Introduce yourself! How long have you been a volunteer at Dog Star? What teams or aspects of Dog Star are you involved in?
Hi Everyone! I’m Andy Craft and I’ve been a volunteer for Dog Star for just about one year. A tiny bit about me – my wife and I live in Bloomfield; my wife is a physical therapist but is taking a break from that and is currently the proprietor of an artisanal bakery in East Granby; I’m a chemistry professor at the University of Hartford; we have two Australian shepherds, Wynslow and Sperry, that we adore. My involvement with Dog Star is pretty much exclusively in the form of visiting the pups being kenneled at Simon Foundation since Dog Star’s kennels are full due to lack of fosters.
Your above and beyond efforts, specifically at Simon, have not gone unnoticed. What motivates you to continuously help out? What is unique about helping out at Simon, in comparison to at HQ?
The reason I gravitated toward Simon was quite selfish. I live closer to Simon than to HQ, so it’s easier to get there. But once I spent some time with the pups at Simon, I realized I could make an impact there. If someone doesn’t go and take the Simon pups for a walk, then they don’t get any time outside of their kennels. So, the need is really there for folks to pay the pups a visit and I’m glad that I’ve been able to play a role in making the pups’ time at Simon a tiny bit better. I’m not alone in tending to the pups at Simon – Cari, Renee, Caitlin, Rachel, Ava, Lauren, and others have been wonderfully attentive to the pups that have passed through Simon. As I often write in my email updates on my visits to Simon, it’s always time well spent visiting the pups at Simon.
What is your favorite Dog Star movement or activity?
There are a couple of trails not too far from Simon and I most enjoy it when circumstances allow me to take a dog on one of those trails. The dogs just seem more relaxed and enjoy their time out more when they are removed from traffic and other distractions inherent in walking along the side of a street. The serenity of the trails makes for a most pleasant walk.
What have you learned from Dog Star? Biggest takeaway?
The most obvious thing is that there are so many dogs that need a loving home. Also, that there are many people who have it in their hearts to try to make the lives of such dogs better.
Do you have any advice for volunteers, especially newer volunteers?
Only that the satisfaction you’ll get from making a dog’s life better, even if only for 15 minutes a day a couple times a week, will be immense.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I think the mission of Dog Star Rescue is the very definition of noble and I’m honored to be a small part of that mission. Oh, one last thing, shout out to Bentley and Elvis! I know I shouldn’t play favorites with the pups I’ve spent time with but those two really touched my heart. Bentley found his forever home and I can’t wait for the day when I learn that Elvis has found his.