Community Rehoming Volunteer - Animal lovers who live locally who can provide a temporary home for our dogs and cats until they find a loving family of their own.
Volunteer Role Title: Community Rehoming Volunteer - Dogs
We are looking for Foster Carers in the Ashford (Kent), Basingstoke and Guildford areas who can provide a temporary home for our dogs and cats until they find a loving family of their own.
We are looking to recruit volunteers from the following postcode areas but will consider applicants who are close to but are outside of these areas:
Ashford: TN23-30
Basingstoke: RG 21-29
Guildford: GU1-12, 14-17 and 21-24
Why does Battersea need Community Rehoming Volunteers for dogs?
Community Rehoming Volunteers provide an additional way for Battersea to help more dogs in their journey to reach their new home. By looking after Battersea dogs in their home, a Community Rehoming Volunteer helps them by providing for their welfare needs, creating new rehoming opportunities where Battersea’s current centres pose a barrier e.g. travel, opening hours etc, and spreading the word about rehoming in their local community.
This role is suitable for people who are interested in both caring for dogs that are available for rehoming and helping them find homes in their communities through attending Battersea events and speaking to potential customers. If you are interested in caring for dog but would prefer to not be involved in the rehoming side, then our foster carer role may be more suitable for you.
Please be aware that we are looking for volunteers who are actively interested in caring for dogs on a temporary basis and helping them find a permanent home. This role is different to rehoming a pet yourself. If you are interested in rehoming a dog, please visit https://www.battersea.org.uk/dogs/how-to-rehome-a-dog
What would I be doing?
• Providing temporary shelter to a Battersea dog in your home and looking after its welfare needs (all food and equipment will be provided by Battersea) until it finds a loving home
• Monitoring the dog’s health and behaviour and providing regular reports to Battersea. In some cases, members of Battersea staff may want to visit the dog in your home.
• Following any Battersea Care Plans in place for the dog
• Providing photos and videos of the dog to support their rehoming
• Promoting Battersea and rehoming of the dogs that you care for in your local community, through engaging with members of the public when out and about, social media promotion, displaying rehoming flyers in suitable locations in your local community, and handing out your Animal Network Officer's business cards to individuals interested in rehoming.
• Welcoming potential new owners into your home or meeting prospective owners at a designated location, sometimes at short notice, to meet the dog and learn more about their care. Potential new owners would always be accompanied by a member of Battersea’s staff.
Supporting the Animal Network Officer with the rehoming process as required
• There may be the occasional need to transport the dog in your care to a local vet practice or Battersea centre for veterinary attention
What skills would be useful?
• Previous experience of owning or caring for dogs, particularly with breeds such as Greyhounds and Staffordshire Bull Terriers but this is not essential.
• Comfortable with walking a dog on a lead
• Capable of writing observations and keeping accurate records
• Good spoken and written English
• Confidence in meeting and communicating with a wide range of people
• Open mindedness and a willingness to follow instructions and training
• Ability to use a computer, tablet or smartphone
• Confident with taking photographs and or videos with a camera/smartphone
• Flexibility and a willingness to take on dogs or be available for rehoming appointments or events, sometimes at short notice and likely at weekends or evenings
• Emotional resilience
• Comfortable with using social media
Is there anything else I should consider?
We are looking for individuals who:
• Live in or near the Community area (Guildford, Ashford or Basingstoke)
• Are in a position to not leave the dog in their care alone for more than 4 hours at a time
• Have availability during evenings and weekends to support rehoming appointments and events
• If they have children in the household, are at least 13 years of age
• Preferably have access to a secure garden
• Ideally have no other dogs in their home and have no cats in their home
• Ideally have their own transport or access to a vehicle
What support, training and skills would I get?
• An induction about the work of Battersea, and its policies and processes that are relevant to your role, such as rehoming
• Training on general dog behaviour and how to care for a dog in your home and handle them in public, including Battersea’s canine welfare and stress management procedures
• Ongoing support from the Animal Network Officer and Communities Manager
• Battersea branded uniform
• Support to act as an ambassador for Battersea in your community
• Regular updates on the work of Battersea in your community
• References provided by Battersea where appropriate
Where would I be Volunteering?
In your home and local community
What commitments would I need to make?
This would be dependent on whether you have a dog in your home at any given time. When caring for a dog you would need to provide daily care throughout the entire time the dog is living in your home.
Due to the time required to recruit and train new volunteers, we ask for a minimum commitment of six months to this role.
What is the recruitment process like?
Once we have completed this form, we will contact you for an informal chat and to answer any questions you may have. We will then ask you to provide a video of your home environment so we can check it is safe for our animals. We will then invite you to attend an induction session.
