Animal shelter in desperate need of volunteers

Declining volunteer numbers is putting a strain on carers at one Lockyer Valley animal shelter

CAN YOU HELP?: Ludelle Milne has not been able to make rosters in advance any more, as fewer volunteers than were needed were able to commit. Picture: Ebony Graveur

A LAIDLEY dog shelter is facing daily operation difficulties with volunteers disappearing quicker than dog adoptions.

Work at Brave Companion Dog Rescue is becoming more demanding for those who turn up to the shelter to feed, walk and care for the dogs due to record low volunteer numbers.

Coordinator Ludelle Milne, who is a volunteer herself, said helpers were growing scarcer while the number of dogs needing care remained the same.

Those who did help out, did so on a day-by-day basis.

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"At the moment, we have walk-in volunteers, like students who are on holidays," Mrs Milne said.

"We have a few regulars but some have been away and some have been sick and it's hard to fill those places."

Mrs Milne said the shelter needed five volunteers to get through any given day and said it had been a couple of months since it had run consistently with a full team.

Twelve dogs rely on the help of volunteers as they await their new home.

Another four dogs are living in foster care.

"That's with people working inside, getting beds ready, dinner ready, and other people walking the dogs," she said.

"I don't need six or seven because then people are just getting in the way."

Even when it seemed the day would run smoothly, with the roster filled, it was possible the shelter would be understaffed.

"There were supposed to be five today (Monday, September 30) and two turned up," she said.

"I can't make rosters any more; I just see who is turning up and hope for the best."

Mrs Milne said it was important the dogs were taken for walks daily.

She said, even with daily walks, their health tended to improve after adoption, when they were able to run freely in a backyard.

"Those dogs have got to get out for fresh air, (and) have a play," she said.

"(They need to be walked) every morning... and the dogs need to be able to take their time and not be rushed back to the shelter."

Volunteering for the shelter is not a full-time commitment and shifts are as short as three hours.

"One of our regulars comes Monday, Friday and Sunday," Mrs Milne said.

"You can choose the day, even if it's just one day a week, just as long as I know you're coming that day."

For more information about volunteering, call Ludelle Milne on 0419 731 459.