Make a difference in the life of an animal – and yours
When Eva Popek moved to the Pahrump area, she was surprised to find that the Nye County Animal Shelter didn’t have much in the way of a formal volunteer program.
As a former volunteer for a nonprofit animal shelter and a person with a deep love for furry, four-legged creatures, Popek had wanted to assist with walking, socializing and exercising the dogs at the Nye County shelter. But it wasn’t as easy as she initially thought. The differences between a county-run shelter and a nonprofit operation are vast, creating challenges for bringing in volunteers to interact directly with the animals.
However, with persistence, patience and hours of discussion with Nye County Animal Shelter Manager Kristi Siegmund and other interested parties, Popek’s vision of a revamped volunteer program was eventually realized. Instead of just tackling cleaning tasks, those who wish to lend a hand by helping socialize and entertain the animals — both dogs and cats - at the shelter have the opportunity to do so.
Now, several months into the Nye County Animal Shelter Volunteer Coalition, she and her fellow volunteers are looking toward 2026 with optimism, hoping that volunteerism will continue to grow and new recruits join in the effort.
“Kristi has made lots of improvements at the shelter, she’s done great working with us as volunteers and it’s a partnership - the volunteers work with the shelter staff and it’s a win-win when we work together,” Popek told the Pahrump Valley Times.
The Nye County Animal Shelter is a large, no-kill operation, she noted, and one that requires an immense amount of work to keep running. Volunteer hours go a long way in creating quality of life for the shelter pets as they await adoption, of course, but they go even farther by reducing the burden on shelter staff as well.
“I shadowed a worker one day and I was exhausted! It’s a huge job,” she remarked.
As part of the shelter volunteer program, training has been implemented and Popek estimated that the last session saw seven or eight new recruits attend.
“Brianna Kirsner from the nonprofit Paw-Rump Rescue and Rehab is doing the trainings now, every Friday from about 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., depending on how many volunteers we have for orientation. New volunteers really need the training because they get to know the layout of the shelter, yes, but they also learn how to safely get the dogs in and out, how to read a dog’s body language, all of that. We don’t expect them to know right away.”
Volunteer leads are also more than willing to help a new recruit get comfortable as they learn the ropes of walking the dogs, utilizing the outdoor spaces, caring for the cats and helping to keep things clean.
For more information on volunteering, visit the Nye County Animal Shelter at 1580 Siri Lane Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., call 775-751-7020 or email Popek at EMPopek35@yahoo.com
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
