Alyssa’s journey to PAWS began the moment she rescued her labradoodle, Teddy. “He's a drama king, as most doodles are. He was from a rehoming situation, so my partner and I got him when he was one year old. I wanted to get more experience working with a variety of dogs—different behaviors, ages, temperaments—as I wanted to be as fully prepared and knowledgeable as I could be,” says Alyssa. 

That's when Alyssa learned about PAWS. 

“The person who used to live in the apartment that I’m in now suggested I volunteer,” says Alyssa. “She had adopted her dog, Boo, from PAWS and was a volunteer here, too. She was so sad to move to Boston, and I told her I would take over her spot!”

Today, Alyssa has been volunteering at PAWS for nearly two years. In that time, Alyssa has learned a lot.

“I started by doing off-site adoption events and dog handling for those. I have completed a few puppy training classes and other refresher courses,” says Alyssa. “When I became more experienced, I was able to open up a lot more opportunities for myself. I took part in adoption counseling training, reactivity courses, advanced dog showing and training, and mentoring.” 

Consequently, Teddy has learned a lot, too! 

“We’ve done a ton of training with him since he is so smart and often restless. He loves agility and chasing squirrels. He can be a bit spicy with other dogs, so his social circle is small, but he has some BFFs he loves to spend time with. He is my world.” says Alyssa.

Today, running with the dogs at PAWS (and with TEAM PAWS Chicago) has become one of Alyssa’s favorite activities, though she says, “It’s not actually running. It's more like a sprint, quick stop and pee, then sprint again exercise regimen. It gets their energy out and stimulates their senses by sniffing outside of their normal routes around the PAWS buildings.”

Surprisingly and unsurprisingly, one of Alyssa’s favorite PAWS memories also involves a little puppy pee.

“Lydia is this adorable brown pittie mix that has floppy bat ears that stick out and up. Whenever she saw me outside of her room, she knew I was coming in to say ‘hi,’ give her some love, or take her on a walk. She would get so excited that she would pee on my shoes,” says Alyssa. “I had to wash my shoes constantly because of her, but it was a labor of love.”

Alyssa appreciates PAWS because it too is a labor of love.

“PAWS takes on cases, like a behavioral case or a medical case, that normally wouldn't have a chance in another shelter. PAWS does a very good job of exploring all the options for medication, training and management for those dogs and advocates for them to be fostered or adopted. I've grown to love a lot of our longer-term dogs and I'm very pleased that we stay strong to our No Kill mission,” says Alyssa.

Before moving to Chicago, Alyssa lived in California, and she grew up in New England. While she'll always love the coasts, Alyssa has found many joys in the Midwest: reading, riding her bike along the lakefront, hiking in the woods with her partner and Teddy, visiting national parks, and, of course, volunteering at PAWS.

Interested in becoming a volunteer like Alyssa? Here’s her advice:

“Do it! Sign up immediately. You will not regret it, and you’ll have the time of your life.”