SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Many animal shelters in San Diego County are at or above capacity, with dogs and cats often waiting months before finding their forever homes. But a special group of volunteers in Carlsbad is working to make that wait a little more comfortable.
The Kennel Comforters, a volunteer group that started around 2009, meets once a month to create soft, cushioned beds for shelter animals. Working like an assembly line, the volunteers happily fold, cut, and sew to make close to 70 beds each month.
"Some of our animals stay here for many months, and we have cold concrete floors," said a shelter representative. "One of the nice things is really nice bedding and pillows and just a really comfortable setting for the animals, and these ladies provide that, and they provide it on a regular basis, and we're so happy that they do that for our animals."
The process starts with a stitch and a bit of stuffing. The volunteers move systematically, with pins already in place and ready to go.
For some volunteers, the emotional aspect of shelter work makes this behind-the-scenes contribution especially meaningful.
"I don't typically go back into the shelters because it makes me sad," one volunteer said. "But I do have the volunteers who tell us how much they appreciate it and how much the animals like them."
Another volunteer explained her motivation: "I can't take them all home, all the animals, but I can do something to make their life a little easier."
The group relies heavily on donations to continue their work. Much of the fabric is donated, and some volunteers use borrowed sewing machines.
"We have a bunch that need to be repaired, and it's expensive," one volunteer noted.
The beds feature a special detail - a heart-shaped stitch that holds the stuffing in place. This design choice has personal significance for the group.
"We used to do a circle, and then we did an X, and then my husband was going through chemotherapy, and he received a blanket that had a heart on it," one volunteer explained. "And I thought, why don't we use a heart on our beds?"
The heart serves as a reminder that each bed is made with love for the animals hoping for homes.
ABC 10News has chosen the Kennel Comforters as the Leadership Award winner for February, recognizing their efforts to make shelter animals' lives a little easier.
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