Volunteering for Give a Dog a Bone

Thank you for your interest in volunteering for GADAB.

Every volunteer is worth his or her weight in gold. We value you for your dedication and commitment. We recognize that there are many other ways in which you could spend your time, and we appreciate from the bottom of our hearts that you are willing to work in the sometimes emotionally wrenching field of animal welfare.

Currently ACC is undergoing multiple changes due to San Francisco City County budget cuts. During this transition, GADAB is only able to accept experienced rewards-based trainers as new volunteers. All dog handlers must be 21 years or older. No exceptions.

Please email us with your experience at gadabmail@gmail.com and we will respond as soon as we can.

Information will be available on this page as soon as we are able to take on less- experienced dog handlers. We expect to have more information for potential volunteers around October. Please check back for updates.

Cheers, woofs, and wags,

Christine Kilian

Volunteer Coordinator

To put it bluntly, Smoosh was kind of a little jerk when he came to GADAB. An adorable-looking 7-month old pug, Smoosh joined us when his owner went to jail. It soon became very clear that he was very used to getting his own way and, in his mind, the world and all people in it were there for him. Putting a collar on was a true challenge and, once out in the yard, he was only interested in playing catch as long as he didn't have to bring the ball back. All attempts to handle him were met with frantic squirming and mouthing.

As basic rules and routines were added to his daily life, Smoosh gradually found out that he was not the center of the universe. He learned to stop and wait at doors and not to pull on his leash; even discovering that retrieving was fun and rewarding. He began to tolerate being handled, stroked and cradled for short periods of time, and eventually responded to touch with soft eye contact and happy body wiggles. Smoosh got his big break when a pug lover, ready for a challenge, came to the shelter and fell in love with him. He's now happily ensconced in a loving home taking obedience classes in his spare time.

- Mark Rogers
Senior Volunteer

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