Volunteer Information

Welcome to the Giles County Animal Rescue (GCAR) volunteer page. We are very glad you are considering volunteering for our organization. We have a multitude of opportunities and the motto “If you have a talent, we can find a use for it!” So take a look at the opportunities but don't get discouraged if none of them quite seem to fit you – we will work with you to figure out how you can help us improve the lives of the animals of Giles County.

In an effort to make things easier, we have tried to compile some useful information for potential volunteers. Below you will find volunteering opportunities (all the ways you can help out), volunteer requirements (what you need to know to volunteer), and links to our volunteer agreement (Word Document). The information form can be submitted on-line by typing in the information and clicking on ‘Submit' when you are done. This information will be transmitted to our volunteer coordinator who will then contact you to get you started. The volunteer agreement must be signed by you and a GCAR representative on your first day of volunteering.

Volunteering Opportunities:

(Please click on the opportunity to see a description of what it involves.)

Volunteer Requirements:

  1. All volunteers must complete a volunteer agreement with Giles County Animal Rescue.
  2. All volunteers must complete a volunteer waiver with Giles County.
  3. All volunteers should feel comfortable/accept the policies and procedures of Giles County Animal Rescue.
  4. When volunteering, all actions should be a reflection of the values and standards set by Giles County Animal Rescue.
  5. All volunteers must be able to understand and follow directions of the volunteers in charge and/or members of the Board of Directors.
  6. Volunteers shall not knowingly take actions against the wishes of the active membership as a whole.
  7. Volunteers must retain confidentiality of the organization while working with the public.
  8. A volunteer will immediately report any problems he/she may be having with accepting policies or working with other staff members so we can work together effectively as a team.
  9. Shelter volunteers must be at least 18 years of age or 16 years of age with parental consent form and waiver.
  10. Shelter volunteers must train with a trained, experienced volunteer before working at the animal shelter.
  11. Shelter volunteers should understand the risk of carrying and transmitting diseases such as parvo or distemper to their own animals. Own animals should be current on all vaccines.
  12. Shelter volunteers will report any injuries sustained while working at the shelter to the Animal Control Officer as well as to a member of the board of Giles County Animal Rescue.
  13. Shelter volunteers should be current on tetanus vaccination.
  14. No volunteer is allowed to bring children or friends under the age of 16 to the shelter while volunteering. If 16yrs of age or older, a volunteer application and county waiver must be signed.

If interested in becoming a volunteer with GCAR, please fill out a volunteer application and return to our address below:

Volunteer Coordinator
c/o Giles County Animal Rescue
P.O. Box 354
Pearisburg, VA 24134

You can also print out the volunteer agreement to bring with you on your first day of volunteering so you and a GCAR representative can sign it.

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Volunteer Opportunity Descriptions:

Working at the shelter: GCAR volunteers work under the guidance of the Giles County Animal Control Officers at the Giles County Animal Shelter - we volunteer with the shelter, but we do not run the shelter. By keeping the shelter open on weekends, we can adopt out animals. The only way to do this is to have volunteers who are willing to staff the shelter on weekends. Our goal is to consistently keep the shelter open for two hours (from 2-4 PM) on Saturdays and Sundays. If we have enough help, we may be able to open the shelter for further adoption hours. Jobs at the shelter include answering the phones, showing animals to potential adopters, helping adopters fill out the required paperwork, and caring for the animals (walking the dogs, giving the cats attention, grooming, etc.)

Foster care: If you have some extra space in your home, please consider fostering one or some of the animals that come into the shelter. By taking the animal into your home, you give it a guarantee of finding a permanent home. Unfortunately, because of a lack of space and a large number of unwanted animals, the county shelter cannot keep the animals until they are adopted so many of them are euthanized. If you can provide the space and care for one of these animals, GCAR will work with you to advertise and find it a permanent home.

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Fundraising: Success in fundraising will allow us to further our goals and help more of the unwanted and abandoned animals in Giles County. Fundraising can take many forms, from smaller one-time projects that try to obtain basic operating funds or supplies to larger or long-term projects that are looking to raise greater amounts to support projects like the spay/neuter fund or building our own shelter one day. Fundraisers need to be able to interact successfully with the general public and be creative in coming up with new fundraising schemes. Fundraising can be done on an individual basis or as part of a group.

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PR/publicity: Are you good at writing? Do you have any media contacts? GCAR needs individuals to help write press releases, advertisements, fliers, and brochures for our events and activities.

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Home inspections: Before an animal is adopted to a new home, a GCAR representative must perform a home inspection. This is done in an effort to make sure all of the GCAR animals find caring, loving permanent homes and do not end up back at the shelter. Additional home inspections may be required after the animal is placed in a home as well to make sure it continues to receive adequate care.

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Transport of animals to other rescue groups and to vet appointments: Some of the shelter animals are taken to other rescue groups in varying locations (across the state and in other states) which may be better able to place these animals. This happens if there is another rescue group who has room and can take an animal that is due to be euthanized.

Also, animals in need of medical care or adopted animals in need of spaying/neutering require transport to local veterinary offices.

If you have reliable transportation and are available to take animals either to other rescue groups or to local veterinary offices, please consider volunteering for this duty.

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Transport/pick-up of donated items and supplies: GCAR often receives donations of both food and supplies as well as a variety of items for yard sales. If you have a pick-up truck and some spare time, we could use your services to help obtain these goods.

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Newsletter: GCAR publishes a quarterly newsletter and is always looking for interesting stories on animals and their care to include. If you are good at writing, please consider providing some articles on GCAR happenings or animals for the newsletter.

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Website: Websites need continuous updating and refurbishing. We are fortunate to have someone to implement our changes and updates, but we need people to help us come up with the changes and updates. This is another area where some skill in writing and a good dose of creativity would be very useful.

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Photography: GCAR is always taking pictures of new animals for the website. And it is useful to have pictures of GCAR events and activities for the website and the newsletter. If you have a knack for digital photography, please consider this opportunity.

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Grooming: A well-groomed dog is much more adoptable than a shaggy, mud-covered, matted mutt. We are working to install a grooming area at the shelter but we need people who know what to do. If you have any experience giving pooches haircuts or trimming mats, please help us help the animals put their best paw forward. Even if you just have the patience needed to wash a dog or brush a long-haired cat, we could use your help.

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Develop/maintain the mailing list: Do you have well-honed data entry skills? If so, GCAR needs someone to help create and maintain our various mailing and volunteer information lists.

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Develop/maintain the volunteer base: Are you good with people? Are you enthusiastic about animal rescue? Then GCAR could use your help in our efforts to get more volunteers to help us save the animals.

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Demographics research to better target our advertising and programs: If you have some time and like to go through county records, GCAR could use your help in compiling some demographic information on Giles County residents. This information will help us better target our advertising and our programs in more effective ways.

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Develop/maintain the spay/neuter program: GCAR needs people who are willing to talk to local veterinary practices and local residents in need of spay/neuter services for their animals to help better organize our spay/neuter program. This volunteer opportunity may also require working with GCAR fundraisers to ensure funding and working with GCAR transportation specialists to make sure all of the needy animals make it to their appointments. You may also end up working with the feral cat project to help these cat colonies become stable, non-growing populations. Help us limit or eliminate the number of unplanned pregnancies in Giles County's animal population.

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Click Here to download a Giles Co Animal Rescue Volunteer Agreement.
If you have questions related to the animals available for adoption please contact the person listed in the animal's description or visit the Contact Us page.