Volunteer Spotlight: Greg Mayfield

In 2017, a friend was talking to Greg Mayfield about how walking dogs at the Humane Society of Missouri helps her decompress after work. Intrigued, Greg decided to give it a shot and began walking dogs at HSMO’s Maryland Heights shelter shortly after. He started by walking one day a week and has increased over time to six days a week.

“It has become my morning routine that I look forward to every day!” he says.

Greg starts his days at the Best Buddy Pet Center around 7 a.m. and walks dogs until each pup has had a chance to get out and stretch their legs. While it depends on how many other volunteers there are, Greg says he’s usually done between 9 and 9:30 a.m.

“Seeing the excitement from the dogs when I arrive every morning is rewarding,” he says.  “Their different personalities make me laugh. I recognize that it is stressful for them to be in their pens, and when I can give them 15-20 minutes of quiet time away from the other dogs, I am rewarded because I know it helps their spirit.”

Greg says his favorite parts of volunteering are being able to take dogs to events and watching them overcome their fear of leaving their kennels and learning to trust him.

“Aside from socializing with the dogs, the other volunteers have been great to get to know as well,” he says. “We all have a similar perspective in wanting to be there for these dogs, especially when many of them have had challenging lives prior to arriving at HSMO.”

His advice to new dog walkers is to have patience.

“Many dogs have not had the easiest lives prior to coming to us, and they are going through a stressful transition until they find their forever home,” he says.

He also recommends trying not to get too attached to the dogs, since they are often in and out of the shelter into their forever homes in just a few days.

“Volunteers are animal lovers by nature, and it is very easy to want to take all the dogs home,” he says.  “The more volunteers, the merrier!”

Learn more about volunteering by clicking here.