Courtesy Lucy Wyndham

RAPID CITY, S.D. (NewsDakota.com) – When Teagan Hudson from Rapid City thought about her upcoming Girl Scouts service project one thing was clear: she wanted to work alongside the Humane Society of the Black Hills.

This came as no surprise to Teagan’s family and friends as she has always loved animals and wants nothing more than for all of them to have a loving home.  After browsing countless recipes, hundreds of hours of service, and endless stitching, Hudson was awarded one of the highest awards in the Girls Scouts – the highly-acclaimed Bronze Award.

There is a Huge Need for Support

At present, around 50 percent of households in North and South Dakota own at least one pet. While it cannot be denied that there are many dedicated pet owners in and around Rapid City, there are also countless animals in need of the help provided by the Humane Society – and that is exactly where Hudson aimed to make a difference. The Human Society offers an invaluable service to the local community. In addition to containing animals at large, providing a safe shelter to surrendered and confiscated animals, and assisting law enforcement with any animal-related issues, the Society also strives to educate pet owners and the general public on a number of important issues such as boxing off a section of the garden to prevent pets from being poisoned by common garden plants.

A Useful Guide for Future Volunteers

Hudson’s project involved creating a booklet of easy-to-follow ‘How-Tos’ for making toys, baking healthy doggy treats, and sewing super cute bandanas for the animals at the Humane Society.  When asked about her project, Hudon said: “The guide will help future volunteers create tested and approved items to create a better life for the animals during their stay at the Humane Society.” A lot of hard work went into creating the guide. She had to complete no less than 20 hours of community service. Dog toys, including charming octopuses with braided legs, were made out of old items of clothing while wine corks and feathers were used for cat toys.

The Efforts were Greatly Appreciated

Hudson’s efforts were greatly appreciated by everyone at the Humane Society. Caitlin Ausmann, the resource and development specialist at the society stated: “We have a lot of people reaching out wanting to be volunteers, but they’re not all able to come in person and help animals.” She continued “We were hoping through Teagan’s Bronze Award project, we could create a stepping stone or curriculum for people after her to follow.” Hudson’s family was equally as proud of the fourth-grader’s accomplishment. Her dad, Ethan, has made no secret of the fact that he is extremely proud of his daughter’s ability to set a goal for herself and stick it out to the end.

Teagan Hudson knew right away which organization she wants to help as part of her service project. Thanks to her efforts, the animals at the Humane Society of the Black Hills will continue to receive well-deserved treats for a long time to come.