Riverside (CA) Humane Society Pet Adoption Center Honors Two Women as 2008 Volunteers of the Year

Linda Cavender and Minn Poe of Riverside, CA, have received the 2008 Friends of the Animals Award for their years of dedication and varied work on behalf of the cats and dogs at the Riverside Humane Society Pet Adoption Center.

The Riverside Humane Society Pet Adoption Center (RHSPAC) has recognized Linda Cavender and Minn Poe, both of Riverside, CA, with its 2008 Friends of the Animals award for their dedication and work on behalf of the animals at the center. Recipients of the annual award are selected through a write-in vote by fellow volunteers and the society’s staff and board of directors.

The awards were presented at RHSPAC’s annual volunteer recognition picnic. Members of the humane society’s board of directors and individuals from the community who have provided services to the organization over the past year also were acknowledged.

Cavender has been a volunteer since 2001. She is volunteer coordinator for the dog agility program designed to teach resident dogs basic agility and obedience. She is a handler along with other agility volunteers in a weekly class led by an agility trainer. Concerned two years ago that the program would be discontinued due to lack of funding, Cavender was instrumental in gaining financial support for the program and securing the needed equipment in order to be able to hold the classes at the Pet Adoption Center.

While Cavender devotes much of her time to the canine residents, she also frequently fosters kittens in her home. Through the years she has been involved in the Pet Behavior Help Line. pet-assisted therapy, and various RHSPAC special events.

Poe has been a volunteer since 2002. Her main focus is the resident dogs at RHSPAC, preferring to work with large dogs and shy dogs. She, too, is a handler in the agility program and also mentors new volunteers in dog socialization. She has been a dedicated member of the Pet Behavior Help Line team which provides free counseling to the public on pet-related behavior problems via phone, e-mail and the society’s help line web site.

“Linda and Minn are perfect examples of true friends of the animals,” praises Jackie Lamirande, volunteer services manager for RHSPAC. “I’m proud to count them as members of our team of volunteers. We are so fortunate to have these two dedicated women supporting the society.”

Cavender and Poe are two of the 130 RHSPAC volunteers who in 2007 gave 19,273 hours for the animals. Volunteers are involved with dog and cat socialization, Head Start and agility training for dogs, pet-assisted therapy, Pet Behavior Help Line, foster care, grooming, humane education, office support, special events, fundraising, public relations and marketing.

The Riverside Humane Society Pet Adoption Center, 6165 Industrial Ave., Riverside, CA, is a non-profit public benefit charitable organization. The center accepts owner turn-ins of cats and dogs and transfers from area animal-control shelters. No healthy, adoptable animal is ever put to sleep. Prior to adoption, each animal is either spayed or neutered and microchipped, receives all necessary vaccinations and medical care, is monitored for physical, emotional and mental health, and is socialized.