Overnight Angels: How This Volunteer Helps Rescued Pets Reach Their Forever Homes

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Bob Potemski. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

When it comes to saving the lives of pets being rescued from euthanasia, every mile matters—and every stop along the way can be the difference between stress or comfort, fear or reassurance. For Bob Potemski, each stopover is a carefully choreographed act of compassion. As the Transport Stop lead for Best Friends Animal Society’s Kansas City location, Bob ensures that every transport of homeless dogs and cats traveling from overcrowded to no-kill shelters goes off without a hitch.

Since 2019, Bob has been the heart and soul of these crucial stopovers, coordinating dozens of volunteers, streamlining logistics and providing care to hundreds of animals each year. It is his responsibility to recruit, train and supervise groups of volunteers to help with these tasks, as well as oversee each detail during the actual transports. These overnight breaks aren’t just pit stops—they’re moments of care and comfort that give vulnerable animals the strength to finish their journey.

“I’m a volunteer at heart,” Bob reflects. “I’ve volunteered in a number of different capacities with a number of different organizations. I’ve always been an animal person and have a dog and a cat myself. I saw a posting on Volunteer Match in 2019 about the transport help needed. This was in the infancy of the program. I signed up, and after my first volunteer experience, I saw opportunities for a bit more structure, which I shared with the organization. They asked if I’d like to take that role on, so I did.”

The first few times Bob led the initiative, he saw three to five volunteers show up. Now, the program has as many as 12 to 15 volunteers per transport—which means a lot more individual attention for the pups. After all, a typical transport is a whirlwind of planning and precision, as well as care. Bob begins recruiting volunteers three weeks in advance, monitoring signups daily and launching new efforts if needed. As transport day nears, he receives detailed rosters and diagrams from the sending shelter (usually in Houston, Texas) and uses that data to create customized signs for each animal. On the night of the transport stop, Bob leads the volunteer team in unloading crates, walking dogs and ensuring every pet gets food, water and a clean, cozy place to rest.

From 6 p.m. on Friday to 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Bob is on duty, managing teams, caring for animals and troubleshooting any issues that arise. He helps with difficult cases, making sure all volunteer and animal safety protocols are being followed, supervising the feeding, walking and cleaning operations, and performing other duties as required. Remarkably, no serious incidents—like escapes or injuries—have occurred under his leadership. And that’s a testament to his thoroughness and calm under pressure.

“The most rewarding part is when we can make a connection with an individual dog, one who’s scared or stressed,” Bob shares. “One dog comes to mind from about a year ago. He was cowering in a back corner of his cage and wouldn’t respond to treats or interaction. I opened up his crate door, laid down on the ground and talked to him in a soft voice. I told him that I was sorry for whatever happened to him in the past to make him afraid of people, but that part of his life was over and he was with people who cared about him now. He took a couple steps forward, then shrunk back, then took a couple of steps of forward and finally bounded out of his cage and started licking my face. I think he finally understood that not every person in this big world was out to mistreat him. That’s happened a lot, where they’re afraid and they’re under stress, confused and disoriented, and we can connect with them and let them know they’re in a safe place and good hands now, and that their life is going to be different.”

But Bob’s efforts don’t end with the transport itself. He also documents the events through photography for marketing purposes, logs volunteer hours and sends thank-you messages and recognition to the incredible teams who make these lifesaving trips possible. This dedication builds a sense of community and purpose among the volunteers he leads. Bob’s work is instrumental to Best Friends Animal Society’s mission to make America no-kill by 2025. Since August 2021 alone, close to 1,200 dogs and cats have been saved through the Kansas City transport stopovers—none of which would have been possible without Bob’s behind-the-scenes leadership and tireless attention to detail.

“I want people to understand that the condition of overpopulation in our animal shelters is still a major issue,” Bob says. “Our shelters are full. While taking on an animal as a pet is a big commitment, it’s such a worthwhile one. Pets make no judgments, ask no questions, offer nothing but love in so many cases. If you have reservations about adopting a pet, I encourage you to investigate it. And volunteering is a great way to do that. It’s a great way to interact with them without parenting them. And then, once you get a taste of that, it may make it that much easier to adopt when the time comes.”

When he’s not busy with transports, Bob still finds time to support the organization through administrative and IT volunteer work. His multi-faceted contributions demonstrate that even the most complex challenges—like ending pet homelessness—can be chipped away it, through dedication, compassion and the will to make a difference. For the animals resting safely on their journey to a new life, Bob is nothing short of a guardian angel.

Bob’s commitment is clear when he shares, “I’ll do transports as long as they find it’s an effective way to move animals from the circumstances they’re in to better circumstances.”

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Bob? Find local volunteer opportunities.