How volunteering at HPHH boosted Alex's confidence & skills
Alex joined the Happy Paws Happy Hearts (HPHH) community about a year ago. After initially approaching the RSPCA Animal Care Campus Brisbane for volunteering opportunities, they suggested HPHH as a suitable option due to his “mixture of physical issues and love for animals”.
Quickly moving through our programs, Alex started volunteering with us in March 2023 while still attending his weekly Train Program sessions. With plans to study in the animal field, this arrangement perfectly matches his goals and interests.
His favourite thing about HPHH is meeting all the different kinds of animals and doing things that make them happy. He also enjoys working with the participants and helping them learn and grow.
“Being able to watch [the animals] light up in the rooms when they get time out of their kennels, as well as creating enrichment and seeing them destroy the enrichment [is my favourite thing],” Alex says.
“I do like working with the participants and watching them learn and grow in understanding how to interact with animals. Someone might be struggling with a certain thing, and once you explain it to them, they understand, and can transfer that knowledge onto the animals.”
Alex loves meerkats and lemurs because of their playful nature. While he has never worked with them at HPHH, he had an animal encounter with some meerkats at Melbourne Zoo. He created enrichment for them, just like he has done previously for the animals at HPHH.
So far, his favourite memory at HPHH was training Norman the Pig (previously named Porky).
“[My most memorable time] would have to be training Norman, his name was Porky at the time, to walk upstairs using target training. That was pretty memorable,” Alex says.
Alex is proud of all his impact on the rescue animals especially the dogs with trauma.
“Going in with a terrified dog and spending time with it and slowly watching as it calms down and realises that you’re okay and everything is okay,” he says.
“When you’re with an animal, and they learn something, and they just trust a bit more, that’s probably the most rewarding thing.”
Alex says he has become ‘a lot more confident’ since joining HPHH and that he’s improved his social skills.
“You really learn how to deal with a wide range of people. I’m definitely a lot more comfortable in expressing myself," he says.
“A lot of the social skills [I have gained] I use a lot. My dog also has a lot more enrichment.”
“I recommend HPHH because it offers such a wide range of different options and situations for gaining skills or just hanging out, making some friends, or just petting some animals. There’s a vast range of opportunities that comes from it.”
Alex is an invaluable member of the HPHH team, representing us at events in Brisbane and featuring in our recent HPHH cohort photoshoot. We are so grateful for his time, contributions and kind nature.
To enquire about becoming a volunteer with HPHH, please check out our Volunteer With Us page here.