Most dogs arrive at the Carbon County Animal Shelter on a weekly basis.

Many of them are reunited with their owners in a short time, but the rest have to adjust to shelter life for an unknown amount of time.

Vince Dart helps the dogs feel more comfortable while they’re at the shelter. The Jim Thorpe resident has been volunteering there for four years.

“Vince is a natural with these dogs. He’s patient with them and he takes the time to get to know them,” said Tom Connors, director of the Carbon County Animal Shelter.

Dart primarily walks the dogs, but he’ll do anything else that they need as well – cleaning linens, cages and dishes.

The shelter is staffed by one full-time employee and three part-time employees. With a capacity of 16 dogs, who each need to be walked multiple times a day, volunteers are needed to help shoulder the workload.

“Having dog walkers is very important for making the transition from a dog from a shelter into a home smoother,” Connors said.

Many of the dogs that come into the shelter are scared and uncomfortable around humans. Being confined makes it even more difficult for them to be social.

Dart takes a patient approach to the dogs. There’s no big secret – he reaches the dogs by giving them time and attention. He doesn’t yell at the dogs – ‘they’re not mine,’ he says – but he does try to talk to them.

“I’m just here to help them. That’s basically why I come,” he said.

It helps to be a dog lover. Dart and his wife owned a dog they adopted from a shelter, even before they both started volunteering with Carbon County.

Dart specializes in dogs that have trouble around people. When a dog was reported running around West Broadway with a muzzle, he drove around in his own vehicle, stopped traffic so he wouldn’t be hit, and eventually helped to bring him in to the shelter.

“Most people would back away from a situation like that,” Connors said.

His manner with the dogs can often help them get adopted.

Last year, the shelter had a dog named midnight which couldn’t seem to match with a family. Dart started walking him on a regular basis and spending as much time with him as possible. One day, a boy and his family came to look at the dog. They walked him together. The boy and dog bonded, and midnight was adopted. For Dart and everyone at the shelter, that’s the ultimate goal.

“He loves dogs as much as I love dogs. And it certainly comes out when he handles them,” Connors said.