Wet routine: Volunteers at the shelter give a weekly shower to one of the dogs.(Courtesy of PPS)

'€œVolunteers are not paid ['€¦] not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.'€

The above quote is a perfect representation of what a volunteer is. Volunteers do not necessarily have the time, but they have the heart and they make the time.

As most animal shelters don'€™t have enough funds to pay permanent staff and there is so much work, volunteer support is greatly needed. All that'€™s required is love for the animals and a minimum time commitment.

When a new volunteer joins a shelter, an informal introduction program and preliminary guidance will often be provided by a senior volunteer.

Since most of the animals in the shelter are abandoned or abused, volunteers will need to have a basic minimum knowledge of how to interact with them as well as what to do and not to do at the shelter.

'€œYou have to be committed and give at least three hours of your time a week if you want to be a volunteer. Without this then it'€™s just a waste of time for everyone,'€ said Liberina, a senior volunteer at the Pondok Pengayom Satwa animal shelter.

With more than six years of experience at Pondok Pengayom Satwa (PPS) and more than two years at Rumah Singgah HOS as a volunteer, Liberina committed to a minimum 10 hours of her time every week to take care of the dogs at the shelters. Ibu Meity is another inspiring volunteer who has been the sole caretaker of around 50 cats in PPS since 2002. When asked what makes her able to give so much, she simply said, '€œI feel sorry for the stray cats. They also have feelings and need love. I even have 18 rescued cats at home and, of course, they are all spayed and neutered.'€

As volunteers, they are responsible for the animals'€™ welfare in the shelter, such as by taking them out of their enclosures or cages, cleaning them and giving them food and vitamins. It doesn'€™t stop there.

They will also learn how to be responsible pet owners for their own pets, including by spaying and neutering them.

Liberina herself also assists in the adoption process to make sure that the people with the right profiles will be able to adopt the right dogs.

While most volunteers have their immense love of animals as motivation, there are some exceptions. Debby is a 24-year-old university student in Jakarta and has been working as a volunteer at the shelter for more than five months.

Intentionally volunteering at the dog shelter in PPS, despite being slightly scared of them, she admits that it was based on curiosity. '€œNow that I get to know dogs closely, I'€™m not scared of them anymore. There are no bad dogs. It all depends on how we treat them.'€

Being a volunteer takes time, energy and sometimes money and it can be hard work, so why would one want to do it?

Apart from the obvious reasons, such as making new friends, learning new skills and having new experiences, it is especially for the gratifying feeling of helping someone or something and making a difference.

These are the very reasons why volunteers do what they do, for although they give their time, energy and often much more, the reward is so much greater than just money. It'€™s a priceless gift for the heart and soul.

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