ST. GEORGE — The volunteer leads a large, black and brown dog from the hydrotherapy tank, laughing while she dries him with a towel. He wags his tail. At Best Friends Animal Society, Mary Oetjens is considered a “one-woman miracle worker” for her work with stressed or elderly canines and those with mobility issues.
Oetjens began working with dogs in Michigan. As a U.S. Postal Service employee, she would let neighborhood canines jump in her truck for a ride while delivering mail to culs-de-sac, she told St. George News. She volunteered in her spare time.
After 37 years, the Michigander retired and relocated to Kanab. Oetjens said she began traveling to Best Friends in 2013, volunteering for three weeks. Over time, she increased the length of her visits to the sanctuary before deciding to move.
Currently, Oetjens said she visits the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary at least four times a week, helping dogs in various situations, including senior canines at Old Friends and those with mobility issues, taking them to their hydrotherapy appointments.
“You had a good life,” she said. “You want to give back all the goodness that you’ve got, and I enjoy just helping people — helping animals, and it just makes you feel good inside.”
The volunteer “has a special place in her heart” for stressed dogs, according to a news release issued by Best Friends.
“She will take them for outings and sleepovers at her home to decompress, which allows for their true personalities to emerge,” the release reads. “Once she knows the dogs’ true persona, she is able to talk to potential adopters and share how the dogs behave in her home. By doing this, she’s been the gateway for many dogs to find loving homes.”
While her biggest challenge is preparing dogs for adoption and having them remain at the shelter, Oetjens said watching the animals leave the sanctuary for new homes is the most rewarding aspect of her work.
“It’s like a bittersweet moment, though, because you cry because you’re not going to be seeing them anymore, but you’re also crying because they finally have found a home that they deserve,” she said.
One such dog was Doppler, who would spin in circles, dig holes and “just go bonkers” after he arrived at the sanctuary, Oetjens said, adding that some were worried he wouldn’t do well in a home. So he began visiting hers.
He got along with Oetjen’s dogs and fell asleep on her couch. During their first sleepover, one of the canines, Susan, had a seizure due to a condition that’s being treated. Doppler stayed with her until she recovered.
“So I knew he belonged in a home,” Oetjens said. “He was the best dog, and he just got adopted. And I smile every time I think of him. I do miss him tremendously, but that memory — that just keeps me going.”
In a similar case, Elvis, a hound dog, was overwhelmed by the noise and activity typical in shelters, getting “wound up in everything around him” and “barking, running along the edge of his yard and working himself into a tizzy,” according to this Best Friends article.
Additionally, the hound had a “knack” for jumping fences and pulling the leash to “follow his nose” — behavior staff worried would discourage potential adopters, the article states. However, shortly after pulling into Oetjen’s driveway, “he was all tail-wags and loose body language.”
“It was a world of difference from the bundle of nervous energy displayed in his yard,” the article reads.
Coincidentally, Elvis also stayed with Susan during a seizure and followed her closely once she recovered, Oetjens said.
“Pups are such amazing creatures,” she added. “We humans can learn so much from their compassionate ways.”
To those considering volunteer work, Oetjens said that there is various work to do, and individuals should explore the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to learn more about the “many possibilities” available.
“Look at your lives and see how many gifts you’ve been given,” she said. “And then give those gifts back to others — animals,” she said. “However you want to give back, volunteering is just — it fills your heart full of smiles and love, and yes, tears. There are tears, but they’re good tears.”
Volunteering provides “valuable labor and love at no charge to Best Friends,” the release reads. In 2022, volunteers contributed over 445,000 human hours to the nonprofit, work valued at over $13 million at an estimated cost of $29.95 per hour.
“Simply put, Best Friends couldn’t realize its mission to end the killing of shelter pets by 2025 without volunteers like Mary,” the release states.
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