Why I volunteer: Roberta Birkin on Brother Wolf

Roberta Birkin

Editor’s note: In the spirit of our spring Nonprofit Issue, we reached out to volunteers from several local nonprofit organizations, asking them to reflect on what inspired them to begin their work and the impact it has had on both the community and themselves. 

As a dog lover, I was told by many upon my arrival in Asheville that I had to check out Brother Wolf. That was seven years ago, and I haven’t looked back since. I found a warm and welcoming place with a devoted staff. As a retired teacher, it has been wonderful to work with such a young, enthusiastic crew. Everyone is so dedicated to animal welfare as well as being of service to the community.

There have been many changes through the years, but each step has been to better serve our animals. We have a large foster parent program, which assists with very young animals (even bottle babies!), as well as animals who need some quiet home-loving for socialization. Many of these foster placements result in a condition known as “foster fail,” which means the foster parent couldn’t relinquish their foster and decided to adopt their fur baby.

The tremendous problem of overpopulation of dogs and cats has been dealt with for years by Brother Wolf’s low-cost spay/neuter mobile clinic. As well as taking in animals that need to be surrendered for a variety of reasons, Brother Wolf offers medical care, training and socialization to all of our animals as needed. We have also helped out other shelters with their overpopulation issues as well as stepping up to help in times of natural disasters. I am proud to be part of this amazing organization. Plus, I get my quota of puppy breath and cuddles!

For more on Brother Wolf, visit bwar.org.

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One thought on “Why I volunteer: Roberta Birkin on Brother Wolf

  1. Taxpayer

    Does Brother Wolf still euthanize dogs that dog rescues beg them to release?? It was horrible. Kudos to rescue volunteers but you must not know Brother Wolf’s dark history. It’s horrid and the director is still there.

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