Fort Smith (Sep 06/04) - Dottie Hawley practises what she preaches. As a volunteer at the Fort Smith Animal Shelter, Hawley is on an adoptions committee working to find good homes for dogs and cats.

And she herself has adopted two dogs from the shelter. One is a nine-week-old chocolate Labrador retriever named Kookie, which she adopted several weeks ago. The other is Oreo, a three-year-old black Lab.

"I've always had dogs and most of them were shelter rescues," she says.

Adopting from a shelter is a good deed, she explains. "You just feel like you're doing more than owning a pet."

Hawley says the shelter seeks responsible dog owners and people have to know what they are getting into.

"This is a lifetime commitment," she says, noting it takes time, expense and emotions to own a pet. "It's an obligation."

However, she also says the companionship of a pet is wonderful.

"There's lots of laughter and lots of tears, just like a child."

Hawley, who is originally from Oregon, says she has been volunteering at the shelter since she came to the North three years ago.

"I know how important volunteers are," she says. "This place wouldn't run without volunteers."

Hawley notes the shelter has an impressive rate of finding homes for animals. About 90 per cent are adopted, including some sent to Yellowknife.

Several weeks ago, six puppies were also sent to Winnipeg, she notes.

"We had them and they needed them. It worked out great. They were adopted immediately."

Last year, 115 dogs were adopted from the shelter and it's expected more will be adopted this year.

However, Hawley notes not all animals are adoptable because of age, illness and a history of biting. If they are unadoptable, they are euthanized.

"We do the best we can," says Hawley, who is also the shelter's vice-president when not at her full-time job as a house parent at a youth treatment centre.

The shelter advertises pets for adoption, including on a Web site (www.fsas.ca) run by Hawley's husband, Dwade.