Give & Take: Boston’s day with The Animal Rescue League

Who doesn’t love spending time with puppies and kittens? Prosek’s Boston team sure does, especially when it’s for a good cause. Last month, twelve members of our team traveled to the Dedham location of the Animal Rescue League of Boston to assist the team  with cleaning, socializing animals, and organizing shipments for the afternoon.

ARL is a female-founded animal welfare organization that has helped over 6.2 million animals since it began in 1899, and for the past 125 years, the group has been a resource for pets and families across Boston. They are recognized for programs that go beyond traditional sheltering –  including one we learned about during our volunteer day, where the shelter team takes in animals whose owners have fallen on hard times. This means families don’t have to give up their beloved pets because of external circumstances.

During our afternoon there, our team learned about all of the programs ARL provides for people and animals, like high-quality/low-cost veterinary care via their mobile van. They provide these services while also confronting the root causes of animal cruelty and neglect through innovative community programs, police investigations, and public advocacy. In 2024, ARL – including the Boston location –  served 20,230 animals in need throughout Massachusetts.

After learning more about ARL’s work, we got to work helping the team sort through donations such as crates and bags of dog food. Afterwards came everyone’s favorite part – helping to socialize puppies, kittens, and even a cockatoo who loves dancing to Taylor Swift (this is not a joke, we have video evidence).

Snuggling kittens and puppies certainly did not seem, and probably doesn’t sound like work, but the volunteer coordinators told us that, as hard as they try, they do not have enough time to give every puppy and kitten the attention they need. Some of these animals come from traumatic situations or were born strays, and spending extra time with people who will play with and cuddle them at their own pace makes them more ready to be adopted into their forever homes. Safe to say we were all happy to oblige.

And if I may – one professional takeaway. Connecting with animals with different personalities, backgrounds, and communication styles is not dissimilar to the way our role as communicators at Prosek requires us to lead with empathy, listen to understand rather than to respond, and meet people (or in this case, animals) where they are to garner mutual understanding.

For more information how you can help ARL, or to learn more, visit: https://www.arlboston.org/get-involved/.

There are so many ways to donate, volunteer, foster animals, and otherwise show up for our furry friends in need. Looking for a furry (or feathered) friend of your own? Adopt don’t shop.