Volunteer Spotlight
Spring 2011
Jenny Hyde
Jenny and her family
Jenny Hyde and her husband Scott have lived in Salt Lake City for ten years this November. They moved here from Atlanta, Georgia with their daughter Lilly, who is now 12. Their family wanted a change of scenery and pace in their lives. They found this here in Utah. Since then, they have added Hank, their six year-old son to their pack.
Jenny found out about No More Homeless Pets In Utah from her CPA Paula Monroe and soon after started to volunteer. She has done it all, including the Super Pet Adoptions, office work, and her fair share of lugging things around at events and fundraisers for the animals. Jenny is one of NMHPU’s most fun and upbeat volunteers. She is usually found volunteering behind the scenes. Jenny is not always at the larger events, but has been a key volunteer for the last three years and is a weekend staple at our dog kennel. Her longevity is impressive for this kind of position.
The morning shifts at the kennel are the most labor intensive. The dogs have been cooped up all night and are anxious to get out. Plus there is a lot of cleaning to do. But on these mornings, Jenny looks forward to seeing the excited dogs there. “I volunteer for their faces. Brianna, Tiffany, Romney, Cadi and all the others so I will know that each has found safety, security, and love wither in a foster home or a forever home of their own.”
In addition to her kennel kids, she has a full house at home with her other furry kids. All of them are rescues and have great names to go with their personalities. Jenny calls them her “Furry Love Bugs.”: “Pugs” a Pug/French Bulldog mix was rescued from being neglected in a backyard. The refer to him as a “Fug.” “Herbert Cricket” loves their daughter Lily especially. He’s a black cat who was turned in to Furburbia along with four other siblings and his mama. “Fiona Finch” a brown tabby also came from Furburbia. “Heckenbach Wenis” is a gray tabby that was found under the bridge near Gateway to Canine Partnerships last summer.
In addition to caring for pets, Jenny’s two human children keep her busy as well. Jenny assists them in their open class room at school, drives Lilly to soccer games, and takes Hank to his drum lessons. “You know, mom stuff,” she laughs. And if that wasn’t enough, she also works at the new downtown Target in the evenings. However, Jenny still manages to find time for fun once in a while. She and her husband like to go bowling and wear their matching ‘50s bowling shirts. They also love music and movies. One of her favorite movies is “A Knight’s Tale,” as she is a huge Heath Ledger fan. She also loves a variety of music and listens to anything from Yo Yo Ma to James Brown. Her favorite is when a band does a good cover of another bands song. Halloween is also another one of her favorite things. She and Scott even tied the knot on Halloween and had a masquerade party. Halloween is a family favorite at their house and they even refer to it as their “Christmas”.
Jenny has done it all and is still going strong at volunteering on top of a hectic schedule and a very full life. It only goes to show if Jenny can make time for the animals, we all can, no matter how busy we are. Thanks, Jenny, for being so dedicated and for your fun upbeat personality. All of us, including the animals, really appreciate you and all you do.