The metal lock clinks as it comes loose and the gate to the puppy yard swings open. Stepping on the artificial grass, Kayla Drew and Chloe DeCou guide a small, fluffy black dog inside. Drew locks the gate and DeCou releases the dog from the leash.
It was Drew’s first time and DeCou’s second time volunteering at the animal shelter. Both of them were animal lovers, so they were ecstatic that the SMU club Paws on the Boulevard lets them meet and play with the dog.
Oliver the Terrier Mix wanders around the field, sniffing the grass. Sitting cross-legged, Drew and DeCou call him over, patting their legs. The dog immediately runs to them, excitedly wagging his tail and licking both of the girls’ faces.
“Who’s a happy boy?” said DeCou, petting his head.
Oliver hops from one girl to another. His cheerful demeanor is a stark contrast to the time they saw him in his cage, curled up and nervous from the other dogs’ barking in the East Lake Pet Orphanage.
Paws on the Boulevard is a new SMU organization that allows students to care for homeless animals in shelters. When college work starts piling up, the organization provides students with a well-needed break from classes and a valuable way to spend their time by socializing with dogs and cats.
The club helps students meet new people and bond over a shared love of animals, building a sense of community. Besides volunteering at the shelter, Paws on the Boulevard is planning other activities such as a Paws & Relax Therapy Dog Day, Paws Portrait Photo Booth, Puppy Yoga, Stuffed Animal Customization Booth and much more to increase visibility on campus and encourage more students to advocate for a good cause.
DeCou, a sophomore marketing major, grew up in Austin, Texas, and has two dogs back home she misses dearly.
“I missed my dogs,” DeCou said. “I have a lot of fun seeing the little animals here.”
After hours of running and playing, DeCou puts on the leash on Oliver and Drew opens the gate. The gate rattles as the metal lock slides back in, and they head back to the trailer where we found Oliver. A cacophony of barks and whines rises from the other dogs as we step inside.
She doesn’t like seeing the animals in their cages, DeCou said.
“I feel so sad just seeing them, y’know, feeling overwhelmed,” she said. “So I take them for a walk because it makes me feel a lot better.”
DeCou picks Oliver up, takes off his leash and puts him inside his cage. She gives him a few pats in the head before relocking the cage’s door. Oliver lies down on his blanket, tired out. They’re met with silence as they walk inside the building with the cats. It’s an old house repurposed to be an animal shelter.
The double doors creak as they swing open. Cuckoo clocks hang on the pastel walls, and toys are strewn on the floor. Most of the cats remain asleep in their cages except a black cat who begins to scratch the glass pane of his cage, meowing.
Drew unlocks the door, and the cat leaps out. The cat, Sergio, strolls around the room, flicking his tail. Drew notices a feather wand at the corner of the room and picks it up, dangling it in front of him.
Sergio’s pupils widen, and he chases the feather, jumping to catch it.
“Wow, you got it,” Drew said when the cat bit the feather. She lifts it in the air again, and Sergio jumps up, catching it immediately. “Nice jump!”
Although she never owned any dogs or cats because her dad is allergic to them, Drew, an exchange student from Osaka, Japan, still developed a love for animals.
Besides wanting to play with the dogs and cats, she also wanted to become more involved on campus and interact with other SMU students, she said.
“I wanted to have new experiences that I cannot do in Japan,” Drew said. “And also hanging out with other SMU students was really cool.”
Around 4 p.m., they head back outside. On the sidewalk, Anneliese Sherwood, a senior transfer student from Orange County, California, and an officer for Paws on the Boulevard, greets them. Besides her is another volunteer with a big, golden dog on a leash. The dog Zeus jumps on DeCou and Drew, wagging his tail excitedly.
Sherwood gently tugs on the dog’s leash to make sure he doesn’t topple the girls over. Then, she and the volunteer walk back to the orphanage.
“I feel like volunteering is more important than anybody gives it credit for and I feel like it does more for the human soul than people understand,” Sherwood said. “And so I just wanted to be able to lead a group and kind of get in touch with growing in their soul and in their faith.”
