Dog Walking Volunteers needed!

PAWS Dog Walkers offer many of our clients much needed assistance by providing weekly walks and exercise for their canine companions. A good portion of our clients are homebound and dealing with challenges around mobility or their respective ailments and treatment regimens. Having one or more regular volunteer walkers is a tremendous and in-demand form of support for many of our clients.

This is an incredibly fun way to get some extra daily steps in and interact with one of our clients and a new canine friend that goes a long way in helping maintain the human-animal bond between PAWS dogs and their guardians. Volunteer dog walkers contribute to the well-being of both our clients and their pups by ensuring dogs get regular exercise when their owners are not able to walk them. Can you spare 45 minutes a week to help ensure our clients’ pups get taken out on their needed neighborhood strolls?

The Pet Food Bank provides PAWS clients with a supplemental allotment of pet food, litter and a variety of pet supplies (e.g., toys, treats, collars, leashes, carriers/crates, etc.) every month. This basic but essential service can often mean the difference between our clients meeting their own nutritional needs and sacrificing their needs to feed their animal companions, or being able to keep their pets in their lives at all.

Many of our clients are unable to come to the Pet Food Bank, located at the PAWS office, due to their disability. We rely on the generosity and commitment of volunteers to deliver food and supplies to all of our homebound clients. Can you spare 3 hours on a Saturday morning to help keep these critter companions fed?

For more information or to apply: please contact PAWS Volunteer Services Coordinator, Walter Campbell, at wcampbell@shanti.org

Dog Walker

General Requirements:

• Minimum of 3 to 6 month commitment
• Available for regular, weekly visits to same client, rain or shine
• Minimum age of 18 (or accompanied by a parent/guardian who is a trained PAWS volunteer)
• Relevant experience with dogs
• Physically able to walk assigned dog
• Must be a trained PAWS volunteer

Duties:

• Participate on a dog walking team with other volunteers assigned to the same client
• Visit clients at home and walk their dogs - about 45 minutes to an hour each week depending upon location and abilities of dog
• Provide feedback to PAWS staff regarding client and/or pet(s)