Emily Jensen
Emily Jensen was inspired by her dog, MySharona, to start volunteering with PAWS Chicago back in August 2022.
“I began volunteering because I was curious about my dog's life at PAWS before I adopted her. As far as I knew, MySharona (formerly known as Chiarina) was a skinny dog who was at the Adoption Center for about six weeks before I took her home,” said Emily.
Once Emily started volunteering, she discovered there were countless ways to help out.
“The PAWS volunteer program could not have made it easier to get involved, and there are so many different ways to volunteer. I mainly spend my time at the Adoption Center in Dog Town or at the front as an Adoption Counselor. I have also recently started taking dogs to training classes and later this month, I am signed up to lead my first Dog Town training session.”
When she’s not at PAWS, Emily can also be found volunteering remotely.
“From the comforts of home over coffee, I will also help staff coordinate and track the orientation process for new adoption counselors. I also just ran the Shamrock Shuffle for TEAM PAWS!”
In addition to loving the animals she helps, Emily loves the people she works with at PAWS.
“I've been regularly volunteering on the same shift, I've developed friendships with other volunteers to the extent where we will text each other updates about our favorite PAWS animals. The staff are the nicest people you will ever meet and the long-term volunteers have incredible knowledge to share.”
Interested in becoming a volunteer like Emily?
“Sign up for a Kitty City or Dog Town first shift, which is the training session. It's a great way to get exposure to other animals and future BFFs that you may not know about yet. It’s also a great way to meet some other fantastic volunteers.”