Volunteer Spotlight: Sharon Arthur

Sharon Arthur had enjoyed a long career in the buying offices of Macy’s when the announcement was made that the offices were moving to New York. She decided that instead of moving to New York, she would retire early and work on her bucket list.

At the top of her list was volunteering for HSMO. She has an animal-loving family that includes a son who rescues and adopts large senior dogs and a veterinarian daughter who is the director of veterinary medicine at a chimpanzee sanctuary.

After going through volunteer training, Sharon started walking dogs and doing feline enrichment at HSMO’s Chesterfield location. She fostered kittens for a while and then fostered a 4-month-old Border Collie mix who had come to the shelter as one of seven puppies. She had been bullied by the larger males in her litter and became extremely timid because of it.

“I took her home, and she’s still with me 12 years later,” Sharon says.

The Chesterfield location closed in 2018, so Sharon met with the volunteer manager at the Maryland Heights shelter and learned there was no canine enrichment program there. With her help, the program took off!

“The program grew, and I’m happy to say that thanks to my wonderful volunteers, we now have coverage for every day of the week,” Sharon says.

For Sharon and the canine enrichment volunteers, each day looks a little different, but the goal is always the same: help the dogs cope with the stress of being in a shelter.

“We start our day at 11 a.m. making up Kongs and other enrichment toys and distributing them. We then spend time with each available dog in a Get Acquainted Room by giving them playtime, special attention and mostly love. On nice days, we walk outside and play in our large, fenced areas,” she says.

Sharon says she’s had many wonderful experiences over her years volunteering, but one in particular stands out.

“A very elderly gentleman came into the shelter and explained that his dog had died, and he was finally ready to adopt another dog. He walked around the shelter looking at every dog and decided which dog he wanted to visit. Staff brought the dog to the room, and the dog jumped into the man’s lap. Tears began rolling down the man’s cheeks. These are the moments we work to provide.”

To those considering volunteering with HSMO, Sharon encourages them to come give it a try.

“Our volunteers all share the love of animals, and new volunteers will realize their joining a group of very special people.”