Volunteer Now


Volunteer holding up 'Volunteers Needed' sign.

Your time and talents expand our mission’s reach


Join us to support animals in need through various roles such as animal care, adoption events, fundraising, photography, social media, and more. Your contribution, big or small, helps create a better future for these deserving animals. Explore our areas of need and lend your skills, time, and abilities to make a lasting impact. Together, we can transform lives.

Adoption support

Help pair and support adoptable dogs with their forever homes by:

  • Setting up and coordinating adoption events
  • Interviewing potential adopters and approving/denying adoptions
  • Ensuring the safety of animals at adoption events
  • Promoting Stars & Stripes Dog Rescue’s mission when talking with the public and assisting in adoption counseling
  • Reviewing applications, conducting screenings, setting up home visits and completing paperwork
  • Maintaining occasional contact with adopters to ensure client and dog well being

Vet care & training

Your experience in vet care, as a veterinarian or vet tech, or dog training will support our mission by helping provide the best possible care and support for our rescue dogs.

  • Veterinary services include pre-adoption and at event care. We ensure dogs are spayed/neutered, microchipped, current on vaccinations and heartworm tested prior to adoption. Also, we offer cursory vet checks, vaccinations and nail trims at events.
  • Training skills we utilize include behavioral consults, training plan development (tailored to the dog’s personality and attributes), and disposition/temperament evaluations for advancement to Service dog level training.

Foster support

You don’t have to be a foster parent to be an integral part of the foster program. You can support the structure of our foster program by stepping into several areas.

  • Foster screening: Call potential fosters to provide guidelines and expectations for Stars and Stripes Rescue foster programs.
  • Foster coordinator: Assist in coordinating foster, dog and volunteer attendance for adoption events that take place on Saturday or Sunday.
  • Foster leader: Assist in reviewing/approving applications, conducting screenings, setting up home visits and completing paperwork.

Outreach & fundraising

Raise awareness by posting our events on social media apps, displaying event flyers in your office or local coffee shop, and sharing Stars & Stripes Dog Rescue with your friends, family and co-workers.

Reach out to local businesses for donations or community involvement, assist with planning of and serving at fundraising events, and recruit friends/family to become sponsors or advocates.

Admin help

Help ensure smooth operations, support the development of goals, paperwork and contacts.

  • Data entry, filing, and organizing paperwork
  • Coordinating volunteer schedules and managing communication
  • Follow up on adoptions/veterans in training
  • Make verification calls to veterinarian’s/schedule home visits

Events

Raise awareness Volunteer at events. Contribute as an adoption leader. Conduct interviews and approve or deny adoptions, and ensure the safety of dogs during events. Promote the rescue and speak about the dogs while answering questions from prospective fosters or adopters

Coordinate and plan events, ensuring smooth execution of events to maximize impact, such as:

  • Volunteer appreciation gatherings
  • Awareness campaigns
  • Local Stand Downs (Placer, El Dorado and Sacramento counties)
  • Educational and community outreach events such as Dog Safety assemblies at elementary schools

Grants & writing

Do you have skills in:

  • Grant writing
  • Professional writing or press releases
  • Blogging

We would love your help identifying and submitting grant opportunities that align with the organization’s goals, writing press releases to build media coverage or blogging to help increase Stars & Stripes Dog Rescue’s visibility.

Weekend socializer

Our Weekend Socializers provide temporary care while making a lasting impact with the dogs and further enable our mission. When dogs live with you on the weekends, they gain the socialization experiences not found in the ‘Healing Heroes’ Prison Program or give Foster parents a respite. You will increasingly expose the dog to different locations and interactions, as the dog is ready, such as busy pedestrian areas, other animals and with children while ensuring daily tasks/skills are enforced during training.

Dog travel

Using your personal vehicle, transport dogs for events, adoptions and vet appointments. Also, help collect donations, food and supplies.

*Requires valid Driver License

Marketing and technology

You can make a huge difference assisting us reach wider audiences! Your skills in social media, photography/videography, graphics/website, and technology are valued here.

Graphics/Website

Our needs include help designing visually appealing promotional materials, including flyers, posters, and social media graphics. Also, you can help us with website content updates, development, and optimization.

Social media

If you’re savvy with social media, please help Stars & Stripes Dog Rescue create and maintain social media campaigns, continually reaching wider audiences. Help us keep our digital presence relative and compelling, gaining followers and by default, donors and sponsors. On a regular content schedule, we’re looking for help on our Instagram and FaceBook accounts, posting pictures and writing content.

Technology

Your experience with technological improvements and computer security is another way you can volunteer with Stars & Stripes Dog Rescue. Ongoing needs we have include:

  • Recommending, implementing and optimizing technologies and digital tools to streamline operations
  • Ensuring security/network compliance
  • Aiding with website maintenance, troubleshooting, and improvements

Photography/Videography

We need great photos and videos of our dogs that are available for adoption, our successfully adopted dogs, and event photos for marketing efforts.

  • Capture high-quality images and videos during events and dog training sessions
  • Create visually compelling content for promotional purposes and storytelling