Neighbors Helping Neighbors in Shadelands
Twice a week, animal lover Linda Ault volunteers at Joybound People & Pets, a neighbor of hers, just up the street from her home at Viamonte. At the February 7 Unleash the LOVE Festival & Adopt-a-thon, Linda worked the Purina table, greeting visitors and handing out samples of cat and dog food to appreciative pets.
On Mondays and Wednesdays, Viamonte resident and animal lover Linda Ault leaves her senior living home and heads north, one block, to her neighbor Joybound People & Pets, where she volunteers four hours per week, greeting visitors to the popular animal welfare nonprofit and doing loads of laundry to help make sure shelter cats and dogs are safe, clean, healthy, and ready to be adopted.
A large, interwoven organization with a number of departments, programs, projects, and events, Joybound relies on its talented, experienced full-time teams and the support of its dedicated and very special volunteers to help it realize its mission every day, every week, every year.
“Truly, we couldn’t do what we do on behalf of animals and animal guardians without our enthusiastic volunteers,” said Nate Landers, Joybound Volunteer Services Manager, who leads the team that manages the Volunteer Program. “Last quarter, we had more than 800 people in our official volunteer count, with about 500 volunteers actively logging in to schedule volunteer work shifts. That’s a massive amount of volunteer hours, yet, there is still so much to do, so we always have a need for more volunteers. And that means there are plenty of opportunities for people looking to work among animals, stay busy doing something they love, and enjoy the personal rewards of giving back to the community.”
Linda represents the best of neighbors helping neighbors. Living nearby, she is on hand to be there for Joybound, which also allows her time and opportunities to be among animals and socialize with people who also love animals.
Viamonte resident and Joybound volunteer Linda Ault spends time before and after her shifts visiting shelter animals, checking up on who’s been adopted and who’s new to Joybound, like Bobbie, a loving six-year-old domestic longhair beauty.
On Mondays, from noon to 1:30, you’ll find Linda inside Joybound’s front door, welcoming visitors and pointing them in the right direction to their destinations. On Wednesdays, you’ll find her in the laundry room doing laundry in several batches of bedding, towels, toys, and clinic equipment.
“You’d really be surprised how much laundry there is, every day,” she marveled.
Joybound volunteer Linda Ault helps insure shelter animals are safe, clean, healthy, and ready to be adopted.
As a dedicated and all-in volunteer, Linda is also the first to sign up for extra events, such as Joybound’s recent Unleash the LOVE Festival & Adopt-a-thon, held in February.
“I’ve always had a love of animals,” said Linda, who lived on a farm as a child, surrounded by animals and pets. She also had a dairy calf, through 4H, that she raised and sold.
Later, in Livermore, she and her husband Earl founded Cedar Mountain Winery, which they operated for more than 30 years. On one side of the winery was a cattle ranch, and on the other side were sheep. She feels she has a calling to be with animals, thus her draw to Joybound as a volunteer.
Linda and Earl had moved into Viamonte in 2023. After Earl’s passing in July 2025, Linda began taking her volunteerism seriously, signing up for twice a week shifts and for special events, such as the adopt-a-thon and fundraising galas.
“At Joybound, before and after my shifts, I walk around and visit the cats and dogs – mostly the cats. I’ve had three cats. And I check to see who’s been adopted and who is still there. And of course, there are always new cats and dogs coming in every week. And I get to see them and get to know them. It’s just a wonderful time being there.
“When I see people come in and adopt an animal and I see how happy they are and how happy the animal is when they walk out the door, there is joy in that,” said Linda. “It’s such a good feeling to see that love, from both the people who have adopted, and the animal who has found a home.”
Nate Landers with Joybound volunteer Naomi Miller and Theo, Naomi’s Pet Hug Pack volunteer therapy dog. Naomi and Theo visit schools, hospitals, senior centers, and care facilities, offering comfort, companionship, and hugs.
There are a number of volunteer opportunities through Joybound, all listed on the Joybound website under Get Involved. Once trained in specific roles, volunteers sign up online for shifts of their choice, as many or as few shifts as they want based on their availability and interest.
The journey for volunteers starts online at Joybound Volunteer.
Prospective volunteers create an account, which then opens up pages of information about volunteering at Joybound. After a brief Joybound introduction video, prospective volunteers can search through each department and see what volunteer roles are available. Volunteers self-select the roles they’re interested in and submit their application.
“This self-direction is a part of our culture,” said Nate. “The idea is that, since these people are volunteering their time, we want them to do what they want to be doing, rather than something we assigned them. We want them in roles that make them happy and feel appreciated. Because we do, absolutely, appreciate every volunteer.”
There are more than 75 volunteer roles that at one time or another, need to be filled including those in Adoptions, Animal Care, Community Engagement, Community Solutions, Events, Foster, Pet Hug Pack, Shelter Essentials, Shelter to Service, Thrift Store, Training Classes, and Veterinary Clinic, among others.
Linda Ault delights in the rewards of volunteerism — helping her neighbor, Joybound, in its mission, while enjoying her time with animals and friends, staying busy and giving back.
“I sign up for as many weeks and months ahead as the online calendar goes,” said Linda. “And when there are special events going on, I always sign up. And they are so thankful to see all of us. Everyone I see when I’m there working thanks me for volunteering – thanks me for my time and my work. And that’s a great feeling.”
Joybound is open Monday through Friday, 9am–7pm, and weekends, 9am–6pm. For more information, visit Joybound; and for information about volunteering at Joybound, visit Joybound Volunteer.
Linda’s love of animals and the joy she feels while volunteering keep her coming back. “I want to stay busy and I want to help animals, so this is the place for me.”
