Pawsitive People: Ashlyn & Sally
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
It's the season of gratitude, and we're grateful for some Pawsitive People! In addition to our wonderful staff, we have an incredible team of dedicated and hardworking fosters and volunteers, without whom we could not dream of accomplishing our mission.
Thank you to all of our fosters and volunteers who help us save lives each day.
Meet two passionate animal advocates!
Foster: Ashlyn’s Kitty Care Center
Ashlyn found Friends of Strays through a social media post – and she got hooked on fostering.
She started fostering kittens for Friends of Strays almost 2 years ago, when she was studying psychology and animal studies at Eckard College. She graduated this spring!
Ashlyn always had pets growing up, but fostering offered up the opportunity to have a pet without making a lifetime commitment while she was in college.
“I’ve owned pets my whole life; I wanted a pet ownership feeling while in school, but in college I wasn’t ready to get another animal, so I started fostering,” she said.
Ashlyn became a “do-anything” foster, willing to learn everything from how to give kittens subcutaneous fluids to treating ringworm kittens in her apartment. Her college class schedule allowed a lot of time at home to care for kittens – not to mention the mental health boost a litter of 6-week-old kittens can give you after a stressful day, she said.
“I love helping them all,” Ashlyn said. “I’m able to see that by fostering I’m able to help so many more animals than just adopting one.”
It’s not always easy to let go, though! Ashlyn spent weeks treating a tiny, fluffy kitten named Gumball for ringworm and created a bond she couldn’t break. She ended up adopting him, naming him Sammy, and has continued fostering with him in the mix.
Volunteer: Sally, Extrovert Extraordinaire
Working events takes a certain pizzazz, a certain moxie — and a certain ability to educate and inspire the public. Then, to work an event as a volunteer? That’s a one out of a million gem.
Enter Sally, our event volunteer extraordinaire. From Yappy Hour to Wags & Whiskers, Sally can be found repping Friends of Strays and
loving it.
Sally joined our volunteer program about 2 years ago, drawn into Friends of Strays by our mission and a love of animals – “obviously,” she said.
She keeps signing up for events because she finds the volunteer work fun and rewarding.
“My favorite thing about volunteering is connecting animals with their forever homes even if only tangentially,” she said. “Also I love the staff and I love to work the events.”
For her, giving back feels good when she’s donating her time.
“I love interacting with the public and getting the word out on the great work FOS and our partners do for the animals,” Sally said. “I encourage other volunteers to do the same as it is also a fun social outlet!”
