Volunteer Spotlight:
Andrew Mutert

Andrew wih Smiley

What does a graduate student studying Accounting at UMKC do in his free time? Well, if you’re Andrew Mutert, you play with dogs! Andrew lists one of his favorite parts of volunteering as its distractive abilities. “Coming out and playing with the dogs is a nice break,” Andrew told us. And, if we had math on our minds all day, we would need some doggie downtime, too!

Andrew came to the shelter several months ago after hearing about a friend’s experiences volunteering at a shelter in Lawrence, KS. The experience seemed like something Andrew wanted to be a part of so when he moved back to Prairie Village, he pulled out a phonebook and looked us up. Something we are very glad that he did!

Getting his mind off of crunching numbers isn’t the only reason Andrew makes time for the shelter. When asked why he volunteers with us, Andrew didn’t miss a beat. “That’s an easy one,” he said, “Playing with the dogs. And, the people that I’ve met here are all really great, too. You know, just knowing that everyone cares about the same thing.” Andrew definitely does enjoy his puppy playtime. Most of his volunteer time is spent out in the yard kicking up mud with our shelter dogs, especially Kola, a shepherd mix puppy, whom Andrew is most partial to.

In his free time, Andrew is a strong proponent of softball and spends the warmer months playing on two different leagues. “I just like to get out and be active, pretty much,” Andrew said. He also enjoys his pets at home, a 13-year-old beagle named Gabby and a “big, fluffy, furry black cat” named Mabel. Though, Andrew admittedly finds the shelter dogs more fun to play with. But only “because [Gabby] has slowed down a lot,” he insisted.

The shelter is very thankful for all of the time that Andrew spends playing with the dogs. And, we know that the dogs are grateful, too, because they light up when Andrew walks in the room.

Don’t leave Fido at home and wait in line for hours at the mall just to catch a glimpse of Santa Clause, come on down and see Santa PAWS! Santa Paws will be making a stop at the Fairway Shops (Shawnee Mission Pkwy and Belinder) on Sat. Dec. 5 and Sat. Dec. 12 from 11 am- 3 pm!

The Big Man himself will be posing for photos with both pets and people for a small $5 donation. So, make sure to bring the whole family! If you have any questions contact Bret.

Besides making toys to raise money for shelter pets, Alex volunteers at satellites nearly every weekend.

With toys in hand, Alex Stonebarger is already starting to raise money for the 2010 KC Pet Telethon. Alex is planning to present a jumbo check live on air again this year, as she has done in the past. “I make toys out of used tee shirts and sell them,” Alex said, “toys for dogs and cats. For Plaza Art Fair, I made 350 toys. But, at regular times, I make about 50 a month.”

Alex’s sales aren’t small beans either. Last year, the jumbo check she presented on air was for $500. Quite an amazing gift considering Alex is only 13 years old. This year, her goal is a jumbo check for $3000. Alex’s very own organization, Fetching Dreams, can be accessed at www.fetchingdreams.webs.com.

If you would like to join Alex and become a jumbo check presenter for the Kansas City Pet Telethon, contact Robin at 913-596-1000 x 14. Our Telethon goal is to have 15 jumbo check presentations during the 2010 event.

Items of the Week:
Holiday Décor & 35 lb Trash Bags

With Santa Paws fast approaching, we are starting to get decorated for the event! But, it seems that we are light on décor! If you stop by the shelter this week, consider bringing in some Christmas ornaments for our Santa Paws trees! Additionally, we will need one or two Christmas trees for decoration, too. If you have an extra tree sitting around, email Bret to see if it is needed.

Also, Pete reports that he’s getting really low on 35 gallon trash bags for the kennel. If you can bring in a few boxes the next time you come by – he’d really appreciate it. We would love it if the next time you stop by the shelter you could bring us a roll or two.