Making A Difference: Cub Scouts from Pack 374 Help Feed Local Shelter Dogs

Contributing Author: Jenn Hagman

From One Pack to Another

Menifee, CA

Denise Boring, a Webelos Den Leader with Cub Scout Pack 374, and her den were looking for a community service project when they saw a need for food and other treats at Retrievers and Friends of Southern California, Inc. (RFSC), a local animal shelter.. The boys collected these items at meetings during the summer.  

On Tuesday, October 13, fourteen cub scouts (Hadden R., Taylor C., Levi B., Benjamin R., Dacota J., Kane V., Dylan L., Jonah B., Nijrell J., Evan S., Aden D., Jeffrey H., Anthony H., and Louis R.) helped unload over 600 pounds of food they had collected for the animals. The majority of the food collected was dog food, but also collected was cat food, rabbit food, treats, collars, and leashes. Liz and Nancy, who run and operate RFSC, gave the scouts, leaders, and parents a tour of the facility and taught the boys about their rescue and the importance of caring for animals.

The Webelos den worked very hard on this community service project and RFSC were overwhelmed with the amount of food donated.

Boys from Menifee Cub Scout Pack 374 with the food they collected for RFSC.

 

The boys learn how a trap was used to capture a stray dog left in a field. Evan S. wanted to make sure she was still able to eat the piece of chicken used to entrap her.

Anthony H. holds an adoption-ready puppy at RFSC.

About Pack 374: Cub Scout Pack 374 is the largest and most active Cub Scout pack in Menifee. Cub Scouts is for boys in 1st through 5th grade. We are chartered by VFW Post 1956 in Menifee and part of the Three Peaks District of the California Inland Empire Council, Boy Scouts of America. Learn more at http://www.Pack374.org .

About Retrievers & Friends of Southern California, Inc.: RFSC is an amazing local animal shelter nestled in the Menifee Valley. They are an all-volunteer, non-profit organization devoted to finding homes for Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers, as well as other breeds of dogs as space allows. They are a full-service rescue, with dogs coming to them from all over Southern California. RFSC not only provides care for dogs while they are waiting for adoption, but they provide follow-up assistance for the life of the dog. RFSC offers short term and long term care for many animals. More information at http://www.retrieversandfriends.com .

October is Adopt-A-Shelter Dog Month

Most people are well aware of the traditional association between breast cancer awareness and October. There are plenty of ways to support it out there. What most people are not aware of is that there are other causes that ask for support as well. One of those causes is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month.

I've always been a proponent of the "adopt, don't shop" philosophy. There are so many good dogs in shelters that need homes. The first dog we ever had as a family was adopted. We got her when my daughter who is now 14 years old was only about 15 months old. There was an adoption event in June of 2002 near where we were living at the time and we took our kids to see what the shelters and rescues had to offer. Nala, a golden retriever mix, had been rescued by a Labrador and Retriever rescue. When they found her, she was so matted they had to shave her from her collar to the tip of the tail, although they left a little tuft at the end like a lion.

It was love at first sight. She was very submissive to my kids, they said she was potty trained and even knew some basic commands. We filled out the paperwork and took her home right away. We stopped at a booth that was engraving dog tags (which turned out to be a smart move, aparently she was a jumper) and took her home. When my daughter woke up from her nap I brought her downstairs. Before she even saw her, my daughter heard the jingle of her tags on her collar and her face lit up. "Dog? Dog? Dog?", she said. That's when I knew without any doubt that we made the right decision.

Nala was a member of our family for the next decade. In her later years she went to live with my mother-in-law who needed the companionship of a low energy dog. She passed away a few years ago but she filled many needs in our family. She was a stress reliever, she was a playmate, she cleaned underneath the high chair very well, she was a companion to my family. She was a foster mom to a puppy we adopted from my old boss, whose lifestyle would not allow for a puppy (a story for another time). She was family and she made our lives better. 

I thought for a while about how I can help the cause and bring awareness. It is in loving memory of Nala and all shelter dogs like her that I am pleased to annouce a limited edition T-Shirt and Hoodie through teespring. The shirt reads "Dogs represent everything that is good in Man" which I believe is a fitting sentiment. In addition to sentiment and awareness, 20% of all purchases will go to help a local dogs in need.