For many shelter dogs, getting the opportunity to play and communicate with other dogs can be incredibly beneficial and enriching. Playgroups are also used to help determine dog skills. Regular species interaction has been shown to increase adoptability. It also brings additional peace of mind for adoption counselors with recommending the best match to adopters. Having additional volunteers trained in facilitating playgroups the easier it is to ensure a safe and happy playgroup. Our goal is to create a core group of volunteers to help our team run playgroups more frequently throughout the week.
Duties include:
- retrieving dogs from kennels and bringing them into a predetermined yard.
- returning dogs to their kennels when necessary
- facilitating on-leash greetings
- monitoring dog body language
- managing playgroup by intervening/interrupting play when necessary
- Reporting on each individual participants' behaviors, positive and negative, and capturing photos and videos of the animals interacting.
Volunteers must demonstrate the following to complete training:
- Ability to safely handle dogs of different sizes and temperaments on and off leash.
- Ability to successfully read dog body language and assess for a potentially unsafe interaction.
Ability to safely interact and deescalate a dog-to-dog or dog-to-human negative interaction. Volunteers will be trained to safely break up dog-dog fights/scuffles when they occur.
Please report to the Front Lobby at the beginning of the shift to check in with the Customer Service Team, they will let our Behavior team member know you're here. Please wear long pants and closed toed shoes during training.
**Must be a Qualified Dog Walker **
