When Tom Cresong signed up his Catahoula mix puppy Luna for puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert’s he had no idea that he would soon become an indispensable volunteer. But as Luna graduated into more advanced training classes and Tom saw how much was going on at the shelter, he decided he wanted to get more involved.
After about a month working hard alongside staff cleaning kennels, Tom volunteered to help with St. Hubert’s new Field Trip program. Through this program, members of the public can drop by the shelter any day of the week, fill out a questionnaire designed to gauge their comfort level with different size/strength dogs, and take out a suitable one for an outing. Field trips can last an hour, an afternoon or the whole day, and have proved to be a valuable way to get people into the shelter, gather more information about adoptable dogs, and allow St. Hubert’s to more effectively “market” them with compelling photos and videos. It’s also led to a number of adoptions.
Since November Tom has served as Field Trip Coordinator on Sundays, handling paperwork, matching up participants with dogs and preparing them for their outing by “dressing” them in a harness, collar and Adopt Me vest. Sundays can be very hectic and dogs can be exuberant, but Tom is always calm and smiling, a welcoming presence in the front lobby. He has facilitated many of the more than 300 field trips logged so far. We are very grateful for Tom’s help, and to his dog Luna for bringing him to St. Hubert’s!
