Volunteer saves animals' lives

Linda Humphrey is a regular fixture at Animals Best Friends. She spends her days going to the Independence Animal Shelter to pick up cats to take to the vet’s office. Then it is on to the ABF facility to pick up cats that have been spayed/neutered and take them to PetSmart for adoption. Any sick cats at PetSmart are taken by Linda from PetSmart back to ABF to receive a week or so of Clavamox, vapor steam, and sometimes Vicks VapoRub.

Linda also does the weekday morning shift at ABF, feeding, watering, and medicating the cats and cleaning the cat cages. Linda keeps honey, Karo syrup, canned milk, and pumpkin on hand to give the sick cats when needed. She leaves notes for the evening and weekend shift if a cat has special needs like a hot water bottle or eye cream. Linda also fosters litters of kittens periodically for the Independence Animal Shelter.

Not only is Linda dependable and hard working, but she is consistently, day after day, the same wonderful person. Linda sees the good in people. She always has a positive outlook and great attitude, which can’t be easy seeing all the faces of animals that won’t be rescued as well as experiencing the day to day harsh realities of shelter life.

Linda became involved with ABF in the late ’90s. A friend asked her if she had anything to donate to ABF’s garage sale (at that time held at the Independence Animal Shelter). Linda had no items, but went to the sale and gave ABF a check as a donation. That day Linda walked through the Independence Animal Shelter for the first time and describes it as a gut-wrenching experience. She felt so sorry for these poor, unwanted souls. Linda was determined to do something to help them and to make their lives better. Linda took an ABF brochure home and decided to join ABF. Ten years later she is still going strong.

Linda spends at least seven hours each day doing volunteer work for ABF and the Independence Animal Shelter. The ironic thing is that she wishes there were more hours that she could spend each day helping the animals. Linda has always loved animals and animals have always been part of her family. She feels her volunteer work is worthwhile and that she is making a difference.

Linda has saved the lives of hundreds of cats. Last year she pulled between 200 to 300 cats out of the Independence Animal Shelter to put them into the PetSmart Adopt-A-Pet program. She also occasionally rescues a dog when the opportunity arises. Linda also takes care of the animal listings for the Independence Animal Shelter that are printed each week in The Examiner.

It is volunteers like Linda who help make Animals Best Friends a great organization. The world would be a better place if we had more people like Linda Humphrey. Thank you Linda, for all your hard work and dedication, you are an example for us all.