Six years ago, Loki, a Sable German Shepherd, was found roaming the streets of Aurora.
Emaciated and with a collar worn into her neck, she was taken to Aurora Animal Control and Care. Loki later was adopted by Plainfield resident Deena Traina.
Today, Loki lives with Traina and her other dogs – Hines Ward, a rescued pitbull, and Majerle (pronounced Marley), a German Shepherd.
Traina said when she brings in foster dogs to her home from Animal Control, Loki acts as the “mamma dog” and takes the dogs under her wing and “shows them the ropes.”
“It is neat to see, a dog that was lost on the street to turn into such a good, mothering dog,” she said.
To give back to the community who gave her Loki, Traina joined the Humane Society of Aurora when it formed in 2014.
Until the formation of the Humane Society, individuals would come to Aurora’s Animal Control to socialize the animals, but there wasn’t any formal program, according to Joy Bokuniewicz, president of the Humane Society of Aurora.
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As the Humane Society’s volunteer dog coordinator, Traina assesses and evaluates the dogs that come to the facility either as a stray (which is the majority) or through owner surrender.
Volunteers work with the dogs on basic commands, socialization and leash manners, Traina said. Another volunteer coordinator and a team of volunteers work with cats.
Recently granted nonprofit status, the Humane Society of Aurora’s mission is to work with Aurora Animal Control and Care to increase adoptions and rescues, improve shelter conditions, and to educate and assist the community in responsible pet ownership.
A separate entity from Aurora Animal Control and Care, Bokuniewicz said, “Animal Control handles the paperwork involved with intake and adoption and the Humane Society handles animal enrichment.”
Involved with rescue groups since she was 18 years old, Bokuniewicz contributes her time because “any time there are animals in need of enrichment” she feels compelled to step in.
When the organization started, Traina said there were just a handful of volunteers. Today, the group has grown to about 80 individuals who share a camaraderie beyond the shelter’s doors.
Dawn Bassett, a teacher at East Aurora High School, became a volunteer at the same time the Humane Society of Aurora was formed.
Looking to volunteer her time during the summer and over breaks from teaching, Bassett said she helped out at the shelter nearly every day over winter break.
She now divides her time between caring for both the dogs and cats.
Right now there is a huge need for volunteers to assist with cats, she added.
In addition to working on basic commands, Bassett said another goal of the Humane Society is to get the animals used to being around people.
In some cases, the animals came from environments where they were not treated well by people, she added.
With some cats especially, who may not be as willing to get close to a human, Bassett has sat on a chair outside its cage and talked to them to get them used to people.
Along with another volunteer, Bassett also writes biographies for the dogs so that individuals wishing to adopt them get the opportunity to understand their likes and dislikes.
Bassett credits the network of volunteers with reducing the number of dogs and cats euthanized by utilizing social media, personal connections and ties to other rescue groups to spread the word about adoptable dogs and cats.
Even several of Bassett’s coworkers at East Aurora have adopted animals through Aurora Animal Control, she said.
Cathy Janek is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News