ART: Are you interested?
ART: Are you interested?
The ART program newsletter will offer training information to assist those who are ready to get started as an Airedale rescue volunteer. For our first newsletter we’d like to discuss the various options available in beginning your volunteer training.
You love dogs, and you’re proud of the professional job Airedale Rescue does. You’ve thought how great it would be to be a rescue volunteer. Maybe you’re ready to jump in and learn all you can as quickly as possible about the entire program. Or perhaps you want to start in a small way in the beginning. Volunteer full time, or start in a more limited way? What would be the best way for you to get started? There are a variety of important jobs in rescue, at least one of which could be a perfect way for you to start.
Starting an Airedale Rescue service in your area. Are you in an area that is not currently fully served by an existing Airedale Rescue Group? If so, and if you want to become a rescue volunteer and learn all the steps to do so, the ART program is for you. We can provide a mentor to work with you as you learn the rescue ropes. Contact us and we will get you started.
However, if you prefer to start off slower, we can work with you on any of the following volunteer areas of rescue. Read on and decide where you’d like to start.
Fostering. This is an extremely important part of rescue, and we always need more foster homes. Fostering means you bring a rescued Airedale into your home to live with you and your family and resident pets on a temporary basis. During this temporary residence you are able to learn important information about the rescue, his personality, his social skills, or lack of. You have the opportunity of helping this rescue improve his house manners and social skills, if needed. You could be taking the rescue for vet visits. A trip to the grooming shop will probably be in order. The information you gather about each rescue during his stay with you will be extremely important in the process of matching that rescue with the most appropriate waiting adopting family. You provide the love and care and security to this rescue during this transitional period. Airedale rescue pays the bills.
Foster Home Assistant. Before you’re ready to be a foster home, you could be an assistant to other foster homes in your area. Duties may include one or more of the following:
• Take the rescue to vet and/or grooming appointments.
• Can you properly groom an Airedale? Let us know if you will groom rescues in your area.
• Take the rescue on daily walks.
• Provide basic obedience lessons.
Being a Foster Home Assistant is an excellent way to prepare to become a fully functioning foster home for those who want to start gradually.
Home Visits. It is necessary to screen all applicants wanting to adopt a rescued Airedale, and volunteers conduct Home Visits in their local area. After the initial telephone screening, an appointment is set for our volunteer to visit the prospective adopter in his home. The Home Visit is extremely important and the volunteer is given instructions on handling this visit. We provide you with the questions to ask during the visit, what to look for when at the applicant’s home, and how to handle submitting the report. You complete this process by calling vet and personal references.
Transporting Airedale Rescues. It is sometimes necessary to move a rescue from point A to point B. Volunteers transport rescues in their own vehicles, and we do have proven methods to follow to be sure this is done safely. On shorter transports, one volunteer would conduct the trip. For longer transports, you would be asked to handle just part of a trip.
Checking Shelters and Newspapers in your area. Watching the local newspapers for ads selling or giving away Airedales simply requires regular checking of the papers, and calling to get the information for each ad. Calling on local shelters to let them know about Airedale Rescue allows us to learn when an Airedale is turned in to the shelter(s). Developing a good relationship with shelters and vets in your area is vital.
Fundraising. There may be fundraising activities planned in your area and you could volunteer to help. Better yet, do you like to get your creative juices going by coming up with your own fund raising ideas? Not only do we need the funds to care for our rescues, it is fun to be creative and develop new ideas into rescue dollars.
Producing Craft Products to sell. Maybe you’re not able to do the “hands-on” areas of rescue, but you have an artistic talent and can produce commercially interesting products to sell. We would love to learn more about your talents! Contact us and tell us how you can help create funds for Airedale Rescue.
Airedale Rescue is a big family of caring persons, working together on a common goal, that of rescuing and rehoming Airedale Terriers who have lost their homes through no fault of their own. We look forward to hearing from you and your interest in joining our rescue family. Come and join us!
ART Newsletter Copyright 2009 by Sally Schnellmann and National Airedale Rescue. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without the publisher's written permission.