Voluntouring

Neal & Tosca at the kennel

OK. Most of the New Year's resolutions that I made in January have gone the way of the dinosaur.

You know. The promises to eat less sugar, get more sleep, stop procrastinating.

I find that's always the case. The resolutions that I make to help myself, are normally forgotten by mid-January, if not sooner. Sometimes I don't even make it to the end of January 1st without breaking them.

However, in past years, the deals that I make to help others are year long (if not longer) commitments.

This year, I've decided to Voluntour. No, it's not spelled wrong. It is a combination of two words. Volunteer and tour. Meaning: volunteer while on vacation.

When Neal & I decided to spend January in Palm Beach, Florida, I made up my mind then. I wanted to help at a Greyhound Kennel. So, every Thursday night for the month of January, we've been helping at the GPA Southeast Florida adoption kennel. What a great experience we've had.

The kennel crew and on site kennel keeper go above and beyond to make the stay for the hounds a happy one. Each dog spends very few hours locked in a crate. On Thursday nights for example each is turned out into the run individually for some one on one time. Then they have supper and a rest before being turned out for the evening. During that time, they play with the other Greyhounds and human helpers.

This upcoming Thursday is our last time to help out. We're already making plans to come back and do it again next year.

There is, however, one small problem with Voluntouring...