Russell Lyon of Washington works for the railroad and loves animals.

Because his job often takes him away from home, he does not have pets of his own.

“I’ve always wanted to have a dog, but because of my hours, I can’t have one,” Lyon said.

However, Lyon filled that void by volunteering at PAWS, something he has done for several years.

He now has dozens of surrogate pets.

“It makes me feel good when I can take a dog on a two or three mile walk,” Lyon said. “It does me good to interact with them.”

Lyon is part of a team of PAWS volunteers that help with cleaning, feeding and caring for the animals at the shelter.

PAWS Director Amber Talbot said that finding adult volunteers is always a challenge.

“It’s a challenge finding adult volunteers who want to get involved, be engaged and be hands-on,” Talbot said. “The more the dogs and cats are handled, snuggled and walked, the more adoptable they will be. We’re always needing adults who have that free time.”

Lyon volunteers at the shelter two or three times a week.

“A lot of dogs come in scared and timid,” he said. “It’s nice to work with them to see them become adoptable.”

When he is not walking dogs, he can be found inside holding and petting cats, or sometimes helping with transports.

He said a large part of making cats more adoptable is holding them and giving them love.

Lyon added that it is easy to get attached to the animals he cares for.

“You get attached,” he said. “But the reward is seeing them get their forever homes.”

He added that volunteering has been good for him as well.

“This is a good place; a place to belong,” he said. “There are great volunteers and great staff. I’ve made a lot of friends here.”