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If you are looking for a unique and rewarding volunteer experience, Save A Dog, based in Sudbury, MA,
has a number of ways in which teens can help homeless dogs. We are a private, tax exempt volunteer-based,
all breed, dog rescue organization. We take in dogs that are no longer wanted and provide temporary housing
while we post their pictures on our Web site www.saveadog.org and recruit new homes for them. We also take
in dogs from high volume shelters in West Virgina and Tennessee where many unwanted puppies and young dogs
would otherwise live a short life.
Requirements are as follows:
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You must be at least 14 years or older.
- To be eligible to volunteer during the school year, you must already be in high school.
- If you are not yet attending high school, you are eligible to volunteer during our Summer Session (June - August).
- Parental permission is required.
- During the school year, all new teen volunteers must be available to work a 3:00pm - 5:00pm shift on a weekday,
at least every other week.
- You must be physically and emotionally capable of caring for dogs of all sizes.
- You must have prior dog experience! You must either have owned a dog, currently own a dog, or have worked
with dogs, i.e., pet sitting or dog walking.
- You must supply two adult references other than a relative, i.e., Guidance Counselor, Teacher, or Youth Pastor.
- You must attend volunteer information meeting. $20 donation required to cover cost of info meeting and your volunteer
tee shirt.
- You must be a Massachusetts resident, preferably local to Sudbury.
Volunteer opportunities include helping at our shelter on a weekday morning or afternoon and once you become
experienced, on weekend days, as well as help with fundraisers and other projects that help promote our mission
of saving homeless dogs.
We have two time slots during which teens can volunteer and the slots fill up fast. After school there's a
3-5 PM slot on week days and during the summer months we add a 10-12 AM slot for volunteering. Once you have
been to a Teen Volunteer Information Meeting and are selected for a time slot, you must be able to commit to
that slot every other week. Volunteering involves more than just playing with the dogs. It involves cleaning
kennels, bathing the dogs, and rotating the dogs in and out of the shelter for playtimes outside. The job does
involve cleaning up dog waste so if you're opposed to that, you might not want to volunteer.
Other opportunities are that you can hold a bake sale or car wash or some other event to benefit Save A Dog
and we can supply the brochures or material for you to photocopy.
Please fill out a Teen Volunteer Application
if you would like to volunteer. Please email questions to teens@saveadog.org. A Save A Dog Volunteer
Orientation Coordinator will contact you once the application is received, and you will receive an email
invitation to an Information Meeting within a few weeks. Information Meetings are by invitation only as
our training space has limited seating.
Teen Volunteer Application
The Information Meeting meeting is mandatory. You must attend one before you can begin volunteering.
Please download, sign, and have your parent or guardian* sign the Teen Volunteer Waiver and
the Teen Code of Conduct Agreement found in the following document. Please bring these to the
Volunteer Information Meeting. We must have these before you can begin volunteering with Save A Dog.
Teen Volunteer Documents
*All volunteers under 21 must have a parent or guardian sign the liability waiver and code of conduct agreement.
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