Volunteer Opportunities

There are many organizations in Yolo County looking for volunteers to help dogs who are in need. I am involved with an organization called The Road Home K9 rescue. The Road Home has a two-fold purpose. One project works to support the dogs at our local shelter, maintained by Yolo County Animal Services and the other project rescues dogs in danger of euthanasia.

The shelter project supports the dogs by placing volunteers under the supervision of professional dog trainers (that’s where I come in!) who use the expertise to develop training programs for the dogs, help develop outreach, and provide educational opportunities for volunteers, staff, and the general public. Volunteers are always needed and serve in many areas. Training dogs, stuffing kongs, public speaking, outreach, fundraising, and seeking donations are all commonly done by our volunteers.

The rescue project seeks out foster homes for at risk dogs. The Road Home covers some of the costs of the foster dog using donations to help offset the cost. Foster dogs and their foster owner are given complimentary training classes through Thinking Dogs, plus individual training advice if needed. The Road Home uses Petfinder.com to help find forever homes for their foster dogs.

Individuals interested in volunteering, donating, or just finding out more about the work done through The Road Home or at the Yolo County Animal Shelter are encouraged to join our Yahoo! group. On the group, we coordinate volunteer coverage at the shelter, plan our monthly meetings, and keep all group members current on fundraising, training issues, and fostering needs.