Barking and whimpering filled the air when Sacramento State graduate student Bethany Rich walked into the city’s Sacramento SPCA animal shelter. She wore a red apron and held a red leash in her hand to prepare herself for another day as an SSPCA volunteer.

Rich, who participates in the Teaching English as a Second or Other Language masters program, arrived at the shelter at 8:45 a.m. to get ready for a mobile adoption. The second she arrived at the shelter, she headed into the volunteer room to dress for the occasion. The upstate New York native put on her apron, then headed to the kennel room full of large cages that contained a dog or two. Most of the dogs at the shelter are large breeds because the smaller ones tend to get adopted quicker, Rich said.

Rich, who has a degree in International Marketing, walked through the shelter to select one dog to show at the event. This task was difficult for Rich because the dog she chooses could possibly get adopted. There are so many friendly adoptable dogs to choose from. However, she wanted to find one who has been staying at the shelter longer than others and is well-mannered. “I try to find a dog that is mellow, doesn’t bark and well-behaved since it’s representing the shelter,” Rich said.

After looking at the dogs in each kennel and reading their evaluation sheets, Rich chose Tessa, an American Staffordshire mix, also known as a Pitt Bull mix. Pitt Bulls have a reputation of being mean, vicious, killer dogs, but 4-year-old Tessa is anything but that. Tessa is a sweet and friendly dog who is shy around crowds of people.

To take her outside, Rich had to slip into Tessa’s kennel so that her roommate wouldn’t sneak through the gate. The two dogs were excited that Rich was in their midst. They jumped and wagged their tails while Rich slipped the leash onto Tessa’s neck. Rich then escorted Tessa outside of the kennel to go for a walk.

“What I enjoy most about volunteering is getting the dogs out of the cages because they’re in their cages the entire time, with the exception of going on walks with other volunteers,” Rich said.Rich began her two months of volunteer training in June. Five training classes are required so that volunteers are knowledgeable in performing duties such as taking animals out of their cages and simple training techniques. Volunteers aren’t taught how to clean cages because the staff does that, Rich said.

Rich said she began volunteering because she was not allowed to get a dog due to her living arrangements. However, since she convinced her landlord to let her have a pet, she adopted a dog from the shelter.

“I really love animals, obviously,” Rich said.

By 9:30 a.m., Rich had loaded Tessa onto the community outreach van that had “SPCA: Until there are none- adopt one” painted on one side. She and lead volunteer Joel Carson drove to the Home Depot on Madison Avenue with Tessa and Mary, another charming American Staffordshire mix.

Carson is not only a volunteer teacher at the shelter, but he is also an environmental systems and physics teacher at Mira Loma High School. He obtained his teaching credential at Sac State. “Our role is to improve the quality of (the animals’) lives at the shelter. That’s our goal as volunteers,” Carson said. He added that the SPCA staff is always busy with its tasks. “We get the fun part. We get to socialize the dogs.”

Carson said it is hard to monitor the number of mobile adoptions.

“But it’s exposure,” Rich said. What is most important is letting people know that there are other ways to find pets than through breeders, Rich said.

They arrived at their destination at 9:48 a.m. and turned into the parking lot that had an area in the middle designated for The Fire Safety Event.

“Home Depot has always been active in community service,” said Home Depot Event Coordinator Carol Webber. She added that October is Fire Safety Month and Home Depot celebrates through community service events for children. Representatives from the Army, fire department, paramedics, Boy Scouts of America and the Red Cross were also involved in the event.

Rich and Carson prepared their information table with fact sheets, pictures of animals at the shelter and a donation jar. The two remained by the table with Mary and Tessa to answer any questions. Mary and Tessa were so attractive that people were drawn to them, which made advertising for the SPCA easier.

Some people believe that working at an animal shelter is depressing because the dogs get euthanized if they aren’t adopted within a certain time. However, Carson explained that this belief is far from true. Carson said that almost 100 percent of the animals at the shelter are adoptable and will remain at the shelter until they find a home, although, some are sick and are euthanized.

“We do what we can to keep them adoptable,” Carson said.

Rich said there are shelters with a greater need for volunteers, but the SPCA provides tremendous support, training, and flexible hours. Eight hours a month is all they require, Rich said. She added that there are many volunteer positions, but she chooses to do mobile adoptions because they are always held on Saturdays and it fits her schedule.

The Sacramento SPCA is located less than six miles from Sac State. For more information about the shelter, call (916)383-7387.

Olivia Gray can be reached at [email protected]