David Giammatteo of Westminster, MA has always been a dog person—in fact, his friends call him a “dog whisperer” for his ability to communicate with dogs of all kinds. That certainly comes in handy for David, who volunteers in the NEADS Canine Center and Early Learning Center (ELC).
As a Canine Center volunteer, Dave works two to four hours a week on a variety of jobs that support kennel operations. He takes the dogs for walks around campus, spends one-on-one playtime with puppies in the ELC, stocks supplies such as the dry food that is donated by Blue Buffalo, and does small maintenance jobs around the campus to help keep things in tip-top shape for the dogs, clients, and staff at NEADS.
David also volunteers at off-campus events such as Graduation, assisting clients and at the Truck Pull. With a background in music promotion, Dave is a natural on-stage at the Indian Ranch concert series, where NEADS typically raises $1,500+ through raffle sales.
When asked what got him involved in volunteering at NEADS, David responded “I’ve seen NEADS up at Wachusett Ski Area many times over the years, so I’ve always been curious about the program. When we lost our dog Chloe last year, rather than bringing another dog into our home, I thought it would be great to volunteer at NEADS.”
The most surprising thing David found after becoming a volunteer was the size of the operation. There are over 30 full time employees. In addition to the training staff and those involved directly with the dogs, there are staff who support clients, operations, grant writing, fundraising, and more.
NEADS is fortunate to have volunteers like David to help keep our operations running. Thank you! Interested in joining NEADS as a volunteer? Find out how you can get involved here.
