Danielle Hartill remembers the 'cat train' and the special feeling of gratitude...

For me, I think the highlight of the Pahrump experience were the volunteers. Especially the ones that came out every weekend to help with adoption events! They would get there bright and early in the morning to help us load up the cats into the truck. We had a special 'cat train,' where everyone would line up and hold a crate in the front and a crate in the back. This allowed us to move out the cats in their crates so much faster than if everyone just carried one crate. And the most amazing things was that every single person had a smile on their face. They would then follow us to the event and help get set up, clean the crates and talk to the public about the cats.

Since many of them had worked at the site, they knew SO much about the cat's personalities, likes and dislikes. There were volunteers who showed up every morning with food for the people, clean bedding and toys for the cats. We had a buffet everyday! Then at the end of the day, they would help us load everyone back up and break down the adoption event. From putting up tents to scooping litter pans, they did it all!

And my second favorite part was driving back to the site to a round of applause for all the cats that had found homes that day. Sitting around in the front of the site, the staff there loved to hear about each and every cat's new forever home. There was such a feeling of accomplishment and joy; it will truly stick with me for a very long time.

Photos by Best Friends photographer