Volunteering in a shelter is pretty much like life itself –
rewarding, challenging, fun, and whatever you choose to make it good.

Getting Started
We have multiple volunteer opportunities: dog handlers, marketing, pr, office organization and assistance, website assistance, events coordination, development, etc.
Dog Handlers

The following is the overall procedure for joining GADAB as a hands-on volunteer with the dogs. You must be 21 years or older to work with our dogs.

All persons interested in volunteering at San Francisco Department of Animal Care & Control (SF/DACC), including all Give a Dog a Bone potential volunteers, must attend a general volunteer orientation. Please call 415.554.9414 to schedule your orientation – if you can’t make it, please call to cancel, since there is a limited number of people at an orientation. They are held twice a month.

Then call SF/DACC Department of Behavior and Training to register for a dog orientation session (415.934.4821). They will call you back as soon as they can. Following that, you’ll attend a (How to prevent dogs from . . !) jumpy, mouthy, pully (jmp) class, and lastly, a mentor session with a designated senior volunteer. This process is governed by Donna Duford, SF/DACC's dog behaviorist and her assistant.
Walk, play, and practice your dog skills with SF/DACC dogs up for adoption. When you feel comfortable with the dogs, call me and we’ll schedule a dog handling evaluation and brief introductory interview (415.934.4820).

If you are already equipped with exemplary dog handling skills and knowledge of canine behavior, please call me and we’ll set up an appointment after your general orientation.

Other Volunteer Needs

If you are interested in other volunteer opportunities, the process is simpler.
Attend SF/DACC’s general volunteer orientation (contact info above).
Meet with Corinne Dowling to discuss the projects in which you are interested . (such as marketing/PR, special events/development, etc.). We ask that you have experience, references, and contacts in the field in which you are interested.
If office organization rocks your boat, please email us! Again, we ask that you have experience and references.
What We Ask
Every volunteer is worth his or her weight in gold. We value you for your dedication and commitment. We recognize that there are many other ways in which you could spend your time, and we appreciate from the bottom of our hearts that you are willing to work in the sometimes emotionally wrenching field of animal welfare.
We ask that you agree to a six-month initial commitment when you join us as a hands-on volunteer. This consists of a minimum of one three-hour shift per week, on a designated day of the week. Choose the best day for yourself. If your time is more limited, we can work out a schedule.

I hope I’ve answered all your questions about volunteering for GADAB. If not, please email me with your questions and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Cheers, woofs, and wags,
Corinne Dowling
Program Director/Primary Dog Handler
Give a Dog a Bone
www.gadab.org

To put it bluntly, Smoosh was kind of a little jerk when he came to GADAB. An adorable-looking 7-month old pug, Smoosh joined us when his owner went to jail. It soon became very clear that he was very used to getting his own way and, in his mind, the world and all people in it were there for him. Putting a collar on was a true challenge and, once out in the yard, he was only interested in playing catch as long as he didn't have to bring the ball back. All attempts to handle him were met with frantic squirming and mouthing.

As basic rules and routines were added to his daily life, Smoosh gradually found out that he was not the center of the universe. He learned to stop and wait at doors and not to pull on his leash; even discovering that retrieving was fun and rewarding. He began to tolerate being handled, stroked and cradled for short periods of time, and eventually responded to touch with soft eye contact and happy body wiggles. Smoosh got his big break when a pug lover, ready for a challenge, came to the shelter and fell in love with him. He's now happily ensconced in a loving home taking obedience classes in his spare time.

- Mark Rogers
Senior Volunteer

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