Ever wanted to give back to your community, but don’t want to leave your pup behind? Help her spread her love around by volunteering with your dog! You don’t need to have a specific breed or past experience for you and your dog to bring happiness to those who really need it. Here’s how to start volunteering with your dog…

Any Dog Can Be a Volunteer and Therapy Dog
Most organizations will screen you and your pup to make sure you’re a good match for their programs, but they usually won’t have strict requirements about age or breed. However, they do look for a few key characteristics.
Volunteer groups are looking for dogs with friendly dispositions and display absolutely no signs of aggression in a variety of circumstances. They want animals to be in obvious good health and care. Your dog will also need to be obedient, calm, and responsive to commands – both from you and from other people who may be a part of your volunteer team.

What All Can Your Dog Do to Help?
There are many different roles your dog can fill as a volunteer:

• Your pup can donate blood (animals need medical help in the same way humans do!). Check out this resource on helping other animals by having your dog be a donor.
• Dogs make excellent therapy animals and are usually welcome in certain programs that help the sick and the elderly. You can look into physical therapy programs or organizations that aim to provide companionship via therapy animals.
• Participating in charity events (like 5k runs or organized walk-for-the-cure events)
• If you’re really serious about becoming life-saving volunteers, you and your dog can become a search-and-rescue team – but this takes extreme dedication and extensive training.

Where to Look for Volunteer Opportunities
Not sure how to get started? Consider inquiring about opportunities to volunteer at local schools, hospitals, and retirement care centers. Contact your veterinarian to ask how you and your dog can help others.
If you and your dog want to assist in therapy situations, you might need to become certified before you can volunteer. Look for local or regional programs that can provide the necessary training you’ll need before joining an organization that offers animal therapy to those in need.
If you need additional resources, check out the American Kennel Club’s guide to therapy organizations, or learn how to become a registered team with Pet Partners.