Name: Eric Barkalow
Why do you volunteer: I went to the Burbank Shelter 25 years ago and adopted my first cat. He lived almost 20 years. I still see a little of him in ever black and white tuxedo kitten that comes into the shelter. About five years ago, I stopped an ACO and asked him if they needed help. He said they could use some help with the cats, so I looked into it. It is often the sympathy of a volunteer that gets an animal through the rough re-homing that is required in a stray or displaced animal's life. The VBAS asks so little - just eight hours a month.
Favorite experience at BAS: Volunteering at the shelter is a good lunch break from driving a street sweeper for the City. Through the years I have helped to tame large dogs so they can find new homes, as well as calm scared cats that appear feral at first glance. I spend so little time, but it makes such a difference, and I encourage others to get involved. So many members of the community come to the shelter to adopt animals! There are also many that come in just to look, like it is a mini zoo.
Other animal organizations that you sponsor: Speaking of zoos, I also volunteer at a facility called the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound, Feline Conservation Center. You have heard of the native cats (bobcat and cougar), but if you don't know what a Serval, Caracal, Fishing cat, Margay, Ocelot, or Jungle cat looks like, you may want to visit. This is a local effort to aid a global problem, the extinction of the great cats, such as leopard, jaguar, and tiger. I am very interested in the wild cat population. The photo above was taken when my wife Nancy and I volunteered at Cheetah Conservation Botswana. The black and white cat, Toes, lives with the field researcher who we assisted with wild cheetah conservation. With the help and support of my wife I have fostered a domestic cat or two at home (the exotics don't make good pets!) but I really pale in comparison to some of the volunteers that participate in the various programs the VBAS has implemented. They are the ones that allow a minimal hour volunteer such as me to contribute. I just want to say thank you to all of them here.
Message to the Community: One request: If a cat is a part of your family, please keep it indoors, or in an enclosed area. Driving a loud vehicle through the city streets as I do, I have seen many cats run from the noise, and run into trouble or injure themselves. These are not native animals, and all of them should be cared for properly, which includes monitoring their whereabouts. You wouldn't let a child "run free," and domestic cats are a lot like children. They scare easily, and they don't understand roads.
The current shelter is far better than the one I got my first cat from so long ago. With the support of the community, shelter staff and out great City Council, plans to expand the dog yard, make a proper cattery, and house the rabbits in a climate-controlled area are being pushed forward - spearheaded by the VBAS. So add a dollar or two to the donation box when you visit - it will improve the lives of those animals looking for a forever home!
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at the Burbank Animal Shelter please e-mail us at contact@basv.org