The volunteer takes designated adoption animals from our Shelter to various convalescent homes and retirement centers.
Training Required:
Volunteers start as dog walkers in order to learn how to get the dogs out of the kennels and to handle them safely. It is also helpful to get to know the dogs before taking them out on a visit. The Volunteer Coordinator will accompany the volunteer on the first one or two pet visitations.
Qualifications:
Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age. Pet Visitation volunteers must have the ability to handle an animal, almost always a dog, so that the animal enjoys the visit and also does not inadvertently hurt someone or create a nuisance. Volunteers must enjoy interacting with elderly and special needs people and understand how to approach them, engage them, and treat them with sensitivity and dignity.
Most facilities want pet visits to be on a regular schedule, so a volunteer's attendance needs to be consistent. Some facilities will have a list of rules which visitors will be asked to read and follow. Volunteers use their own cars for pet visitation and must be able to secure a crate (supplied by the Humane Society) within their car to keep the dog safe during the ride to and from the facility.
Rewards:
You will turn an ordinary day into a special day for a person who loves animals and normally has little daily contact with them. You will also "expand the horizons" of an adoption dog by taking it into a completely different setting for an hour or two.