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Photo by Steve Johnson Honey Buns, a 10-month-old mastiff-Great Dane mix, is only one of several Southern Oregon Humane Society animals tended by Rachel Yeager, 16. The Medford girl is among a handful of area teens who volunteered at the society this summer. Volunteering has its own rewards Handful of teens spent their summer with neglected pets EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is one in a series about local children's lives during the summer. The stories appear on Mondays throughout the summer. By JONEL ALECCIA Honey Buns is a happy dog, and today, it's all Rachel Yeager's doing. On this warm summer morning, the 16-year-old Medford girl is indulging the huge mastiff-mix puppy with an early walk and a good scratch, way back behind the ears. The dog wriggles and wags, then flops herself firmly on the grass in front of the Southern Oregon Humane Society's office in Medford. For Rachel, that's payment enough for a summer spent volunteering at the animal welfare agency. "I think a lot of people tend to ignore the animals left here," says Rachel, who logged 115 volunteer hours this year. "They don't get a lot of attention and like everybody, they like attention." Rachel is among a handful of youngsters whose free time this summer has gone to the dogs -- and to the cats, for that matter. They've all volunteered several hours each week, swapping shopping and sunning and chatting on the phone for the rewards of cleaning cages and dishing dog food. In all, some 40 dogs and some 100 cats have benefited from the teens' care, says Kathy Pilolla, director of communication and development for the society. Several of the teens, who range in age from 14 to 18, have spent Saturdays and Sundays staffing the "adopt-a-pet" booth at Pet Country, a local store, trying to find abandoned animals good homes. "You just have to tell people about the pet's personality, that they're a good dog," Rachel says. "They're all good dogs." Most of the young people who volunteer do so because a parent or other adult friend introduced them to the task. Donna Bachek of Medford started bringing her three kids along on volunteer treks -- and the habit stuck. Now Nicole, 17, Jacob, 19, and Bryan, 14, all spend time caring for the pets. "They've always pretty much wanted to do it," says Bachek, 41, a dietary supervisor at Rogue Valley Medical Center. "We lived in apartments where we couldn't have animals, so it was a way to pet them and have them and love them." For her part, Nicole Bachek says spending time with the dogs and cats isn't like work at all. "It's fun to see the cute little animals," she says, "and to help them get homes." Other young volunteers sought out the opportunity on their own. In fact, Michelle Davis, 14, of Medford, waited three years for the chance to care for the pets. "The old rule used to be you had to be 14," she says. "I always wanted to do it, but I was never old enough. I just want to get the animals adopted." Now, children as young as 11 are allowed to volunteer. Pitching pets to prospective owners is fun, says Michelle, who doesn't mind working without pay. "I'm here more to help animals. I really don't want to get paid for it," she says. "All my friends think I'm weird because I don't get paid." The teens' efforts are appreciated by the limited staff at the Humane Society. But Pilolla, the society's director of communications and development, says the pets aren't the only beneficiaries. "It's really important," Pilolla says. "It teaches youth compassion and caring and good socialization skills." That's a lesson that will linger long past summer, says Donna Bachek. "It makes me feel good that my kids are genuinely happy for an animal that gets adopted," she says. "It makes me feel that they have warm hearts. Some kids just don't care." For information about volunteer opportunities, call the Southern Oregon Humane Society at 779-3215. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA