Volunteer Spotlight: Nancy Sebelski

The year was 2003, and Nancy Sebelski had just walked in the door at her local rec center. She happened to glance at a bulletin board that had community announcements on it and saw a note that said the Humane Society of Missouri was looking for dog walkers. She had loved animals (particularly dogs) her whole life and decided to look into it.

“Helping exercise and socialize [the dogs] while they are waiting for adoption seemed like an important and necessary activity,” she says. “It’s so important for dogs to have one-on-one interaction in the shelter setting. It was also a way for me to spend more time with dogs in general.”

Nancy currently volunteers two days a week at HSMO’s Macklind Ave. shelter in the “Puppy Parlor” area. She walks small adult dogs and puppies over 4 months old, making sure all dogs in this area have time out of their kennels each day — rain or shine. She also gives baths as needed, helps socialize puppies, stocks toys and bedding, and makes tasty treats for the pups.

“Some dogs are at the shelter for a while until they are ready for adoption, so you get to know their personality quite well,” she says. “I can tell potential adopters what I know about the dog to help them in their search.”

She says her favorite parts of volunteering are getting to cuddle with the dogs and having the chance to clean them up and get them comfortable in their new environment. She also enjoys the time she spends working with her fellow volunteers, noting a sense of camaraderie in their common goal.

“This is a committed group that all want what’s best for each dog, and we work and support each other to give each dog the best we can each day,” she says. “By giving individual dogs attention and affection, I hope I have made their life a bit better that day.”