“My dogs are my saviors, they’re my best friends. Without them around I don’t know how I would live my life,” said Morgan Stanley, a 20-year-old receptionist at Arizona Animal Welfare League.
Stanley was born in Tampa, Florida where she grew up with a large variety of animals. “My grandma is an animal lover too, so I was always over at her home playing with her dogs, cats, chickens. She even had a pet raccoon,” Stanley said.
After spending time and learning from her grandmother how to take care of animals, Stanley developed a love for all kinds of animals and as a child she dreamed of becoming a zookeeper.
When Stanley turned 13, she moved to Scottsdale, Arizona to live with her sister. “There were some family issues that caused me to move. I was sad at first because I missed all the open space and all the animals I grew up taking care of, but because I missed the animals so much, I decided I needed something to do,” Stanley said.
Stanley has volunteered at AAWL for five years now and just started her position as a receptionist a month ago. Her main goal at the shelter is to help as many animals find their forever home. To help the dogs that have been at the shelter for awhile, Stanley fosters a new dog every month.
“She already has her dog, Penny, but I think Morgan doesn’t want her to be lonely, so that’s why she tries to bring home a new friend every month. It helps Penny and it helps the dog she brings home,” said Mitchell Weeks, Stanley’s boyfriend.
During the summer months, many animal shelters throughout the valley have a difficult time housing the influx of dogs and cats that are brought in. Due to the lack of space, shelters highly encourage people during the summer months to foster and animal for a couple of weeks.
“When we hit temperatures above 105 degrees, it really makes it difficult to house all of our animals. We can’t take them outside during adoption consultations so they mostly have stay inside,” said Katie Lucey, Director of Shelter Operations.
“I just find it very rewarding to help out a dog in need. I love dogs so much that if I can help one out at a time, I feel like I’m doing something good,” Stanley said.
Stanley encourages anyone who has a home to share to look into adopting an animal, or if they can, foster one for a week over the summer.