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Volunteer Opportunities

When it comes to running a successful rescue the phrase "it takes a village" comes to mind. Without volunteers we could not do what we do and save so many lives.

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Whether you have a lot of time to spare or prefer a lower level of commitment there is an opportunity for everyone. 

 

Perhaps you would love to have a dog in the house but it's just not the right time, become a foster.  If you think "I could never do that", check out our foster page for common questions.

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Maybe you can only contribute a little bit of time here and there. Try being a dog handler for a day at an adoption event. It so fun to get to see all the adoptable dogs going to great homes. 

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Like to drive? Maybe you could transport a dog to their new home or help get them to their foster family.

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Whether you have a little or a lot of time to spare, Fetching Hearts would love to have you on board contributing what ever you can.  
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Find a volunteer opportunity that you'll enjoy! View some of the options below. 

Volunteer Positions

Volunteer Positions

Foster

Fostering involves providing a rescue dog with a temporary home that gives shelter, care and love for our dogs while they are awaiting placement in a new “forever” home. Having a dog in a foster home helps us get a better idea of its temperament, ability to interact with humans and other animals as well as provide training if needed. If you’ve had some experience with dogs before, and have a basic understanding of their needs, Fostering may be for you. All our dogs are looking for is love, understanding and a place to feel safe and secure. If you would like more information about fostering for Fetching Hearts Rescue, please visit the Foster page.



Screener

Screening applicants is one of the most important jobs of any rescue. This process ensures that when we place a dog in a forever home, it is the best match for both the dog and the family. Screeners are the "face" of the rescue and need to not only be comfortable interacting with the public, but they also need to have excellent follow-through skills. Screeners are required to review and validate the information provided to us via the application process. This is done through phone calls to vets and personal references, interviews with the potential adopter, contact with landlords etc. If you are interested in screening, our screening coordinator can answer any questions you might have.



Fundraiser

No rescue can run without funds and Fetching Hearts is no different. While we do collect an adoption fee for each of our dogs, these fees only cover the costs of pulling, initial vetting (such as shots and spaying/neutering) and transporting dogs. While our rescue is a non-profit organization, we do still face many of the same costs of doing business as for profit organizations such as state and federal licensing fees and insurance. Additionally, we are responsible for the health and well being of the dogs in our care which include ongoing flea/tick and heartworm preventatives, surgery for undiagnosed conditions and professional training for dogs that may need help adjusting to living off the streets. Fundraising is an ongoing effort that may include setting up and running fundraising campaigns and events, writing grant proposals or soliciting donations. This takes a team effort and we are always looking for individuals willing to help us. The more funds we raise, the more dogs we can help.



Event Coordinator

While all of our dogs are posted using social media and sites such as PetFinder, Adoption Events are another important part of getting our dogs and our rescue pubic exposure. The event coordinator is responsible for identifying/locating opportunities for us to showcase our dogs, working with the locations to set up dates, submitting the required regulatory paperwork, communicating with fosters to get dogs to the event, promoting/ advertising and then setting up, running and packing up after the event. There are a lot of details involved in event planning and this role can be done by either an individual or the tasks can be shared among a team.



Dog Handlers/ Transport Volunteers

There are times when a dog may need to get to or from a foster's home when the foster is not available. For example, the foster may have a prior commitment on the day of an event or on the day their foster is scheduled to arrive on transport. When this happens, handler/transport volunteers are needed to help out. We like to call them Doggie Uber drivers. If the situation involves an event, we would also ask that you volunteer to not only transport the dog to and from the event, but to also handle the dog during the event. All dogs must have a handler to keep an eye on them, take them outside for breaks, monitor their stress level and to interact with the public on the dog's behalf. These roles are ideal for individuals who want to help us out, but can't commit to anything on a consistent, ongoing basis. If a situation arises where we need this kind of help, it would be communicated usually via Facebook and/or e-mail. If the need is there and you are free, you can just respond to let us know.



Publicity

When you are a dog rescue trying to match great dogs with great homes, it's important to let people know all about it. If you are skilled in public relations and have connections that may help our organization stand out, we would be so glad to have you onboard.



Writer / Bloggers

Part of our mission is to educate the community, showing people how they can help in the fight to reduce the population of homeless dogs. We also want to educate our community on what it means to have a dog in the home, what to expect and how best to train their pets to ensure a happy healthy environment. As we look to expand our online content we hope to have a variety of articles available on our site but would need writers. If you are interested in helping us provided well written content for our website, blogs and newsletters then this may be just the right volunteer opportunity for you.