said. “Volunteers are lucky because they can do direct animal care here, unlike many other shelters.” \nKnudson said even though students may be too busy to devote enough time required for a pet, they can still get involved in other ways to help the shelter.\n“A lot of students have many responsibilities and have to worry about things like roommates and jobs,” Knudson said. “Adopting a pet is a lifetime commitment for that animal.” \nFostering animals is another option for those who would like to adopt but don’t have the stability while in college to adopt an animal permanently. The program allows people to take a pet home for a few weeks and care for it as if it was their own until the animal is either adopted or ready to go back to the shelter. Veterinary services can be provided by the shelter if the foster parent is unable to afford the costs at the time. \nCuddles, Knudson’s own dog, was once in the foster program. When she and her husband were looking through dogs in the shelter they stumbled upon him. He was scarred and most likely neglected by his previous owners. \n“I told my husband, ‘We have to take this dog because he’s the symbol of everything wrong in the world,’” Knudson said. “He really activated my desire to help animals.” \nAnimals like Cuddles can sometimes make it hard to volunteer at an animal shelter, especially knowing there are so many others out there that also need help, she said. Potter said some cats have been known to stay in the shelter for up to three years. However, they do eventually find a home. \n“Doing this can be emotionally difficult,” she said. “But the rewards outweigh that.”