Aria's Shelter Slumber Pawty Fundraiser for CAC

I never expected one day trip to change so much.

I got started volunteering with Cincinnati Animal CARE in June 2025 when my friend Ambrea invited me to tag along on a day trip with a shelter dog. Spending the day exploring the city with a dog who rarely gets that chance, watching them relax, play, and just be a dog, was something I’ll never forget. I was hooked immediately.

From there, I started doing weekly day trips, but I wanted to do more. I learned about walk group, and it felt like the perfect fit. I’ve always loved walking dogs, especially my Doberman who passed in 2021, and while my current dogs aren’t walkers, I missed that connection. So I completed my training, became a green level volunteer, and showed up to my first walk group one Thursday morning in July. I haven’t stopped since.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, rain or shine, cold or warm, I’m there, because the dogs are there.

Since then, I’ve gotten involved in so many ways: cleaning, feeding, prepping enrichment, running dogs for playgroups, helping at adoption events, transporting dogs, writing bios, and entering data. I even dipped into fostering… and ended up adopting my foster (no regrets).

This fundraiser means so much to me because behind the scenes, there are over 200 dogs at the shelter day in and day out, many of whom rarely get to leave their kennels. They are incredible dogs who simply need a chance.

Cincinnati Animal CARE is Hamilton County’s only open-intake stray shelter, meaning they take in every animal that comes through their doors, no matter the condition, behavior, or circumstance. Since opening in 2020, they have maintained a live release rate of over 90%, earning a no-kill designation. That commitment means giving thousands of dogs a second chance, even when the odds are tough, and it’s why community support is more important than ever.

But this is bigger than one shelter.

We are facing a serious dog overpopulation crisis, not just here, but in communities everywhere. The only way forward is together: spaying and neutering, stopping unnecessary breeding, supporting shelters, and showing up for the dogs who are already here.

That’s why I’m doing this.

Every dollar raised helps support these dogs, their care, their enrichment, and their chance at a better life, while also helping raise awareness about the overpopulation crisis they face. Thank you for being part of something that truly matters.