Helping Dogs Find Forever Homes

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Aarush Reddy. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

With just over a year of volunteering with Heart of America Humane Society, 16-year-old Aarush Reddy has spent more than 130 hours trying to find new families for dogs without homes. He spends four hours nearly every Saturday working at adoption events, and he doesn’t even have his driver’s license yet. Aarush originally volunteered with his dad. The arrangement fulfilled age-based requirements while providing a way to connect with family.

These days, he volunteers independently both for the shelter and a local food pantry. He also fills his time with school clubs, honor societies and his new job as a math instructor at Mathnasium, a learning center designed to help K-12 students in the subject. While he will always love caring for dogs, Aarush plans to pursue human medicine after graduation.

What inspires you to get started with this initiative?

I have a 6-year-old English golden retriever, and I love to hang out with him. That’s why I’ve always wanted to volunteer with dogs–taking care of them and convincing customers to adopt them. I’m really passionate about that.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Heart of America Humane Society.

I’m a dog handler. There’s a van that comes to PetSmart, and we wait outside to pick a dog. After we let it do its business, we go inside the store to an area where we can sit down. There are dog beds for dogs to sleep or lay down and play with toys. Our objective is to get customers to adopt them.

There are many stray dogs in Kansas, specifically, the Greater Kansas City area, and our organization partners with an animal shelter. We get the dogs from there. I learn about their history and how they behave. When someone decides to adopt, we give them that information as well as their medical records. And if they have any questions, we answer them to the best of our ability.

You’re working towards the Congressional Award bronze medal, which requires 100 hours of voluntary public service and targets in three other categories—personal development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration. Why is that goal important to you?

For each category that I complete, I gain experience. For the personal development category, I can shadow or teach. It improves my mental health, and helps me learn skills in the real world.

The physical fitness component motivates me to practice more for a sport that I’m passionate about—golf—and I get exercise. I get better every time I practice. This award helps me improve myself, and it’s satisfying seeing the progress and reflecting on how much I’ve worked on these goals.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

It’s getting to see the dogs get adopted, especially the ones who have been in the shelter and at PetSmart attempting to get adopted. I had a dog who’s been here for three years, and they finally got adopted by a loving family, which made me so happy. They get to stay with their new family forever. That’s rewarding. It makes me feel like I’ve done something good.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

I’ve learned how to approach any dog I see, regardless of their size or behavior. I’ve also learned how to be responsible. For example, I’ve experienced my dog getting off of his leash and running away. It was a very scary experience because I didn’t want him to leave the building. I’ve also built faster reaction times because the dogs sometimes run away. I can catch up to them in an instant now, because I’ve built more stamina.

Do you have any tips for the general public on how to approach a dog they’re unfamiliar with?

My first tip is to put your dominant hand out towards their nose area, like you’re gesturing to call someone over with your palm up. If they sniff it, they’ll know that you’re not a threat. If you just go up and pet them, they’re going to be scared. They’re not going to want to come to you.
If a dog is trying to bite or attack you, I put my index finger out and tell them to stop, because they’ll feel that you’re more powerful than them.

It’ll keep you safe from injuries, especially from dogs you don’t know who could have rabies.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

It’s fun, and it develops you as a person. You improve yourself with the experience. It’s kind of like a job. You get to experience what working is like or even learn skills for a future career.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

Don’t feel nervous about volunteering. I was like that, too, when I started volunteering at Heart of America. If you follow their rules and be the best person you can be, you’re going to enjoy it. You’re going to enjoy working with the people who are always there at events. You’ll make more connections, and you’ll gain lots of experience that can be applied in the real world.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

Not every species on the planet is doing well. Dogs in my community are, in some cases, abandoned. They’re not being adopted. By volunteering at the animal shelters, you’re showing care to the animals and people you work with. You’re making yourself a more trusted, thoughtful person.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Aarush? Find local volunteer opportunities.