August 13, 2004/Av 26 5763, Vol. 55, No. 47
Dog leads owner on new career path
SARAH DELANEY
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 Cheryl Weiner and her dog Summer enjoy spending time together. Weiner became vice president of the Arizona Animal Welfare League after adopting the dog. Photo courtesy of Cheryl Weiner |
Four years ago, Cheryl Weiner went to the Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL) to adopt a pet, and walked out with Summer, a Lethal White Australian Shepherd, and a new calling.
"She's my first dog," says Weiner. "She made such an impact on my life that I really felt I needed to do something here (at AAWL), and I became a volunteer."
After a few years of increasing responsibility as a volunteer, Weiner was asked to become the vice president of the animal shelter. She happily accepted the position. "I just felt that strongly that there's a purpose here. ... At the end of the day there's ... (a) feeling of having really done something to benefit a life. And we get that literally every day. And I've never looked back."
Weiner is proud of AAWL and its work as a no-kill shelter. "We treat our animals here as though they're our own. ... It's a philosophy that I could just embrace in a heartbeat. We euthanize only in cases when there's a terminal illness or ...(for) humane reasons, for medical reasons," she says.
The shelter has about 75 dogs and 100 cats up for adoption at a time and another 60 or so animals in the infirmary.
The shelter's main focus is adoptions and the work reflects that goal. Weiner explains that all animals are temperament-tested to determine whether they will interact well with other pets or children. "If they (the animals) don't have their needs met, they start acting out. ... That animal will end up back here or back in the system."
Other AAWL programs try to increase adoption numbers and educate the community, including Camp Ruffin' It, which helps children learn how to care for animals, and reduced adoption fees like "Meow Mix," a special two-for-one cat adoption program.
Sometimes Weiner's work can be emotionally painful. "The way we have to look at it oftentimes is we have a kennel and how many times can we turn around an animal. And sometimes there are difficult decisions that have to be made."
In the end, however, the benefits of her job far outweigh any negative aspects in her mind.
"It really is gratifying to see the animals when they come in, and a lot of them are sick ... we get them better, we get to meet their adopters, then we get these cards and pictures and they come and they visit. ...You can't put a price tag on things like that."
Visit www.aawl.org or contact Cheryl Weiner at 602-273-6852, ext. 107 or cheryl@aawl.org.