Are there fun things to do in the city of St. Louis as a PT student? Sure!
Annie Mroz, a current senior in the Program in Physical Therapy at Saint Louis University, responded to this inquiry with a lot of enthusiasm about Stray Rescue. Annie often spends time walking and training some pretty cute pups (see photos below!) which not only gives her a break from studying, but improves the lives of her 4 legged friends and makes an impact on the city. Read about Annie's experience with Stray Rescue St. Louis below!
I work with Stray Rescue of St. Louis, a no-kill shelter that rescues stray and abused dogs in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. A friend of mine encouraged me to become a volunteer at Stray Rescue at the beginning of the summer when I needed something productive to do during my first summer in St. Louis besides studying Gross Anatomy.
After attending the orientation session, I have become a highly active volunteer. When I first started volunteering, I just walked dogs during the morning or evening shift to get them out of their apartments so that the enclosures could be cleaned and the dogs could go to the bathroom. Now, I volunteer as a Rehabilitation Enrichment Program (REP) member. As part of the REP, I work specifically with one dog for about a month, taking that dog on hikes/lunch outings and improving upon some of the dog's issues. Even now that I am a REP member I still help with some of the regular shifts. I practically go every day! It is such a great stress reliever!
The most rewarding aspect of working with the dogs at Stray Rescue is that I get to make a difference in the dogs' lives, other volunteers' lives that I talk with, and the families that adopt these wonderful animals. I encourage all my friends or anyone that loves dogs and wants to do something for the community to come and at least check out Stray Rescue because it is an amazing, unforgettable experience every time. For those that want to get involved with Stray Rescue visit their site at http://www.strayrescue.org/.
Annie Mroz
Class of 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment