Volunteer Committees

Volunteers are vital to the success of the Rescue. These little guys and gals are counting on us and we would love to have you as a volunteer! The following are the different roles to choose from:
 
FOSTERING DOGS IN YOUR HOME:  This is our most needed and valuable position. We do not have a "shelter" or "kennel" to board dogs and IGs do not do well in that environment. As a Foster Home Volunteer, you would be placed on the Foster Home Committee list. In the event we get a dog into Rescue, we will use the list to place the dog into a foster home.
 
Q: What does fostering entail?
A: The foster home welcomes the dog into their home and provides food, shelter, exercise, training and love until the dog finds a permanent home. Fosters may need to take the dog to veterinarian appointments so that the dog's records are up to date. Fosters speak and meet with prospective families about the dog, and when possible they bring the dog to adoption events to help it find a family.
 
Q: Why are foster homes needed?
A: Foster homes save lives! Foster homes make is possible for us to take in dogs from owner surrenders, shelters or other rescue groups that may otherwise be euthanized.  Fosters find out about the personality and temperament of the dog so that adoptions with families can be based on those qualities.
 
Q: Who is responsible for expenses of the foster dog?
A: Italian Greyhound Rescue covers vaccine expenses and spaying or neutering. Then the foster provides the basics such as food, transportation, exercise, shelter, and love.
 
HOME VISITS:  After a person fills out an application to adopt a dog, they are given a phone interview. Following that, a home visit is required to ensure the home is a safe place for an Italian Greyhound. As a home visit volunteer, you would be placed on the Home Visit Committee. This is a list of "on call" volunteers. When we get an applicant in your area who needs a home visit, we will call you to see if you can do the visit.
 
A home visit entails taking one of your own dogs to the prospective adopters home, interviewing the applicants, making sure their home is a safe place for an Italian Greyhound, and making sure the applicant truly understands the qualities of the breed (ie they are hard to potty train).  After you do the home visit you would report the results back to us and we would discuss if the home would be a good Italian Greyhound owner.
 
FUNDRAISING:  As a fundraising volunteer, you would be part of a committee to help Italian Greyhound Rescue Fund raise money for our dogs. We have numerous expenses such as vaccines, check ups, spaying or neutering, and other expenses such as serious illness or emergencies that can be VERY costly. IGRF relies solely on donations and fundraising. The Fundraising Committee would brainstorm new ways to raise money for these expenses. For example, calendars, raffles at playdates, Halloween costume contests, bake sales, dinner events, auctions, corporate sponsors, etc.
 
CHECKING ON DOGS IN THE SHELTER:  Periodically we get calls from local shelters to say they have an IG. We need IG savvy people to go there to determine that they are in fact a full bred Italian Greyhound and to report back to us on what they think their age may be.
 
TRANSPORTATION:  We need people who will to transport dogs, it could be from a foster home to a vet appointment, it could be a long transport from Arizona to southern California or somewhere across the county.  If anyone is taking a road trip and has room in their car it is always great for us to know if they are able to transport a dog.
 
MANAGING EVENTS:  We get calls for local dog supply stores that offer us days to have adoption events.  Even though we don't adopt on the spot it is a great way to educate the community about Italian Greyhounds. We need people to organize these events and people who are willing to bring their IG's to these events, as a meet and greet.

If you have some time available to give to these little guys, then we want you! Whatever time you can spare will be greatly appreciated. No experience? No problem! We'll show you the ropes and make it easy to volunteer. Please fill out the form below and a representative will give you a call.