“Hello, nice to meet you,” says Aries. “I realize, it feels hard to see me here after months-on-end. Just imagine, what it feels like, for me to be here.”

Shelter dogs. So many of us are aware to some degree of their plight. Even more of us avoid involvement, for walking through the doors of our community shelter, feels like contemplating how to untie the Gordian Knot. What do we do? We look away. We distract ourselves. If the subject comes up in quiet conversation over a cup of tea with a friend, we sigh in mutual concern. We return to our lives, get into our cars, and forget all about it. The problem of homeless dogs in overcrowded shelters feels to be more than any one of us can take on.

Meanwhile, the dogs sit in kennels, day after day, neglected, overlooked, and confused. The people they once loved and would open their hearts to again, have long gone back to their routines of feeding the kids or tapping away at their laptops. The Pittie mutt / Shepherd mix / Heeler blend that once occupied that corner bed in their office or family room is now but a memory.

Back at the shelter, their once-loved dog now sits alone, feeling abandoned and confused. Did they make a mistake? Did they wear out their welcome, outgrow those puppy paws? Did they get over-excited in a play session, and found themselves experiencing a one-way-trip in the family car?

Few can know what happens in the life of a shelter dog with any truth. People make mistakes as dogs do; they fall upon hard times, their girlfriend says, Eh, not so much, it’s him or me. Sometimes, their people even die, and the dogs wind up uncared for and about in a local shelter.

The reasons why dogs wind up in shelters as of late range the gamut, from Covid deaths to Fentanyl overdoses to economic struggles to canine adolescence setting in; to lack of training or simply, misfortune. Some simply land there as people cannot bear to witness the stages of elderhood, so they drop off the senior dog at the shelter on their way to the grocery store. Others claim the stresses of pack dynamics to be too challenging, and choose one over the other, in a Sophie’s Choice kind-of-way.

Meanwhile, disorientation arises in the mind of a shelter dog. Loneliness flows in like a mountain creek fed by snowmelt in the springtime. Desperation builds, stress takes over. Dogs are companion animals, born to walk beside their humans through rainstorms and darkness, along trails and pastures. They are meant to sit beside us on the patios of sidewalk cafes and trot happily along on their way home. They long to be in our homes the way we long for lasting, unconditional love.

A number of these now-homeless dogs might see the inside of another living room and come to love again. Some will embark, at the will of others, on a harrowing cross-country journey to a place where they are wanted. And many, caught in the unfortunate system that cares less about their precious lives and devalues any one dog for the overwhelm and inability to meet their needs, will lose their precious, beautiful life. I will spare you the details of the worst states to be a homeless dog – California and Texas – suffice to say, people are trying, but they need more help to save them.

The good people at Charlie’s Place in Dumont, Colorado, also need help. Here’s where you can come in. But first, let’s touch on the reasons why:

- It makes the world a better place to live (most of us already know this).

-Let’s keep going: People helping the most vulnerable in our culture – homeless animals – creates a collective unity of compassion. Stepping up to help feeds that part of ourselves wanting to belong. It gives us a sense of purpose and grounding in our lives. It inspires others to act; it provides hope for others knocked down in despair and loneliness.

-Volunteering at Charlie’s Place also gives us place in our mountain community, and gives love to all those beautiful, wanting-to-live, vulnerable dogs, just waiting to be seen and loved again.

-If all those reasons don’t find resonance in some part of your awareness, just keep going until you find one that does.

-Or, contact me – I’ll listen until we do.

So, how can we begin to help, with a spare hour on a Tuesday afternoon? Charlie’s Place is full of dogs in need of attention and exercise. Of touch and massage. A little Oxytocin goes a long way. Of play and interaction. Of companionship and connection. Of cleaning and care.

If you have a few moments, just contact them and ask: Can I come and help you with the dogs? I promise they will be grateful. In showing up and giving whatever you have to offer to help homeless dogs, you are saying: I care about you and what you’re doing. I care about the homeless dogs sitting here, in need of my time and attention. It all contributes to a happier, more loving collective in which to live.

So, what do you say, do you have an hour on a Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning or a Friday night, to love on a shelter dog? Your help won’t be turned away.

Charlie’s Place is located at 500 W Dumont Road. They can be reached at (303) 679-2477. You can email them shelter@clearcreeksheriff.us. Check out their website at charliesplaceshelter.org.