As part of our Copart Cares commitment to teammates, communities, and good causes, we offer all teammates an additional day of leave to support a charity that is close to their heart. Here is a ‘Giving It Back Day’ story from our Communications Manager, Karen Langley.
I spent my Copart Giving It Back Day volunteering at Appledown Rescue and Rehoming Kennels in Eaton Bray, near Dunstable.
Appledown is a registered charity that has taken in stray dogs from many parts of the local area since 1999. The staff and volunteers are currently caring for around 100 dogs who are looking for homes, as well as running a boarding service.
My day started at 8am, going around all the rehoming enclosures to give the dogs their morning meal and clean out the cages. Working in pairs, one of us would clear out all the bedding and mop the area with bleach and lay down clean newspaper and bedding, while the other took the dog for a walk around a nearby field.
I certainly got a good workout scrubbing out cages and walking around the field with a variety of different dogs all morning. The noise of all the barking does take a bit of getting used to!
The staff work really hard and it’s amazing to see how well they know each individual dog, despite how many of them there are. They really are a fantastic bunch of people who clearly love all the dogs and treat each and every one as if they were their own.
During a quick morning tea break I did get the chance to play with some of the dogs and I especially enjoyed spending time with the lurchers, one of my favourite breeds.
In the afternoon I helped out with grooming some of the dogs, which involved bathing, drying, and brushing them.
Most of the dogs did not particularly enjoy this but all of them were very good and despite being drenched a few times with their shaking, I managed to help get around ten dogs smelling nice and fresh again. I think the dogs smelled better than me by the end of the afternoon!
It’s a long working day and I have to admit I was exhausted by the end of it. But I also felt really happy that I had been helpful to Appledown, who rely solely on donations, and being a huge dog lover, it was great being able to spend so much time with them.
I think it was probably inevitable that while working there I would fall in love with one of the dogs. That dog was a beautiful female lurcher (whippet cross) called Angie and by the end of the day I had decided to adopt her!
So, not only did my ‘Giving it Back Day’ benefit the charity, but it also benefited me by giving me a beautiful dog who I have now named Millie.
Doing a ‘Giving it Back Day’ made me feel like I had done something really worthwhile and made a difference. It also gave me an appreciation of just how hard charitable organisations work.
It really is a fantastic initiative from Copart, who I am hugely grateful to for giving me the opportunity to support a great cause.
Appledown is always on the look out for volunteers, so if you live within travelling distance of the Luton/Dunstable area and are interested in supporting an amazing charity, please do get in touch with them. Contact info is on their website https://appledownrescue.co.uk/.
Also, if you would be interested in rehoming a dog from Appledown, the best place to start is joining their official Facebook page. It is where you can find all the latest news and photo albums of the dogs currently looking for homes.