Four days a week, rain or shine, you can find Deb at the Humane Society of Ventura County helping to care for the horses. Deb cleans corrals, helps feed them, and is on hand to assist our Equine Specialist with anything she needs. Deb's hard work is not only necessary to keep up with the animals care, but she has also bonded with each horse, taking breaks in between mucking stalls to give them each a good scratch or whisper a kind word into their ear.

Deb started volunteering in June of 2017, working mostly with the dogs, "I wanted to give back to the community I grew up in." It didn't take long before Deb became a regular at the Shelter and was always willing to offer a hand. From helping our volunteer photographers to coming in for shelter clean-up days, Deb has almost done it all.

When the Hill and Woolsey Fires broke out, she was up and ready to help with the animals arriving in droves. With over 290 evacuated animals in our care, keeping them fed, clean, and cared for was a monumental task. Deb was at the Shelter as often as she could to volunteer. Weeks later, when the animals began to go back home, she decided to continue helping with the horses and hasn’t stopped since.

Working with horses is physically demanding and often a little dirty, but she doesn't mind. "Deb is a lifesaver. I couldn't do it without her help," commented Equine Specialist, Christie Tracy. Even with a volunteer, cleaning the horse corrals and making sure they have everything thing they need can take several hours each day. Deb encourages anyone interested in becoming a volunteer to "Come on; just don't be afraid to get dirty!"

Deb doesn't have a specific favorite shelter animal because "My favorite is the one that's in front of me right now." However, she does have a favorite thing to do at the Shelter, and that is spending time with the animals. Whether it's walking dogs or brushing out horses, she is just happy to be with them.

There are many ways to help out at the Humane Society of Ventura County, and we welcome anyone interested to reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator by phone at (805)646-6505 x110 or by email at [email protected].