Beth Robitaille

I love the animals, the staff at PAWS is fabulous, and lots of wonderful animal care staff. I strongly support the PAWS objective of a No Kill Chicago.

How long have you been volunteering with PAWS Chicago? What originally drew you to the organization? 

I started 2 months after the PAWS Chicago North Shore Adoption Center opened back in 2015. I have always been a huge animal lover/adopter and had worked at a different animal shelter for years prior to joining PAWS.  All of my animals have been rescues and we support all of the local shelters financially. I also adopted my most recent dog from PAWS (Jeff, originally named Feeney by PAWS). We are the trifecta for PAWS — adopter, volunteer and donor.

Which PAWS Chicago programs/areas do you volunteer in and why?

I exclusively work the first shift at PAWS — 8am arrival to feed the animals, then walk the animals and clean.  I much prefer to work with the animals than the public!

Do you have a favorite experience or memory from your time volunteering? 

My fondest memories of PAWS are working with the fabulous Heike. Heike and I always had fun doing the first shift together and got it down to a science!  She just returned to the States for a vacation and surprised me by coming in last Saturday to work with me again.

What motivates you to continue volunteering with PAWS Chicago?

I love the animals, the staff at PAWS is fabulous, and lots of wonderful animal care staff.  I strongly support the PAWS objective of a No Kill Chicago.

Do you have any advice for someone who is considering becoming a volunteer? 

Come give it a try!  You will meet some fabulous people and fall in love with the animals!  The one thing I hear over and over again is that “I can’t do it because I’ll want to take everyone home.”  I always say once they get to us the animals are guaranteed for life so there’s no need to worry about them — it’s the ones that don’t get to PAWS that we need to worry about…