It’s 6 a.m. on a Monday morning, and Jerry Bogart is out of bed especially early. Dressed in his “grungy” clothes, he sets off to one of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa’s five shelters in order to make sure a dozen or so four-legged friends get their morning walk.

“They’ve been cooped up from the night before, so they are pretty excited to see me,” Bogart said. “It’s not the easiest time of day to get people in to volunteer, so I’m always happy to do it.”

One by one, he takes the dogs out, even in the rain, sleet or snow, and after they’ve all had time to do their business and stretch their legs, he heads downtown to get cleaned up for the rest of his day as chief financial officer at Principal Financial Group Inc.

“I have a locker at Principal and I get showered and dressed for work there in the morning,” said Bogart, who walks the dogs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. “My co-workers see me come in and they give me some pretty strange looks.”

For Tom Colvin, executive director of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, people like Bogart are incredibly important, not just because of the need for volunteers at the organization’s shelters, but also because they spread the word to the business community about the problem of pet homelessness.

“We have many volunteers who are distinguished members of the business community,” Colvin said. “And they serve in a number of capacities in a very humble way. You would never know Jerry [Bogart] was an executive at Principal. The staff would be shocked to hear that. But people like him are important because, hopefully, they share with their peers what they do for us and open people’s eyes to the problems. And they also show that people in all walks of life can and should be involved in volunteering, no matter what organization they volunteer for.”

The Iowa ARL is responsible for more than 17,000 animals a year, Colvin said. With that type of volume, “it is critical that we have the volunteer help that we do. We couldn’t be the size we are and provide the services we do otherwise,” he said.

Bogart said he first got involved with the organization 18 months ago when he separated from his wife.

“When that happened, I also separated from my dog,” he said. “I saw this as a way to get my dog fix.”

But he didn’t realize at the time just how much of a problem pet overpopulation is.

“It really doesn’t sink in until you see it firsthand,” Colvin said. “A number like 17,000 pets doesn’t mean anything; you can just throw that number out, until you see the effects for yourself and see just how pointless pet homelessness is.”

Bogart said his biggest surprise was just how adoptable all the shelter’s animals, which range from dogs and cats to turtles, truly are.

“I always thought of the dogs at the ARL as pets with problems,” he said. “But I quickly realized that almost all of them are well behaved and very adoptable.”

He never planned on actually adopting a dog, Bogart said, but in December an Australian Shephard named Emmy ended up coming home with him.

“It’s hard not to bring home more,” he said. “Having walked so many dogs now, I can testify that there are a lot of great dogs available for adoption. It is a great feeling to walk a dog on Wednesday and when you come back on Friday find out they have been adopted. It’s very rewarding.”

Renee Von Bokern began volunteering with the ARL when she first moved to Des Moines 25 years ago. She said over the years there are very few aspects of the organization she hasn’t been a part of.

“I’ll serve in any capacity they need me,” said Von Bokern, who owns Von Bokern Associates. “It’s one of those unique organizations that have such a positive impact on, not just animals, but also the people in our community. A lot of people just think of ARL as a shelter, but it has so much broader of an impact on the community. That’s what I like about it so much, because it’s such a broad base of operations.

Colvin said the ARL is always looking for volunteers, and the organization has strived to make it as easy as possible for anyone interested.

“You don’t even need to call anymore,” he said. “Just show up on the second Saturday of the month at 9 a.m. and we do a new volunteer orientation.”

Colvin said they always try to match people with what they prefer to do, so even if a person isn’t interested in working directly with animals, there is something for them to do.

“To me, our volunteers are heroes,” he said. “They give me hope for the future that we will one day overcome the problem of pet homelessness.”

For Bogart, the morning tradition is something he hopes to continue for the foreseeable future.

“It is something I enjoy and it helps them out,” he said. “I just want to do what I can.”