Meet Shelley and Lindsey! With tremendous pleasure RASKC names Shelley and Lindsey Krause as Volunteers of the Month for June 2022. While these Kent residents volunteer independently of each other, their combined energies are all the more awesome. Mother Shelley began fostering more than 12 years ago. “She does such an amazing job. Shelley’s one of the very best!” said Foster Care Coordinator Lori Mason. Shelley’s adult daughter Lindsey, rated at an elite “red” level, has been walking RASKC dogs on a regular schedule since 2016. She also serves as a training mentor and makes lots of blankets for RASKC cats. Thank you, Shelley and Lindsey!

Q: What have you gained so far from your experience as RASKC volunteers?

Lindsey: I love taking the dogs out on walks and seeing how happy they are to get outside, even if it’s just in the yard playing ball. I also love when I go to the shelter on a following week and see dogs that have been adopted after spending many weeks at the shelter.

Shelley: After fostering only kittens for more than 12 years, last fall I fostered a three-year-old cat with severe eye issues. My youngest daughter [Kassidy] saw him on the website and wanted to check into adopting him. Foster Care Coordinator Lori Mason told me I could foster him, and we all fell in love with Wilson! Hoping to cure his eye issues, after six months of eye drops up to four times a day, plus ointment, oral meds and several trips to the animal ophthalmologist, Wilson’s eyes improved. Kassidy adopted him this spring! This has been my most rewarding and memorable moment of fostering.

Q: Tell us about yourselves.

Lindsey: I went to college at University of Alaska-Fairbanks! And I was also on the college swim team. Winters were very cold and dark, [but] in the summer it never got dark! I got to experience so many cool things, like the Northern Lights! But I would never want to move back.

I have a year-and-a-half-old black lab named Puck (hockey fan!) and a five-year-old tortoiseshell cat named Kali. She is the most dog-like cat I have ever had! She talks nonstop and loves to try all foods! Yogurt and cheese are some of her favorites. Kali comes running when she hears you open a cheese stick!

Shelley: I have been married 34 years. I’m mom to Lindsey and younger daughter Kassidy. When my kids were in school, I volunteered a lot in their classrooms, PTA events, co-treasurer, etc. I also helped out for all of their sports teams and other activities.

We have a five-year-old yellow lab named Tanner, who is a wild goofball! And we have a seven-year-old rabbit named Benji. This is the first time in my life that I haven’t had a cat. Last fall we had to put Tinkerbell down. She came from my first batch of foster kittens. Maybe we will get another kitten that I foster or an older cat like Wilson.

I got started fostering kittens when my youngest daughter had a friend from school whose mom fostered kittens. She talked me into it, since Kassidy always wanted to go over to her friend’s house!

Q: What do you do when you aren’t volunteering at RASKC?

Lindsey: During the summer I like to be outside as much as possible! That includes many camping trips with my dog Puck, and my parents’ dog Tanner. We also love to hike and let them swim as much as possible. Puck is still learning. Tanner and I love the paddleboard also!

Shelley: Tanner and I walk every day around our neighborhood or on the Soos Creek Trail. I love to walk on the beach, looking for shells and being near the water. We have a cabin on Puget Sound that I love to spend time at. I’ve been a part-time merchandiser for American Greetings for 22 years. I love the flexibility of it.

Q: What would you like to say about volunteering for RASKC?

Shelley: Fostering is very rewarding, knowing you are helping these animals and letting them hang out with you. And I love working with Lori Mason. She’s the best!