100% of your donation goes towards the rescue & medical care of needy dogs.

"Join the pack"

We have many opportunities available to those who are able to volunteer a little--or a lot--of their free time. Whether it is "hands on" or "behind the scenes," large projects or small ones, we would love to have you join our team!

If you can help with any of these needs, please submit a Volunteer Application:

FOSTER HOMES: We are always looking for FOSTER HOMES, where a rescued dog can live in a real home environment while waiting for its Forever Home. Foster parents are responsible for the physical care of a rescued dog (including vetting*, socialization, training, and lots of love and affection) plus some administration (record-keeping, photos of the dog, corresponding with applicants). Foster parents are supported by our foster home network. If you can open your heart and home to give a dog in danger a chance for a future, please apply to become a foster home. For more information about Fostering, please visit our Foster Information page .
*Vetting costs are reimbursed by New Rattitude.

DOGSITTING HOMES: Do you like the idea of fostering but are concerned that you would fall in love and wouldn't be able to give the dog up? We also need TEMPORARY DOGSITTING HOMES, where a rescued dog would stay with you for just a few days. This might be overnight along a transport route, or for 2-3 days while the dog is waiting to move to a permanent foster home, or for up to a week if a foster parent must go out of town for a business trip, family emergency, or vacation. If you can support the dogs and our permanent foster homes in this way, please apply to become a Dogsitting Home. For more information about Dogsitting and Fostering, please visit our Foster Information page.

ADOPTION TEAM: A lot of work goes into processing adoption applications. On this team are the ADOPTION MANAGERS (responsible for training, managing, decision-making, communicating, record-keeping), APPLICATIONS COORDINATORS (phone calling, interviewing, note-taking, assessing, analyzing) and HOME VISIT COORDINATORS (recruiting via Internet, record-keeping, project orientation), as well as HOME VISIT VOLUNTEERS (driving within short range, assessing, reporting).

INTAKE: There are always more dogs needing to come into rescue than we have space for, so it takes a full team to assess their needs, prioritize, and bring new dogs into the program. SHELTER SURFERS follow up on dogs in need at kill shelters (reliable daily Internet access, phone skills, knowledge to assess breed ID, detail orientation). The URGENT COORDINATOR ensures that our volunteer network is aware of high priority dogs, and the STATE COORDINATORS are the main liaisons between volunteers in each state. Owner surrenders are usually referred to our REHOME PROGRAM.

TRANSPORTS: When a dog needs to be moved from a shelter to a foster home, or between foster homes, or from foster home to adoptive home, we often need to set up a ground transport, where a network of volunteer drivers work together to get the dog from one place to the other. We use TRANSPORT COORDINATORS to handle logistics (planning, recruiting, communicating, overseeing) as well as the DRIVERS themselves (each responsible for a "leg" of approximately one hour's drive).

FUND-RAISING: Because our adoption fees can't cover the entire cost of veterinary care for our rescued dogs, we rely on a team to help bring in additional funds, including GRANT WRITERS (requires grant writing experience, communication skills, organization, detail orientation, contacts), FUND-RAISING TEAM MEMBERS (creativity, enthusiasm, good follow-through, organization), and those ARTISANS who create and supply donated goods for us to sell, auction, or raffle.

WEB TEAM: As the Internet is our main channel of communicating with the public and with our members, our Web Team includes a WEB EDITOR (writing/editing skills, detail orientation, record-keeping), PHOTO EDITOR (Photoshop skills), PROOF-READER (attention to detail, exellent grammar), PET PUBLICISTS (regular Internet availability, high detail orientation, record-keeping), and WEB INQUIRY RESPONDERS (writing skills, people skills, networking skills) as well as a dedicated WEBMASTER. We also have an urgent need for PROGRAMMERS (knowledge of relational SQL databases, html, and PHP programming).

PUBLICITY: To expand public visibility for our adoptable dogs, we use national and regional Facebook pages, led by FACEBOOK ADMINISTRATORS (creativity, follow-through, constant and reliable Internet access). In geographic areas with a high concentration of foster homes, we are likely to participate in occasional dog/pet events, where we need EVENT STAFF (congeniality, knowledge of rescue and breed, fund-raising &/or recruiting, dog care). Our foster dogs are profiled in an on-line photo album that requires oversight by our IMAGEEVENT MINDER (organizing skills, self-motivation). We publish a quarterly E-newsletter, using a team of CONTRIBUTORS and a PUBLISHER/EDITOR. And each April we hold a 2-day Rat Terrier Jamboree in Sweetwater Tennessee, requiring a team of JAMBOREE PLANNERS to organize and execute the event.

SUPPORT TEAM: Our foster parents and adopters are supported by a BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION TEAM comprised of experienced dog trainers (people skills, communication skills, follow-through). A BEHAVIORAL AIDS LIBRARIAN oversees a loaner program for training tools to support BMod Training programs (record-keeping, follow-through, detail orientation). Our FOSTER PARENT TRAINER (communication skills, detail orientation, fostering experience) trains each new Foster Parent on New Rattitude's processes and procedures.

ADMINISTRATION: Our administration efforts include various responsibilities such as MICROCHIP/TAG ADMINISTRATOR (detail orientation, record-keeping, inventory ordering and maintenance), MICROCHIP REGISTRAR (detail orientation, record-keeping), CONTRACTS ASSEMBLER (detail orientation, record-keeping, constant and reliable Internet access), CARING CARD WRITER (writing skills, appreciation for people, huge heart), ADOPTION CERTIFICATE DISTRIBUTOR (detail orientation, record-keeping, good penmanship), LOST DOG HOTLINE MONITOR (24/7 access to phone and computer), RETAIL SHOP KEEPER (record-keeping, follow-through, detail orientation), etc.

VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS: As we grow, we have an increasing need for VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS (maintain databases, spreadsheets, good computer skills) and FOSTER HOME RECRUITERS (Internet availability, detail orientation, recruiting, organization).

IF YOU CAN HELP with ANY of these needs, please submit a Volunteer Application to let us know of your availability and your interests. To learn more about any of these opportunities, contact our Volunteer Manager.