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13302 Schroeder Rd.
Houston, TX 77070
281-477-3297
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EXAMPLES OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

All volunteers must fill out an application, be interviewed and go through a brief orientation. After that, many of our volunteers are able to work completely independently at their convenience.

Dog walkers
We have 75+ dogs that need to be walked every day. Some have never seen a leash before; others are totally familiar with the process. One thing is certain…. getting walked is the highlight of every rescue dog’s day. They relish the personal attention. They enjoy the opportunity to get out in the fresh air, stretch their legs, sniff around, see the sights, stop for pats, hugs and belly rubs and, of course, have an opportunity to “do their business”. Many of the younger dogs will have built up some playful energy and walking/running does a body good. There will be some dogs that are overweight that will greatly benefit from the exercise.

Dog Socializers and Poodle Pals
We always have dogs that are in need of comforting or socialization to varying degrees. When rescues arrive at our facility they may find their new and unfamiliar surroundings to be temporarily unsettling and stressful. We accept dogs into our adoption program from a myriad of sources. Some have owners who can no longer care for them for a variety of reasons. Some have been wandering as strays and have had to fend for themselves. Some have been dumped like garbage. Some are from breeders or puppy mills and haven’t had much interaction with humans at all. They all present opportunities for volunteers to offer interaction ranging from simple cuddling and reassurance to just sitting motionless in a small area with them giving them soft, kind words; not forcing any sort of interaction and allowing the dog to come to them on its own terms. It may take some dogs quite a while to believe that humans really do have good things to offer. Whatever degree of challenge you are looking for, we’ll have a dog that will touch your heart and benefit greatly from having you as a pal until they find their forever home.

Dog personality profiler/writer
If you’ve ever looked at the listings of our “Available Dogs” on our website/Petfinder, you will notice that a few have comprehensive descriptions while many have only basics such as color, age and weight and a statement saying “We’ll add a personality profile as we get to know them better”. This is due to lack of volunteer manpower. Being a dog personality profiler is an incredibly rewarding volunteer position and after a brief orientation you can come do it any time without any assistance or supervision. We have a binder that contains a page for each dog that needs a profile. You can get a quilt and put it in one of our doggie play yards along with some toys and the dog you are profiling. Then proceed to interact with the dog and learn whatever you can about them. The profile form will have “traits” you can check off in case you’re stumped for words, but we love it when volunteers write about their observations of the dog in their own words or even better, from the dog’s point of view. Feel free to get as creative as you like. Our Petfinder administrator will use what you’ve observed and written to expand the profile of the dog on our website/Petfinder. When the dog is adopted, you will beam with pride knowing you played an important part in helping it find its forever home.

Photographer’s Assistant
It is critical for us to get the dogs we have available for adoption in front of the public. One of the most effective ways to do that is to get them photographed and posted on our website/Petfinder. We typically have at least 75 dogs in our adoption program on any given day and sometimes many more. Dogs come and go every day. Picture taking is a never-ending process. Volunteers are needed to get the dogs out of their kennels for the photographer, let them “do their business”, help hold and pose them and return them to their kennels. There is also information specific to each dog that must be recorded. If this sounds like fun to you (you get to handle and know a lot of dogs this way), the person who is taking the pictures would need to set a mutually convenient day and time to meet with you on site. Each photography session typically requires a 3 hour commitment on a volunteer’s part. Unfortunately, not all of the dogs we have in our adoption program are listed on our website because of a lack of volunteer manpower. You can help change that.

Photographers
We have one experienced volunteer who does most of the photography of the dogs and then sorts, trims, enhances and posts the photos on our website via Petfinder. We need at least two more people we can train to take photos. Once trained, these volunteers can take photos independently if they desire and email their photos to our volunteer Petfinder administrator for posting.

Videographers
Petfinder offers a video option of displaying our rescue dogs. We’d like to take advantage of this option and need someone who would be interested in taking the initiative to learn more about this.

Bathers/groomers/brushers
We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again. We typically have in excess of 75 dogs in our program on any given day. That’s a lot of dogs to keep clean. Poodles require frequent grooming. It doesn’t matter if your only experience is with your own dog or if you’re a professional groomer who would like to volunteer your time on occasion; there will always be dogs that need to be brushed, bathed, clipped etc. We provide the supplies and tools; you provide the elbow grease. This is a great way to bond with the dogs. It also is a huge help to the volunteers who take pictures of the dogs so we can get them posted on our website.

Kennel cleaners
This is one of the least glamorous volunteer opportunities but probably the most appreciated by the dogs. Each rescue dog needs to have a clean, dry kennel with fresh bedding and fresh water. We have small outdoor pens where you can put a dog while cleaning its kennel. The dogs will use this time as a welcome potty break until you manage to get their space all spiffed up for them.

Adoption assistants
There are just a few people at Poodle Rescue of Houston who have been approved by our founder to give final approval to potential adopters. However we always need volunteers to help show dogs to prospective adopters. This is a great way to get to know the dogs and you’ll meet wonderful people who, like you, share the rescue philosophy.

Transporters
We sometimes rescue dogs from public animal shelters in the Houston area and need people who can go get them and transport them to Poodle Rescue of Houston’s facility. We occasionally need people to transport dogs from other places in Texas and surrounding areas. If this interests you, email us and let us know and we’ll add your name to our list.

Community Outreach
We occasionally participate in Pet Fairs and other off-site events. These events help introduce people to Poodle Rescue of Houston. In addition to our website, we are on Facebook and a Yahoo group so if you are interested in this type of thing let us know. We can use your help.