Second Chance German Shepherd Rescue Houston is a 100% volunteer organization. Our volunteers make it possible for us to rescue and rehome many beautiful, loving GSDs that otherwise would not have a chance at life. As a volunteer, you can make a huge difference in the lives of the dogs in our program by helping out in one or more of the areas listed below. There is no minimum time commitment; you can help as little or as much as you are able.

Fostering

Fostering is the lifeblood of our rescue organization and is one of the most rewarding and important things you can do as a volunteer. Most of our dogs come from local animal shelters and would have otherwise been euthanized if we did not save them. Typically dogs come into our program scared, lonely and hungry, sometimes days or even hours away from death. As the foster parent you have the important job of bringing a dog into your home and nursing him back to health, helping him feel safe and secure, and find his self confidence again. While the organization provides vetting, as a foster parent you provide shelter, food and love to an otherwise homeless German Shepherd until a loving permanent home is found. We ask fosters to teach their foster dog some basic obedience skills, so the dog learns how to be a part of a family. There is nothing more rewarding than being a part of transforming a scared, unsure German Shepherd into the self-confident, regal, loving animal he was meant to be.

Our foster coordinator and experienced foster parents will help guide you through the fostering process and answer any questions or concerns you may have. You will get to know your foster dog very well and will come to know exactly what type of adoptive family he will fit into most successfully. The most common question we are asked is, "Don't you get attached to your foster dog?" The answer to that question is, "Absolutely!" However, when you see the smiles on the adoptive family's faces and you know that you are placing your foster in a loving, permanent home, it makes it all worth it. We also look ahead - placing a dog opens up a space for us to save another one! Please consider taking one of these wonderful dogs into your home and fostering until adoption. If you are interested in fostering but want to start with a smaller commitment, please considering becoming a vacation foster. As a vacation foster, you care for a foster dog while the foster parents are on vacation. Most people who try fostering find it to be one of the best things they have ever done. If you would like to apply to foster, please fill out the adoption application and indicate on it that you would like to foster. Or if you would like more information about fostering please email Michelle at foster@secondchanceshepherds.org.

Donations

Because Second Chance German Shepherd Rescue Houston is a non-profit organization, we rely heavily on donations from the general public. We are always in need of cash donations or dog related items for our foster dogs. For more information on donating, please visit our donation page.

Transportation

We are always in need of volunteers to help transport dogs from shelters, to foster homes, to vet appointments, and to adoption events. Occasionally we need volunteers to pick up dogs from shelters in other cities such as Huntsville, Pasadena, Georgetown, and Ft. Worth / Dallas. Having a spare crate to use in your vehicle for transports would be very helpful, though it is not mandatory. Email Julane at intake@secondchanceshepherds.org or Michelle at foster@secondchanceshepherds.org .

Events

Second Chance Shepherds Houston holds monthly Meet & Greets at different locations around the city. At these events, people come to meet our dogs and talk to our volunteers about adoption. There are many ways in which you can help out at our events. You can transport dogs to and from the event, set up tables, booths or a tent, bake items to sell, help water the dogs and take them for potty breaks, or hold a dog's leash. One of the most important jobs at these events is to introduce our dogs to visitors and talk to them about our organization and adoption. Our events are typically held at a Petco or Petsmart on a Saturday. Several times a year we attend larger venues such as Barktoberfest in Kingwood or Spring Bark in the Woodlands. Events are a fun way to spend part of a Saturday and make new friends. Email Laurie at events@secondchanceshepherds.org.

Fund Raising

Second Chance Shepherds Houston relies heavily upon fundraising as our adoption fee typically does not cover all of the expenses incurred for each dog. As a fundraising volunteer, you will meet with other volunteers to plan various fund raising events, from garage sales, to silent auctions to larger events. We need creative people to think of exciting new ways to help raise funds for our German Shepherds.

Grant Writing

Do you have a talent for writing grants? Or are you interested in learning how? If so, we need you! There are many organizations and companies that offer grants to dog rescue groups. Grant writing is a very important part of fund raising, and can be done at home.

Intake

Intake volunteers are responsible for assessing dogs to be brought into our program. As an intake volunteer, we will train you to so that you are well equipped to assess a dog's suitability for our adoption program. When we are interested in a dog, we send a volunteer to thoroughly evaluate the dog for our program. This involves temperament testing the dog, spending time with it to get to know his personality and taking pictures which you will send to the Intake Coordinator. If the Intake Coordinator approves the dog for our program, you will be asked to "pull" the dog from the shelter and deliver it to its next destination, such as a foster home or the vet. If necessary, we will find someone to help with the transportation. Intake offers volunteers a wonderful hands-on experience with saving beautiful German Shepherds.

Checking References

Checking an applicant's references is the first step toward getting a dog adopted. On the adoption application, applicants must submit a vet and two personal references. As part of the screening process, a volunteer calls to verify the references using a set of easy-to-follow guidelines. After checking an applicant's references, you will type up a report and send it to the Application Coordinator. This is an easy and very helpful way to be a part in saving a GSD!

Home Visits

The home visit is the final step in processing adoption and foster applications. Because the Houston area stretches far and wide, it is quite difficult to accommodate all applicants in a timely manner without a large number of home visit volunteers. As a home visit volunteer, you will go to the home of an applicant who has already passed the reference checks. Guidelines are available on what to discuss and review during a home visit. You may also accompany an "experienced" home visit volunteer on your first home visit to help learn the ropes. While at the applicant's home, you will visit with the potential adopter(s) and assess the home environment and the applicant's suitability to adopt a German Shepherd. Once the visit is completed, you will submit a home visit report to the Application Coordinator. If you are interested in helping out, please email Heather at applications@secondchanceshepherds.org .

Photography

Do you dabble with photography and take great pictures? If so, we would love for you to take photos of our foster dogs for the website. The first impression a person has of any of our dogs is a photo, so great pictures go a long way towards getting people to want to meet our dogs. We would also like photos taken at all of our events. If you are available to do this, please let us know.

Computer Skills

Are you creative on the computer? Do you have a knack for design? We need volunteers to help design flyers, brochures and invitations.

Writing

Do you have journalistic skills? Do you enjoy creative writing? If so, we would love for you to write articles for local papers about our organization or creative bios about our dogs for the website or help put together a newsletter for our organization. These are all things that can be done at home in your spare time.