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Airman Patrick Matthews, of Naval Air Facility El Centro, plays with rescued dogs at the Humane Society in El Centro on Thursday. (JOSELITO VILLERO PHOTO / February 14, 2013) |
A small army of sailors came together to help and play with man’s best friend, while fixing up nooks and crannies at the Humane Society in El Centro on Thursday.
The volunteer work was spearheaded by Julian Bradley, a senior enlisted adviser at Naval Air Facility El Centro as a way for his squadron VFA-122, to band together and help their four-legged friends find homes.
“Half of these guys live in the barracks. They don’t have dogs of their own, so it’s a good way to get them out here volunteering and socializing with the animals,” Bradley said.
Being away from home has never been too hard for Bradley himself, apart from missing his family and dogs.
“That’s how this all started: I was just sitting around one day and said ‘I miss my dogs.’ That’s when I decided to volunteer at the Humane Society,” Bradley said.
Banding his squadron together, Bradley has created a partnership between the Humane Society and the sailors for the past month now.
“The guys have been working on a rotation schedule Monday through Thursday, with two volunteers at the shelter in the mornings and afternoons,” Bradley said.
More than 24 sailors volunteered their time Thursday, to help fix fences, shampoo dogs, repair cat trees and fill in potholes, while also taking the time to play with their feline and canine buddies.
“It rewarding to play with them and take care of them at the same time,” sailor Bree Hajney said.
“It’s kind of sad to see that the animals don’t have homes, but it’s good that we’re out here trying to help clean and fix the place up,” sailor Jonathan Curtis said.
The volunteer work is part of a larger partnership Bradley hopes will become a routine between his team and the Human Society.
“Volunteering really helps us build camaraderie between the squadron, but more importantly we want to be good citizens of the base and of the Imperial Valley, so when they need our help we are going to be there to help them out,” Bradley said.
Staff Writer Celeste Alvarez can be reached at 760-337-3442 or at calvarez@ivpressonline.com
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