More than 30 hours per week at the facilities.
For over the past five years, Ana Tainna Shepard has been one of the senior volunteers for Miami Dade County Animal Services.
Read more Deli Lane & Sunset Tavern Invite South Miami to Celebrate the World Cup Together This Summer
A realtor, mother and wife, and has served on several community boards, she spends a lot of time helping by caring for over 500 dogs at the animal shelter in Doral and Medley.
Shepard is part of the county’s campaign along with a team of volunteers to encourage people to adopt and take home animals to alleviate the overcrowding population crisis.
It is a task she takes great pride in and for her efforts and passion, Shepard was named Miami-Dade County 2026 Volunteer of the Year for Animal Services.
The county honored Shepard with the award because of her dedication and commitment and supporting the animal services operation in the community.
“We’re celebrating someone who goes above and beyond for our shelter pets every single day,” the county said in a statement. “She is such an incredible part of our mission.”
Shepard, the wife of former NBC 6 News investigative and anchor reporter and Gulf War pilot Willard Shepard, said giving back to the community will always be part of her life.
But her love for animals is unparalleled.
“I always see the need to engage in the community that matters and can change things,” she said. “I wanted to be part of something with a greater purpose and it so happens to be loving and caring for animals.”
Shepard herself adopted three senior dogs from the animal shelter.
Shepard said one of the dogs was rescued from an illegal backyard breeder in Hialeah.
She believes no one wants him because the animal suffers from a condition called Alopecia, in which a dog loses hair caused by genetic conditions, hormonal imbalances and immune disease.
Read more MIA celebrates World Cup opening day with Brazilian samba performances
But the condition didn’t stop Shepard from adopting the dog.
“If no one adopted him, ‘I said I would take him home,’” she said. “No one wanted him so he’s mind.”
But Shepard and her team of volunteers at the shelter are trying to overcome a challenge of getting more people to adopt dogs to reduce space at the two facilities.
The Doral shelter was built for 340 dogs but now houses roughly 500 pets.
Shepard said the Doral site was so overcrowded that the county had to reopen the Medley shelter in 2022 to rotate some of the animals.
Shepard said finances could be the cause of preventing some people from adopting pets these days as well some apartment buildings prohibit dogs.
“It does take finances to care for a dog,” Shepard said. “The shelter provides the basics like spay and neuter service and low cost of vaccine, but the medical falls on the owner’s care which could be quite expensive these days.”
Shepard said Miami Dade Animals Services has launched a summer campaign to foster and adopt pets, especially at the Medley site which doesn’t have air conditioning.
“It gets hot for them,” she said. “I encourage the community to adopt and foster these dogs. We have many dogs waiting for families to be adopted.”
Shepard said winning the Volunteer of the Year award is not an individual honor but a team effort.
“The value of teamwork is very important,” she said. “It’s not about me, many other people like me have dedicated long hours and sacrificed their family time to be there at the shelter every day. They are there at 6 in the morning when the shelter first opens.”
Read more Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis Resolution Expanding Condo Homeownership Opportunities Passes