Meet one of our Heartland Heroes!
Heartland is so grateful to have so many wonderful volunteers at the shelter to help all of our homeless pets. We couldn’t do it without you!
Email: heartlandanimals@yahoo.com I Phone: 847-296-6400
Meet Heartland Hero Erin Duran!!
Erin has been coming in to help Heartland as a volunteer since September of 2009. She helps in the kennel, cleaning cages, walking dogs, or whatever tasks we ask her to do, no matter how big or small. She is one of those volunteers that you can always count on to always be here rain or shine and always with a smile on her face. She helps to promote Heartland and everything we do and we cannot thank her enough!
Erin heard about Heartland because she does not work that far from us and it wasn’t long before she had to stop by and see what Heartland was all about. “When I started working at Allstate I used to pass by everyday on my way home from work and one day just decided to stop in to see if I could help!”
We always like to tell volunteers how much we appreciate them, but we love when they tell us their favorite parts about volunteering at Heartland! Erin shares one of her favorite parts,
“I love getting to be a part of the animals’ transition until they go into their forever home. I can only imagine how frightening it must be to be in a new place surrounded by things you are unfamiliar with, so if I can help to ease the anxiety that these wonderful animals may have when they come to Heartland, then that is super rewarding! I really enjoy seeing some of the dogs blossom as they become more socialized or learn new things in training, and I especially love when I can tell that they remember me (I’m convinced that they remember each of us and the impact that we have on them)”
Erin also shares a fun memory that she has had here at Heartland, “I get such a kick out of most of the pups at Heartland, it’s hard to pick the most fun memory! I love seeing all the quirks that each dog has and their faces and personalities never fail to brighten my day! One of my happiest memories at Heartland was the day we brought out little Effie (formally Zaria) home right after our honeymoon. The day before that, my parents adopted Mika (a precious pit mix) and all of our lives have been changed for the better since then.”
Erin, like so many of us, shares her home with not only humans but our animal family members as well.
“We have 3 crazy little pups that completely run our household. Paeton is a Miniature Pinscher/Cairn Terrier Mix that we got from a small rescue group in Wisconsin and he is 4 years old now. He is the perfect little gentleman! We’re also fairly certain that his IQ is sky high and that he is the smartest dog ever! Bobbi was our next addition and she is a Chihuahua/Schipperke mix that we got from another small rescue group in Wisconsin and she is 3 years old now. Her name is short for Bobblehead, because when we got her, her poor little head would shake even when she was sitting still! She is an adorable little lovebug! Effie is our latest canine addition, and we adopted her from Heartland 2 years ago (her name was Zaria). She is a funny Papillion/Jack Russell Terrier/Dachshund Mix and adds an amazing dynamic to the pack! She was adopted quickly after coming to Heartland in 2009, but was soon returned and that was when I saw her when I would come to take care of the dogs on Monday nights. I instantly fell in love with her and realized that she needed an energy filled household like ours to thrive in. She is 3 ½ years old now and we can’t live without her! We also adopted 3 guinea pigs and they are just the funniest things! They came from a home where they were completely neglected, so when we got them, they were incredibly scared and really not socialized, but after a lot of gentle bonding and love over the past year they have really changed. Now they ‘wheek’ at us when we go see them and they nuzzle into our arms when we hold them and they ‘popcorn’ around their habitat when they get excited for breakfast/dinner time! Our babies enrich our lives in ways we never thought possible and my husband and I are so happy we have them in our family!”
When Erin is not at Heartland, helping us to promote our animals, or at home with her animals, she has a few things she likes to enjoy, “I really enjoy reading and traveling! Alex and I are taking a Mediterranean cruise in May and can’t wait!!! I also recently decided that I’d like to be able to run a half marathon, so I’m running one on May 6th!”
Thank you Erin, for all of your dedication, time, and love that you devoted to all of the animals waiting to find their forever homes at Heartland!
