Amy Torres

It has only been a few months since Amy Torres, of Los Lunas, has been volunteering at the Valencia County Animal Shelter, but her impact has been “extraordinary.”

Torres, 41, is too shy to bark out her own praises. Leave that to Michelle Barreras, a fellow volunteer at the shelter.

Barreras applauds the “compassion and dedication” of Torres, who has “made a profound impact on our community.” With those attributes, Amy has been selected as one of this year’s Valencia County News-Bulletin Unsung Heroes.

“I appreciate this so much,” said Torres, anxious to put the spotlight on all the animals needing a home.

Like other volunteers at the shelter, Torres will clean kennels, take dogs out for playtime, and do other chores as needed to help out the staff. Those efforts usually take place on a Friday or Saturday, as Torres commutes Monday through Thursday between Los Lunas and Socorro for an accounting job at her father’s businesses.

Wherever Torres is at, thoughts of the animals are never far away. To get the word out to would-be adopters, Torres created a Facebook page, 2nd Chance for Fur-Babies, Valencia County and surrounding areas, which has been a howling success.

“Every day, I post about three to five dogs,” said Torres, who is known by Amy Lynn on the Facebook page. “How they are, their demeanor,” often getting help with pictures and videos from other volunteers.

When Torres arrives home from Socorro, “I just post and post and post. I have this notebook that I started with all the dogs,” about 275 of them.

Torres proudly adds, “We have had 185 to 200 adoptions since I started,” including Asher, an 8-year-old pitbull mix who found a home last week.

Barreras, who regularly holds pet adoptions at the Smokal dispensary in Belen, says the videos that Torres spends hours on reach an untapped audience.

“A lot of people don’t want to go to the shelter because it’s sad,” Barreras observed.

However, after seeing the posts, the reaction is, “Oh my goodness. I really want one of those. They’re actually getting to connect with these animals over Facebook.”

“When I wake up in the morning my Facebook messages have skyrocketed,” from people interested in adopting, said Torres. “They send me photos once they adopt, which I love. Sometimes I cry because I am happy.”

A recent video post highlighted Adeera, an American bully. It shared Adeera’s age, 5-years-old, that she was surrendered by a previous owner and that she needs to be the only dog in the home.

“We can tell she’s had a tough life,” the post mentions. “She absolutely adores humans. She lights up when someone stops by her kennel. She’s affectionate, loyal, and just wants to be near you. Who knows? You might be the one she’s been waiting for.”

If it tugs on your heartstrings, that’s the idea.

Most of these posts are spent on dogs, Torres says, because cats and kittens are often scooped up quickly by those looking for a companion. Torres chooses to put the spotlight on older canines, often given up by their owners.

“He’s been there for a couple of months,” Torres said of one featured dog. “Everyone just passes him by.”

Which is what makes caring so much for animals gut wrenching and yet, at times, uplifting.

“It is hard work. It isn’t always fun,” Torres said frankly. “But there’s also amazing moments where the dogs you see for two months are now getting adopted.”

There is also the pressure of knowing that if the shelter gets overcrowded, animals could be euthanized.

“Sometimes I get a little stressed, but I just remember what it’s for,” Torres said. “It’s for saving the animals and it’s for finding them homes and getting them off the streets or out of the shelter.”

For as long as Torres can remember, she has had a passion for our furry friends.

“I would always try to pick up little kittens from the end of the road,” Torres recalled. “I wanted to save every animal. If it was a coyote, I wanted to save it. If it was a raccoon, I wanted to save it. It’s always been with me.”

Several years back, Torres was involved in a movement to save feral, stray and abandoned animals in Valencia County.

“I’m just happy we could get some of those kittens and mamas fixed, in their new homes and off the street,” she said.

Both Torres and Barreras encourage people thinking about getting a pet to avoid non-licensed breeders that sometimes set up shop along the roadways. Whether you are interested in what some might call a mutt, or a designer dog, sometimes referred to as a “boujee,” Barreras says the Valencia County Animal Shelter has recently taken in sought-after English bulldogs, shih tzus and dobermans.

It’s not just volunteer work at the shelter or on the internet for Torres, who recently began running the Valencia County Animal Service government website. Torres purchased supplies for a woman who wanted to adopt but didn’t have the resources, like a doggie bed.

“She goes above and beyond,” added Barreras, who nominated Torres as an Unsung Hero. “She has traveled and taken many dogs to Santa Fe to rescue, to T or C to rescue — on her own dime, on her own time. I’ve just seen the remarkable things that she’s done.”

Before Torres could answer when asked what her next project might be, she is interrupted by her own pet dog barking. A rescue dog, of course.

“I wish there were more volunteers,” Torres said. “I think more changes could be made if there were more people helping.”

When Torres and her fiancé, Stephen, first contemplated what it takes to volunteer, she thought to herself, “There needs to be change, but you can’t change things unless you’re involved.”

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