Introduce yourself! How did you get involved with Dog Star? How long have you been a volunteer? What teams or aspects are you involved in? Describe your role.
My name is Cassandra, I go by Cass if it’s easier to remember! I am an occupational therapist through the VA and an adjunct graduate professor of occupational therapy. I have three dogs at home (a DSR alum included). When all of their weights are combined, they are equal to the weight of one dog. I also have two cats. I love riding motorcycles and telling bad jokes.
I started volunteering in March of 2023 after looking for a way to give back and spend some time with animals. My wife and I started as fosters, then also began to do events as handlers, and ultimately ended up as part of the kennel team. We both enjoyed giving the kennel dogs time out of the kennels and would try to do as many field trips as we could. Currently I have taken the role of the Kennel and HQ Director. This involves leading the awesome team of kennel coordinators who are a well-oiled machine, as well as managing a new team to aid with maintenance and organization of HQ. We just built two new coordinator roles which I think will be a great addition to Dog Star and I am excited to see how these roles progress!
Your commitment to Dog Star is very admirable. Why did you choose to take on a bigger role within the rescue and join the Board of Directors? What motivates you to continuously help?
When first approached to join the Board of Directors, I had some hesitation due to my busy schedule and wanted to make sure that I was fully capable of fulfilling this role to its greatest potential. I have always enjoyed getting to know people and have been drawn to leadership roles throughout my life. My brain is always reeling with a million ideas and it’s great to be part of such a well-rounded team and be able to work with different ideas and find ways to make things as successful as possible. Ultimately my decision was based around the drive to be able to provide the best environment for both our wonderful dogs and team of volunteers.
Do you have any personal or team or rescue goals for the upcoming year? Do you have anything in the works currently that you would like to share?
My personal goals for the upcoming year is to provide a comfortable space where all volunteers feel welcome and supported in the kennel and HQ as well as to take ideas from volunteers and form them into functional processes that can help to improve policies and procedures. I would also like to better understand the nonprofit world and all the inner workings that go into running such a successful rescue. The kennel team is working to find a way to utilize technology to report on dog statuses rather than kennel cards and emails. Additionally, the kennel team is looking into how to best implement this process to make it easier for volunteers to gather information on specific dogs rather than having to dig through emails.
What is your favorite Dog Star movement or activity? Has there been any dog that has made a special impact on you?
My favorite Dog Star activity is the adoption events! Especially the ones that are located next to a brewery. There is nothing better than seeing dogs find loving homes, especially if it’s one of the long term kennel dogs! All the volunteers do such a wonderful job at these events. I’ve had several friends and family come and adopt and they still talk about how wonderful the events are and ask if they can come back just to see all our wonderful pups. I also really enjoy taking kennel dogs on field trips and getting them ice cream cones at McDonald’s or dog sundaes at local spots. It’s a perfect way for me to have an excuse to eat more ice cream. When I first started there was a lab/terrier mix named Hazel who absolutely stole my heart and I immediately knew that being a part of the kennel team was going to add such a great sense of purpose to my life. I still tell my wife at least once a week that I miss her lol.
What have you learned from Dog Star?
Dog Star has taught me that when a group of people get together who are all selfless and motivated that incredible things can happen! The amount of volunteers that Dog Star has and how many adoptions we are able to facilitate a year is truly mind-blowing. It far surpasses what I thought was possible coming into this organization. There is SO much that goes into it that I never realized until I joined the leadership team and it’s really incredible.
Do you have any advice for volunteers?
As far as advice for fellow volunteers I encourage people that if you have questions or ideas please reach out! In my short time in leadership so many fellow volunteers have had such great ideas. You would be surprised what hasn’t been thought of yet and when we have so many brains put together great ideas can be formed. Also to remember that the dogs and the humans appreciate you more than you know .
Anything else you’d like to share?
I really appreciate being able to be a part of the Dog Star team and am really excited for this opportunity. I hope to meet all of you in person, and I love to talk to feel free to say hi and chat!