​​For those who enjoy the outdoors with your dogs or those living in homes backed up to hillsides and in rural areas, rattlesnakes can be a great risk to your dog requiring emergency medical care and the cost involved can rise quickly.  Rattlesnake avoidance training will teach your dog to avoid the sight, sound and the smell of a rattlesnake once they become aware of one to give you peace of mind and potentially save both you and your dogs' life by alerting you to the presence of a rattlesnake. So, if you have not had your dog trained yet, it's not too late!

Our friends at the San Luis Obispo chapter of United Way have made volunteering easier, more rewarding, and even funner! Yesterday they introduced us to VolunteerSLO.org. 

This social network allows people seeking volunteer opportunities in the county, to be connected with the perfect organization to volunteer for. Not only are there companies seeking individuals, but groups of people will also find a way to contribute. This comes in handy for clubs or organizations such as fraternities or sororities, or even the local high-school club with a mind toward community service.

We had a couple staff go through the process of signing up, and we all had the same reaction, "that was so easy". In order to begin surfing through San Luis Obispo volunteer jobs, we simply completed 5 steps. After that, we had our own "wall" created for us (slighlty reminiscent of FaceBook circa 2005). The "wall" displays our updates, and hours worked (which can auto-populate, depending on the listing you respond to. 

After poking around for a bit, we noticed perhaps the feature with the widest appeal/need in our community. You are able to add more details on your profile, which will enable you to help out in a major crisis. The details they ask for, will be added to a database, which is accessed in an emergency. This is in order to quickly bring together residents with particualr skills that may be in need. There is more than just "are you a doctor or a mechanic?" type of question about your skills. Everyone from cooks, to executives, teachers and landscapers can find a way to be included in this vital list of designated volunteers.

If you want to know more, you can read the United Way's press release, or simply head on over to VolunteerSLO.org to get started helping out in our community right away! Volunteering is aNOTHER perfect way to embrace San Luis Obispo County's motto - "NOT FOR OURSELVES ALONE"

Sarah Simon

Lindsey Rapone