Monthly Volunteer Profile: Ken Faulkner

If you’ve ever met Ken Faulkner at the Winnipeg Humane Society (WHS), it won’t be a surprise that he’s held several volunteer positions over the years. After all, he has been volunteering for more than a decade – and that’s just his current volunteer stretch.

Ken started with the WHS many years ago at the former Kent Street location. He wanted fresh air and doggie time and thought dog walking would address those needs. “When I first started, I was looking for something to do,” he explained. “I thought animals need help. Walking dogs got me outside in the fresh air, doggie time, and is a break for the dogs.” He did that until work and family commitments conflicted with his volunteering.

Almost 11 years ago, Ken had settled into a new family home, and he figured he should do something. So, he came back to the WHS and began walking dogs again. Sometimes, he volunteered at adoption events that used to be held at pet stores in the city. “We’d take dogs out to the stores and talk to customers in the store about adopting a dog or cat,” he said. “We’d stay there for three or four hours and hope to get the animals adopted.”

He and his wife have also spent time on weekends delivering pet food and supplies from the WHS to families in need with pets. “It helps to do deliveries in pairs, especially if there’s a couple of big dogs in the house and you have a big bag of dog food to carry in. And while one person drives, the other can plan a route to the next stop. Having another person makes it a little quicker.”

In 2023, Ken switched over to organizing donations. Situated near the front lobby of the shelter are several bins where visitors can put donations of goods for the WHS. The donations include items such as newspapers, towels, pet toys, pet food, kitty litter, yarn, office supplies, and more (to find out more about what you can donate, check out the Wish List at winnipeghumanesociety.ca).

On Monday afternoons, Ken comes to the shelter and sorts through the donations, then delivers them to the appropriate area. “I put the food away, take the donated towels to the laundry room, that sort of thing,” he said. “Anything new, like leashes or toys I deliver to the pet shop to deal with.”

He enjoys working on donations because he still gets to meet with people. “I don’t get contact with the animals, but at the end of the two hours, you feel like you’ve accomplished something,” he explained.

Ken said he has always had a connection with dogs, but oddly enough, he didn’t grow up with any. “As a kid, we had the odd cat but didn’t have dogs. We have two now. Both are Winnipeg Humane Society alumni,” he laughed.

The dogs – a 10-year-old 45-pound Golden Lab cross and a seven-year-old “kind of a Boxer mix” that’s full of energy – keep Ken’s dog connection active. They give him lots of opportunities to go for a walk.

The dogs also hold the key to what may be Ken’s next volunteer opportunity at the WHS.

He has his eye on taking the dogs to schools or seniors’ facilities once he’s finished working. “I think I’d like to do that,” he said. “And so would our dogs.”

Ken said choosing to volunteer at the WHS was an easy decision. “To see how they can help animals is amazing,” he stressed. “Our Golden Lab was found tied to a post and was super reactive to other dogs. After taking Reactive Rover at WHS and lots of training at home, she can now look forward to playing at the dog park. Total turn around in personality.”