When the Everett Animal Shelter ran out of food for its animals a few years ago, Heatherwood Middle School eighth-grader Andrew Hopkins read about it in the Everett Herald and was moved.
“I decided to go down there and donate some money myself,” Hopkins said. “I decided I wanted to volunteer there some day.”
He couldn’t volunteer then because the age limit on volunteers is 13 and up.
But he did all the training and paperwork in advance so the day he turned 13, he could start, said his mother, Carol Andrews.
“I have a soft spot for animals, of course,” Hopkins said. “But I’ve always wanted to volunteer somewhere and help out.”
For about a year now, Hopkins has been visiting the shelter every Saturday and Sunday, for three or four hours per day.
He’s dedicated — this summer, he went in three or four days a week. Since his mother couldn’t drive him all those days, he took a bus and rode his bike to get to Everett from Mill Creek.
Part of Hopkins’ work with the animals is “socialization” — he interacts, tosses a ball with them and gets them used to the idea that humans are good, not bad, Hopkins said. That increases their chances of being adopted.
“It’s to get them more friendly,” he said.
Hopkins also does some administrative work and gives presentations to volunteers on the new facility the shelter will move to this spring.
A little over a year ago, Hopkins went vegetarian — for health reasons and because it’s the best for animals, he said.
He’s gotten his whole family to stop eating meat, something they used to do quite a bit for dinner, Hopkins said.
That includes his college-aged brother Matt.
“It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,” said Andrews, Hopkins’ mother. “You definitely have to learn to like tofu.”
On top of that, this fall, Hopkins, secretary for Heatherwood’s ASB, spearheaded a drive for the Everett Animal Shelter which brought in about 1,000 pet items.
Students brought in items including cat beds, food, toys, towels, blankets and other items for the animals.
Hopkins has pets of his own — a 19-year-old cat named Spunky and a German wirehaired pointer named Gertie.
“He has been very self-motivated, very organized, he’s really a self-made kid,” his mother said.
The Everett Animal Shelter has had its share of headlines and phone calls lately.
The 155 puppies rescued from the alleged puppy mill in Gold Bar recently were sent to the Everett Animal Shelter. Many people have called wanting to volunteer and help with that situation.
The shelter always welcomes volunteers, said Kate Reardon, spokesperson for the city of Everett. But there’s an involved training and screening process for volunteers, and shelter staff have been working with the puppies rather than volunteers for now, she said.
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