We have been working hard on developing ways for Hopalong volunteers and fosters to grow as animal people- a small way that we can give back to you for all of the hard work that you do for us. One of the ways we do this is by offering training courses to our volunteers. The training courses are a great way to help our volunteers gain a better understanding about the animals they're fostering and their own pets. If any of these interest you, please feel free to
contact me about them- we hold classes and I can also fill you in individually.
These are the training opportunities we either currently have or are in the works:
Dog handling at mobile adoptions: Handling dogs at mobile adoptions is one of the most "hands on" opportunities Hopalong offers. It's a chance to show off the dogs to the public and help get them adopted as well as see how the public interacts with unknown dogs. Want to learn more about dog body behavior? Learn more about the adoption process? Get into the minds of potential adopters? This is it.
Assisting and coordinating mobile adoptions (dogs): Mobile coordinators and assistants handle everything about mobile adoptions. These guys wrangle dog handlers, potential adopters and a whole lot of paperwork. If you've got an eye for detail and are interested in educating and don't mind talking to the public (and sometimes saying "no"), this is a good chance to take on some responsibility.
Assisting and coordinating mobile adoptions (cats)- coming soon- please let me know if you are interested! (See above- this is very similar to coordinating dog mobiles, only with cats.)
Screening dog adoption applications: When people apply to adopt a dog, Hopalong promises to get back to them within 24-48 business hours. Volunteers are the first people who talk to them: they get a sense of what's going on beyond the page with a short (10-15 minute) phone call. Learn about how to read between the lines and educate prospective adopters on things like crate training, picking the right dog and the adoption process.
Screening cat adoption applications- coming soon- please let me know if you are interested. (see above- very similar to screening dog adoptions, only with cats!)
In addition, on the right of this page there are some resources- this is very much a work in progress and you will see that right now they're mostly dog-centric. That will change, I promise! These resources are designed to be helpful for foster families as well as for anyone with a pet or with friends with pets. If you have questions on anything foster related, feel free to email me and I will create something for you.
We have been working hard on developing ways for Hopalong volunteers and fosters to grow as animal people- a small way that we can give back to you for all of the hard work that you do for us. One of the ways we do this is by offering training courses to our volunteers. The training courses are a great way to help our volunteers gain a better understanding about the animals they're fostering and their own pets. If any of these interest you, please feel free to contact me about them- we hold classes and I can also fill you in individually.