Wagging tails and human smiles are what makes dogs man’s best friend. This month is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, and to honor that, Service Club has dedicated October to helping dogs in shelters.

“It is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, so we are doing a theme for this month. I wanted to do something with the animal shelter to try and get people involved with the Service Club since so many people love dogs. So it will be exciting to help the animals this month,” junior Briar Simpson, Service Club president, said.

The Johnson County Animal Shelter has reached its full capacity, and Service Club stepped in to aid by providing resources

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“We are collecting towels because that is something that the shelter always needs. They run out of them or give them away with dogs who have found their forever homes, so we are having a towel drive as a fun way to gather those for the shelter,” Simpson said.

Housing a total of 370 animals with 70 dogs, donations are needed. Through their towel drive, Service Club collected several large boxes of towels and blankets through English classes and took them to the shelter last Saturday.

“The Service Club members brought the towels and blankets into the shelter, and then we split up to work with the cats and dogs. The shelter employees and volunteers were very grateful for all our help,” senior Atley Jacks said. “We cleaned the kennels and refilled their food and water. We got to play with the dogs for about a half hour at the end, and they were definitely very happy to have someone to play with.”

With overcrowded local shelters, Service Club is shining a light on the situation.

“A lot of people just go to the shelter and are looking for a specific type of dog or cat, but they do not open their eyes to how many animals are there that are also in need at the shelter. So, we are just trying to raise that awareness,” Simpson said.

Service Club is also making dog treats for them.

“We had a lot of people sign up to make treats. We are going to be meeting after school. They are pretty simple to make, just three ingredients, and it is just a fun activity for us to give to the dogs,” Simpson said.

Overall, Service Club is keeping the focus on helping the community, including the animals that live within it.

“Our goal is just to help the animals. We want them to live happier, healthier lives, and doing good deeds for the community makes you feel good, so we get to help our community by helping the animals,” Simpson said.