| Telephone
Interviewers | |
| Telephone
interviewers help determine if an applicant is a suitable candidate to adopt a
greyhound. You may be the first contact with a new applicant so you must be prepared
to represent VAGA in a most positive and professional fashion. To prepare you
for the call, a copy of the adoption application is emailed to you for review
before you contact the applicant. You may be asked questions about our adoption
process and should recommend reading the Branigan and Livingood books as good
information sources about greyhounds. If you have adopted your dog(s) from VAGA,
you've already experienced a telephone interview so you will be familiar with
the process. After the interview, you will help us decide if the applicant moves
forward to the next step, a Home Visit. |
| Adoption
Counselors |
| If
an applicant has successfully completed a Telephone Interview, the next step in
the adoption process is a Home Visit. Regardless of where you adopted your greyhound,
you most likely experienced a home visit and recall the process. |
You
will help educate applicants by talking about your adoption experience and allowing
them to enjoy interacting with your greyhounds. Our Home Visits are meant to be
fun, friendly, and educational. However, volunteers who conduct Home Visits
must be able to help applicants see any existing dangers in their homes. Some
of these are slippery floors and stairs, storm doors that don't latch, escape
holes in a fence, a yard full of debris, etc. As you point out areas that need
improvement, you will offer simple solutions and suggestions to the applicants.
You will have the opportunity to share the good news with your applicant
when they have been approved by the Board of Directors. |
| Foster
Care Providers |
Without
a kennel, we don't routinely foster greyhounds here in VA, but occasionally we
have a situation that requires a temporary home for a dog. The ideal foster care
provider will rise to the occasion and take a dog - many times with very little
advance notice. Foster care providers are at times literal lifesavers, so please
volunteer if you're able. Click here to submit a Foster
Application if you are interested in welcoming a temporary greyhound into
your home. |
| Drivers |
Volunteer
drivers are needed to meet the Orlando hauler and bring the retired racers back
to Northern Virginia. We also occasionally drive to Staunton, VA to pick up retired
racers from North Carolina. We can't place dogs without a driving team. Join one
of our seasoned volunteers and share the magic as the greyhounds start learning
about retired life! Everyone loves this job! |
| Placement
Assistants |
Do you have a desire to help out during adoptions? If you've done a Home Visit
and approved a family for adoption, it's very nice to see the adoption through
to the end. You will be a familiar face on a day when the new owners are excited,
nervous, and emotional. Your role will be to:
 |
» | Introduce
the applicant to their new greyhound when the hauler arrives. |
» | Help
pick out and fit collars & leads, attach the ID tag and select a coat. |
» | Go
over the adoption forms with the new owner and collect the adoption fee. |
» | Help
new owners shop in the VAGA store/write up a sales ticket and collect payment. |
| » | Dremel
or clip nails. | » | Help
us teach new dogs how to go up and down the stairs. | » | Take
Webpage pictures…we always need someone to help with this job. |
| » | Help
the new owners load their greyhound for the trip home. |
Again,
if you got your dog(s) from VAGA you probably recall the help you received on
the day you took your dog(s) home. |
| Fundraising |
| Have
an idea for a fundraiser? Share
it with us! |
| Grant
Writers |
| There
are thousands of dollars worth of grant money available that we qualify for and
that will certainly help the greyhounds. Each and every one requires a different
type of write-up. If you have experience writing grants, we can use your help. |
Newsletter
Team |
We
need a creative team lead by the Editor and consisting of writers, photographers
and layout staff. In order to save money, the newsletter will be posted on our
web site rather than mailed. |
| Events
Team |
| These
volunteers will investigate Meet and Greet opportunities, help set up, tear down
and man the VAGA tent, help coordinate activities and participate in the regularly
scheduled monthly pet store events in your area. |
| Attend
Meet and Greets |
| We
do Meet and Greets everywhere, all the time! Come help us educate people about
greyhounds and introduce them to this incredible breed. Check out our calendar
to locate a Meet and Greet near you. |
| Sewing
Team |
If
you enjoy working with fabrics and sewing you'll love making coats for greyhounds.
The Orlando racers are not prepared for the winter weather in Virginia so they
absolutely must have a warm coat to wear. We will reimburse you for fabric if
you save your receipt, but your donation of finished coats will be very much appreciated.
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