BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – The City of Bluefield is planning to spend February aiding some of our most vulnerable neighbors, animals without homes.
The City of Bluefield has initiated the Blue Leash Project, encouraging individuals to volunteer with the Mercer County Animal Shelter, with the help of spokes-dog Thor of the Bluefield Police Department.
People are encouraged to assist where they can, including walking the animals, helping with feeding, and playing.
“When you have volunteers come in, they can interact with the dogs where we don’t have—I mean we interact with them, but we don’t have like, a lot of time on our hands, so we don’t get to socialize like they should be, and with volunteers, they can socialize and take them out and all that good stuff,” said Stacey Harman, Director of the Mercer County Animal Shelter.
However, this project doesn’t just benefit the animals. It may have paw-sitive side effects on volunteers as well.
“Well one of the biggest things is a lot of people don’t get out during the winter. This will help with mental health for sure, plus exercise,” said Lt. Brian Copenhaver of the Bluefield Police Department. “If they get out, go to the animal shelter, meet with the people there, it gives them time to be around other people, it gives them time to be around the animals, plus it absolutely helps the shelter a lot. And you never know, you might go over there, fall in love with an animal and decide to adopt one.”
Harman encourages anyone who wants to volunteer to come by the shelter, where you’ll just need to sign a release form before you can get started.
To keep up to date with the City of Bluefield and the Bluefield Police Department, you can find them both on Facebook.
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