To help honor the values of our founders Mary Ida and Wilbur Young, and to continue the Absorbine^® legacy of compassion for horses and animals, in 2017 we’re sending all employees out to volunteer at an animal welfare charity of their choice. It wasn’t so hard to pitch this initiative – “You say we have to take a day off on an Absorbine^® volunteer days adventure at an animal rescue? Well twist our arms!!”

Victor Vides describing his visit to the Perth Amboy Animal Shelter, Perth Amboy New Jersey:

I was really excited about this day since I was given the opportunity to help the animals that I love the most, dogs. Even better, these were dogs in need. I arrived at 9:30 on a sunny morning and was greeted by the shelter’s director, Miguel Morales, and his staff. My first impression of the shelter was incredible. The facility was well-organized, nice and neat. It even smelled good. All the dogs and cats looked well-groomed and healthy. It is a smallish shelter, housing about 15 dogs and 7 cats. The staff welcomed me on board very graciously, they were so patient and friendly.

 

Then to my surprise, a couple of minutes later Mayor Wilda Diaz and the Deputy Police Chief Lawrence Cattano showed up to welcome me! We had a great conversation and I explained to them the purpose of my visit. I told them about W.F.Young, the program for our 125^th anniversary and how a key part of our celebration was volunteering at shelters. Also that we were bringing the shelter some goodies. They showed me around and explained how everything works there.

I asked Miguel to give me some tasks to help out. My first job was to pick up the poop, which I was anticipating, so I was ready! After the dogs were secured in the back part of the kennel, I proceeded. It was pretty easy, I just needed the help of some paper towels. My next task was to clean all of the cages which involved a little more work. The food and water bowls needed to be taken out, and the kennels rinsed and sanitized, then everything was put back into place – clean and fresh.

Another task was to groom some dogs. I didn’t do the bathing and brushing, but I acted as an assistant to the expert staff. I also helped with some administrative work, filing and picked up some phone calls.

Before I left, I told them I had some surprises for the dogs and cats! I gave them a variety of products, then explained the proper use of each one. I brought UltraShield^® Flea & Tick products, ShowSheen^® Hot Spot sprays, ShowSheen^® Woof Pouf bath poufs to help bathe the dogs, and our Omega-rich superfood flax seed supplements called The Missing Link^®, including our exciting new Missing Link Once Daily^® supplement chews!

It is hard to explain how happy and thankful they were. Being there makes you want to stay or take a doggy with you. I will say that I was really close to taking home a Rottweiler named Caesar. Unfortunately, I knew he wouldn’t fit in my compact apartment. Update: Caesar has since been adopted!

It was a day I will never forget. A big thanks to my company, W.F. Young, Inc. for this opportunity!

Victor Vides

Regulatory Manager, W.F. Young, Inc.