Overview:
For this week’s volunteer spotlight, Greg Curtin and Rufus the dog walk us through a day in the life of a volunteer at PAWS of Coronado.
The winding Bayshore bike and walking path ducks under the Coronado bridge and lines the San Diego bay. A bit west of the bayshore path, the neighborhood welcomes walkers and bikers with a hello from the front garden or sidewalk. Regulars greet each other. Dogs sniff each other. It’s a normal route for Greg Curtin and Rufus the dog.
On their near daily walks, Rufus meets other dogs, sniffs some bushes, runs in the park, takes care of “business” and, occasionally, does a “Rufus flop.” That entails Rufus halting and flopping down (belly up), often at the most inopportune times like in the middle of a street.
But for Rufus, it seems these walks are the feature moments of the day. Rufus is a dog currently up for adoption at The Pacific Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) of Coronado, an animal rescue and welfare organization. He’s been there for about two months, according to Curtin.
Rufus lights up with a wagging tail when he walks out of the shelter in tow of Curtin; he is one of Curtin’s many “rascals.”
This term is not used with a negative connotation in this setting at PAWS; rather, it’s an endearing title for the big dogs who also have a big heart for play, exercise and adventure. But, without the right dog walker, things can easily get out of hand.
That’s where Curtin comes in.
“I wanted to volunteer and do something that made an impact but really allowed me to be hands on,” Curtin said. “And literally, I’m hands on, rolling around with dogs, walking them.”
Curtin has been a volunteer for PAWS of Coronado for a year now. He started volunteering when he and his wife began transitioning into retirement.
After a career as an educator and then the co-founder of Insight Terra, a cloud-based data and infrastructure risk monitoring company, he sought something to add to his schedule. Curtin said he has served on nonprofit boards and volunteered his time in other areas. But after his dog of 17 years passed away, he wanted to make a tangible impact.
“As long as I have time, I do it every day,” Curtin said.
From 45 minutes to an hour and a half, his time and energy go into the immersive experience of walking the dogs who are at PAWS until they’re adopted or transferred to another shelter. He also helps drive the animals in PAWS vans to and from medical facilities or shelters. These roles translate to significant time spent with the animals, especially dogs like Rufus and Bernie.
Bernie was a rascal — a 90-pound rottweiler puppy at PAWS; he was 10 months old when he met Curtin.
“He was one of the dogs where not everybody could take him because not only was he huge and strong, all he wanted to do was play and bounce around,” Curtin said. “He was absolutely rambunctious, an absolute doll of a dog.”
Bernie was one of the dogs Curtin walked often. And though they found friendship, their story is not one without bumps in the road. Curtin said he remembers one time playing with him at Tidelands Park, and Bernie’s leash snapped.
“I remember going, ‘Oh god, I can just see it. I’m going to have to go back and say I lost Bernie. He’s running around somewhere in Coronado,’” Curtin said.
Curtin said Bernie took off and then he turned around and took off in the other direction. But eventually, Bernie came back to Curtin.
“I put the leash back on…‘Wow, dodged a bullet,’” Curtin said
Curtin was there the day Bernie was adopted. He often tries to be there to celebrate the send-off with the rascals who are adopted. From behavioral training to medical support, Curtin said PAWS does a range of services to get the animals ready for adoption.
That connection to the dog is the same across the board, according to Curtin. Curtin said the relationships these dogs form are also with the staff who work there.
“The dogs get to know you,” Curtin said. “It’s really nice to see when you bring them back and they’re all happy. They love the staff people too. You can tell they’re getting really good care. They’re so excited to be back home.”
Curtin said it’s not just the volunteers who make the impact on the animals; it’s the whole infrastructure of support.
“The staff of PAWS is unbelievable,” Curtin said. “I mean they’re the real heroes of this story.”
Curtin said he hopes to help the full-time staff as much as he can when he volunteers.
“Anything that helps the staff do what they need to do is good,” Curtin said. “They’re working with the dogs around the clock. It really is about freeing the staff to do their core work.”
Depending on the day, Curtin and Rufus hit the pavement either in the morning or afternoon, with a tag on the leash that says “adopt me.”
“For that period of time, I get to think about nothing except that dog,” Curtin said. “I love it. For an hour or hour and a half every day, I just get to clear my mind and think nothing about the world. Just get to hang out with a dog.”
To learn more about PAWS of Coronado, visit https://pawsofcoronado.org/
