| Volunteer
in the New Year |
Volunteer
work with animals can be very gratifying. It is a great way to
help animals in need and also a great way to have contact with
animals if you don’t have a pet of your own. A great deal
of the work at animal rescue homes and organizations depends upon
the dedicated volunteers.
Volunteering can involve a number of things but the most common
type of positions required are:
Dog
Walker – The dog walkers will take usually
one dog at a time for say a 30-45 minute walk. This provides
the dogs with regular exercise and a well deserved change
of scene. It is also an opportunity to broaden the dog's
experiences of situations outside of the kennel environment.
Walkers need a reasonable level of fitness as some of
the dogs can be strong and are likely to pull on the lead.
Dog Socialiser - The aim is to get the dogs used
to people and every day situations. Socialisation also
helps the dogs to feel calmer and more able to cope with
the extremely stressful kennel environment. Some dogs
may be stroked or groomed while other dogs may be too
stressed for physical contact and the socialiser will
sit in the kennel and wait for the dog to gain confidence.
The role requires patience and empathy plus experience
and confidence. |
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Battersea Dogs and Cats Home |
Pre-Adoption Home Visitor – As part of
the adoption process, most rehoming centres arrange a pre-adoption
visit to the potential new home to meet the adopter, the adopters
family and to gauge the living conditions and lifestyle. Home
visitors need to visit new adopters as soon as possible once a
dog has been selected for adoption. Good communication skills
are essential. Volunteers need to be discreet in assessing the
circumstances in which the dog is to be housed.
Fundraising/Events
Volunteer – Help is often needed with regards to
fundraising and organizing of shows and events, where the charity
or organization may be promoting their work. The activities can
involve manning stalls, selling raffle tickets, meeting and greeting
and so on. These type of roles involve contact with the public.
Flexibility and good communication skills are important.
Battersea
Dogs and Cats Home and Dogs Trust are two examples of rescue organizations
always grateful for volunteers. Dogs Trust has been protecting
dogs for over a century and is now the UK's largest charity dedicated
to dog welfare. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home aim to rescue, reunite,
rehabilitate, and rehome the lost and abandoned dogs and cats
that come into their care.
Use
the following links to find out more:
Volunteering
with Dogs Trust
Volunteers
at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
Check for any age restrictions before applying. For example,
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home point out the following:
“Our volunteers work largely unsupervised and many of
our animals are strays with unknown backgrounds and temperaments,
so we do not take on volunteers under the age of 16.”
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Battersea Dogs and Cats Home |
A certain level of experience is sometimes required but it is
always worth contacting the charity you are interested in volunteering
for to see if they have a volunteer position that would suit you.
“Volunteers play a valuable part in Dogs Trust's work
and we will try to match your skills with the roles available”
say Dogs Trust. |
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