1. Volunteer Role Description for: Location: Main contact:
Volunteer Canine Assistant
Shrewsbury Rehoming Centre
Helen Downing
Volunteer coordinator
Purpose of the role: To support and assist the Canine Carers to ensure our animal accommodation facilities are cleaned, maintained and in excellent condition for our dogs and to help provide essential exercise for them.
Skills/experience required:
Passionate about dogs, dog welfare and experience of handling them.
Working with or owning dogs.
Good level of fitness for walking and handling dogs of all shapes, sizes and strengths and other physical duties.
Excellent face to face communication skills with the ability to listen.
Confident and friendly manner.
Ability to work comfortably in a close knit team or alone.
Conscientious with a can-do attitude.
Ability to follow instructions.
Experience in a cleaning role is desirable but not essential.
Key tasks:
Work with centre staff to clean kennels and other service areas to Dogs Trust standards to ensure the dogs in our care are comfortable and safe. This takes two hours of cleaning, scrubbing and hosing of a kennel block inside and outside .
Provide exercise and enrichment to dogs as allocated by centre staff.
Socialising dogs.
Monitor each dog’s health and welfare, reporting any concerns to centre staff.
Adhere to centre protocols for collection of dogs, walking routes and use of exercise compounds.
Other kennel-related tasks as requested by Dogs Trust staff, such as preparing feeds.
Undertake basic dog training in accordance with Dogs Trust training methods (if required). Volunteers will be given full training.
Use centre approved equipment e.g. leads, harnesses, muzzles, etc. when instructed.
Carry out any laundry as required.
Time commitment:
One day a week
Volunteer Appointment Process:
Volunteer application form
Selection (successful / unsuccessful)
Tour of centre and induction
On the job training
Three month review meeting

2. Volunteer Role Description for:
Volunteer Canine Assistant
What you can expect from Dogs Trust as a volunteer:
A staff member main contact who will manage your tasks, answer your questions and help you with the volunteer rota.
A buddy (either another volunteer or a member of staff) who will help you through your first few weeks at the centre.
Volunteer uniform.
Induction and ongoing role-specific training, guidance and support.
An opportunity to feed back to your main contact about your experience volunteering with Dogs Trust.
Recognition of the role that you are carrying out in support of Dogs Trust through our Volunteer Merits Scheme.
Opportunities to try new things and learn new skills, where appropriate.
A message from the CEO
Without our dedicated volunteers we couldn’t hope to achieve as much as we do for the dogs in our care; the support from our volunteers is absolutely vital to our work.
The work that volunteers help us with may not always be easy, but I know that volunteering with Dogs Trust is a rewarding experience.
Adrian Burder
Chief Executive
What we expect from our volunteers:
Support Dogs Trust in its work and carry out your volunteer role to the best of your ability.
Complete a Rehoming Centre volunteer induction session, this will be held at your centre and complete any other additional training as required.
Make new people welcome and work well within the team.
Recognise the importance of our members, sponsors and donors in supporting the work of Dogs Trust.
Wear your Dogs Trust volunteer uniform at the centre and ensure you are presentable at all times.
Support Dogs Trust procedures and standards by:
Being aware of your own health and safety and of that of others.
Respecting others and treating people equally in line with our Equal Opportunities Policy.
Ensure all activities undertaken in the name of Dogs Trust achieve the charitable aims and objectives and do not bring the organisation into disrepute.
Be accountable and accept constructive comments.
Maintain confidentiality regarding Dogs Trust activity, the dogs in our care and our team.
Meet time commitments and standards agreed, and give reasonable notice when unavailable, so other arrangements can be made.
Be a positive representative of Dogs Trust, ensuring you are polite and friendly to all visitors to the centre.
Dogs Trust
Shrewsbury Rehoming Centre
Roden lane farm
Roden
Telford
TF6 6BP E: T: @:
Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity. Through our network of 20 rehoming centres across the UK and one in Ireland we care for almost 17,000 abandoned and unwanted dogs a year. No healthy dog is ever destroyed.