How you can become a volunteer with animal rescue

YES, YOU CAN become an animal rescue VOLUNTEER in your communities. First off, if you know others who VOLUNTEER with animal rescue in your community ask them for advice and have them tell you about their animal rescue experience.

Is there a specific animal rescue you feel drawn to? If so contact them and see what they are in need of as far as VOLUNTEER positions. Perhaps there is a spot just for you.

Bear in mind there are forms that need to be filled out and certain criteria must be met.

You can google animal rescues and go to their websites to read about them. Usually they have the VOLUNTEER positions they are seeking to fill posted and contact information. Some will even have online forms such as applications to fill out.

Attend various animal rescue events and speak directly with members of the animal rescue groups to get a first hand look at what they do and what they need. The leader of the group is best to speak with so they can tell you about the group.

Be aware of just how many different kinds of animal rescues there are out there. Especially in various sections of the world where only specific breeds can be found.

Now comes the decision as to what you might have and wish to offer to your local animal rescue. Perhaps it is your workplace experience, personal experience, a hobby, or just natural skills. The possibilities are endless. Plus you might even learn a new skill by VOLUNTEERING and that may be your new area of expertise. We never stop learning. Simply what you do have to offer as a Senior Citizen is YOUR FREE TIME.

Once your local animal rescue accepts you as a VOLUNTEER you most likely will attend some orientations. After that you will decide which open VOLUNTEER position is best suited for you. You might even take on several. Fostering adoptables in your home allows them to enjoy the comforts of home and interest socially. ( You will see this terminology often, as it is what I refer to rescue animals who need to be adopted into their forever homes ) So you might be fostering and also VOLUNTEER in another aspect of the rescue.

Here are just a few ways to VOLUNTEER:

• Walk adoptables at rescue events
• Drive adoptables to and from the veterinarians
• Foster in your own home
• Make and/or collect donations for fundraiser sales events
• Newsletters, websites and other creative writing outlets
• Photography and videography
• Check out potential adoption homes
• Follow up on adopted animals
• Meet and greets when an adoption home has another animal residing there already
• Event planning
• VOLUNTEER coordinator
• Grooming
• Transport an adoptable whether it be delivering to a forever home or accepting a new one
• And the list goes on and on until all the needs are filled

So never think there is nothing you can bring to the table or be able to do for an animal rescue when YOU VOLUNTEER.

I hope this BLOG post has been informative for you. I ask that you PLEASE post your comments so I know the content is on the right track for what you are looking for. You are very important to this cause because you are the core makeup of it. You as Senior Citizens have the capacity to do so much with your free retired time. It is a beginning to yet another important chapter of your life. A brand new experience and as we know life is made up of experiences!

Thank all of you. If anyone has questions or comments for me directly kindly email me at
dennislubrano@gmail.com

Directories of Animal Rescues

Well, as promised, here are links to Directories of Animal Rescues. You can google these as I did. Anyone who knows of others we do not have included here, please send them to us at dennislubrano@gmail.com

Once you open one, find your state and then locate any animal rescues close to your community. I have also included specific breed rescues. Remember there are all kinds of animal rescues and sanctuaries, here in Florida we even have big cat rescues, and we are not talking about the kind that crawl up and snuggle in your laps.

http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Organizations/Animal_Welfare/Rescues_and_Shelters/Regional/North_America/United_States/

http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm

http://www.bringfido.com/resource/animal_shelters/region/united_states/

http://dir.yahoo.com/science/biology/zoology/animals__insects__and_pets/organizations/humane_and_rescue_societies/

http://www.petfinder.com

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/abuse_neglect/tips/safe_havens_directory.html

http://www.rescuedismyfavoritebreed.org/AnimalRescueFacebookDirectory.htm

http://animal-shelters.regionaldirectory.us

http://www.ahimsahouse.org/directory

http://www.petwalk.com/shelter-index-2/

http://www.silverrescue.org/pet-directory.html

http://botw.org/top/Society/Organizations/Animal_Welfare/Rescues_and_Shelters/Regional/North_America/United_States/California/

http://www.adoptapet-directory.com/States/state_index.html

I simply GOOGLED this phrase  directory for animal rescues in the united states

If you are still having trouble finding any nearby let me know. Also there is always the possibility you might be able to VOLUNTEER virtually from a distance. Where there is a will, the is always a way!

Our numbers are growing rapidly all over the place so please tell every senior you know about us whether they are active animal rescue volunteers or not. They might just realize what they are missing!

So right now we have this BLOG and our FACEBOOK Page. A website will eventually follow as we are starting off slow to test the waters and working on our 501c3. The plan is to network and inform VOLUNTEERS about animal rescues that need them in their areas.Plus many SENIORS love to travel and can always VOLUNTEER at an animal rescue when they reach their destination.  I know of many folks who take their vacations and travel to Kanab, Utah toVOLUNTEER with Best Friends Animal Rescue.

Also we hope animal rescues will contact us with specific needs we can post to the fb page. We hope this will become a fantastic WIN WIN situation for all of these involved. The fb page will also have lots of resource links for animal rescue volunteers and caregivers. We would also love to get some posts about YOU. What you do with animal rescue and any photos would be greatly welcome. We want the fb page to be a networking community as well.

Speaking of FACEBOOK, I have also created several other pages for helping animals.  You can find links to them at the upper right portion of this BLOG. These are FREE and so easy for you to do also.
If you are interested and need any help, again please contact me. These are also great to start for your local rescue if you do not have a website due to the financial costs. Feel free to post links to your rescues on any of these.

Once again THANK YOU to all of you who have LIKEd the page and also who requested to be my friends. Please be sure to take the poll on this BLOG, as it changes weekly.

We have a brand new Facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/SeniorsHelpingAnimalRescuesEverywhere

So please visit it, LIKE it, and bookmark it. Most important start thinking about becoming an animal rescue volunteer and let others who are seniors know about this unique opportunity. Hopefully many of you are already actively volunteering with animal rescues in your areas. You can still be a part of this as we need experienced volunteers as well as new yes and wanna yes. The animals need you!

Now please know that there are all sorts of animal rescues out there for all sorts of animals as well as specific breeds. So your choices to volunteer with are infinite. So why not volunteer with more than one?

Start thinking about what it is you may be good at or love to do and how it might be beneficial to an animal rescue. Believe me they need you no matter what it is you can do or not do.

Animals need walks, socialization, foster homes etc. Can you man a table at an event? Are you good on the computer or the telephone or just practical office skills? Do you bake or make a sellable handcraft?  Maybe you just have a lot of items you have collected over the years that could be sold at an animal rescue garage fundraiser sale?

There are animal rescues everywhere so you might look into getting established with one in a community you might be spending time on a travel vacation? those of you who are snowbirds and live 6 months at a time is 2 locations can volunteer in 2 areas. Many of you have RVs and travel with them,so choose an animal rescue in one of your destinations to spend time in perhaps. The possibilities are endless so research animal rescue carefully and remember you have to be approved by them before you can volunteer. So you need to apply to them first and await your approval. Then you are good to go!

For me this is a passion I hope you too will share. There is no better feeling than helping out an animal in need. The first animal rescue we volunteered with as fosters in Las Vegas when we resided there years ago was this one Heaven Can Wait.

https://www.hcws.org

Once we relocated to Hawaii we were introduced to becoming virtual volunteers via the internet with BFAS Best Friends Animal Society

http://bestfriends.org

We were Hawaii Team Leaders and Ambassadors. Visiting Kanab, Utah where they are located inspired us to relocate there for a short time until we had to relocate to Florida to be closer to my 91 year old Father as per his doctors' suggestions. So knowing the power of the internet it inspired me to create Seniors Helping Animal Rescue Everywhere, allowing senior citizens to help animal rescues in their communities.

When you look at AARP and the number of senior citizens and how it grows on a daily basis you can understand the large number of available bodies to volunteer now and in the future to come. So please inform other seniors you are acquainted with about this blog and Facebook page so they can get involved. Have your local animal rescues post a link to their site so others can find out about them and hopefully contact them to become active volunteers.

Thank you all for what you do helping animals in need.

Thought this image  might serve as a great example of what animal rescue is. Please let me know your thoughts on it?

The purpose of this blog is the beginning of forming network worldwide of senior citizens who are actively  involved in animal rescue or want to be. This is where you can SHARE your experiences to encourage others to participate in animal rescue as a volunteer, supporter, foster home or any other way someone might be able to be of help to animal rescue in their community.

Seniors Helping Animal Rescues Everywhere = SHARE

Senior adoption programs are opening up in so many places, allowing senior citizens to adopt senior rescue animals at a discounted price so it is a win win for everyone involved.

Educate your friends, relatives, and neighbors about animal rescue and how you are involved. Anyone can participate and easily become involved helping rescues. So often people forget just what it is they have to offer with a lifetime of experience in the workforce. Many animal rescues have lists of what they need. It might be as simple as donating items from your home so they can include them in their next fundraising garage sale at the rescue. Plus you can help them by volunteering for the event. They always need photographs, so if you a re skilled with a digital camera let them know. Maybe they need someone to assist in their office occasionally. Animals need to be walked and socialized. They always need volunteers to help at the tables at adoption events. Many volunteers even bake for the rescue bake sales.

If there is anything YOU CAN DO, an animal rescue needs it. So please contact your local animal rescues and ask how you can help them. As I mentioned before just search for the animal rescue directory in your state and  you will find the ones closest to you. Maybe you want to help a specific breed, then there are animal rescues for them.

Please be sure to take the poll at the top of the right hand column.

If anyone wants to link to their local rescue, please do so. Maybe even let others know what your favorite rescue needs in the event someone in your area is reading this blog. Las Vegas Labrador Rescue is one we volunteered as fosters with in Las Vegas:  http://lvlabrescue.com/Las_Vegas_Labrador_Rescue/Welcome.html

Also if you want to be notified by email about the blog posts, then fill in your email above. Thank you.

Hello and Welcome to Seniors Helping Animal Rescues Everywhere. Many of you have been volunteers for animal rescues for many years, however many of you have not. The reason for this blog is to introduce those who are unfamiliar with animal rescue to all of the important positions available for you to become a volunteer for in your community. Senior Citizens who are retired have the luxury of free time and the desire to be needed. You have  a vast array of experience in endless areas, so why not SHARE the wealth? Animal rescue is your answer.

I will not make this a lengthy blog, as it is the first and an introductory. If anyone has questions please post them here or you can email me directly at dennislubrano@gmail.com. Every state has a directory online with all the animal rescues that are located there.

I have several Facebook pages created for animal rescue in cities and states where my wife, Juanilla and I have resided over the years,which are hot linked to the right of this column.

Anyone who is not familiar with BFAS ( Best Friends Animal Society ) I encourage you to go to their homepage for an experience in animal rescue you will never forget. http://bestfriends.org

Many of the entries on this page will feature informational resources helpful to those of you who have animals in your homes so please feel free to share these with other animal lovers.

Happy Animal Rescue everyone!