Volunteer with Us

📍 Various

Event Volunteers proudly represent ARF at events around the city like festivals, markets, and adoption events. This role helps raise awareness of the work we do to the general public.

Responsibilities:

• Dog handling – including general caretaking of animals at events
• Transport of event items, event set-up and take-down, clean-up
• Showcasing ARF’s adoptable dogs and cats
• Providing information about ARF to the public
• Sales of ARF merchandise items
• Access to email, and frequent communication with various teams are required

Time Commitment:

This volunteer opportunity requires a minimum commitment of 1 event per month during event season, primarily weekend and 
spring/summertime availability.

📍 ARF Facility

The Facility Coordinator’s primary role is to ensure ARF’s warehouse, training spaces, and public spaces are clean and organized. As part of our mission, ARF ensures that our trusted foster homes have open and easy access to goods in the warehouse as needed. The Facility Coordinator will help coordinate this access.

Responsibilities:

• Manage warehouse and food donation inventory
• Keep inventory of items available for headquarters and foster homes
• Identify overstocked or expiring items and communicating to the appropriate coordinators to determine next steps
• Support overflow donation movement to other organizations
• Communicate with leadership and other coordinators regarding needs and supply levels
• Stock needed supplies for ARF warehouse and office
• Perform or coordinate facility cleaning and sanitization
• Facilitate onsite activities for groups volunteering at facility
• Recruit and train volunteers when needed

📍 ARF Facility

Cleaning Volunteers help refresh the front-of-house (front entrance, office, volunteer lounge and training areas) areas where many adoption journeys begin. Help us make a great first impression and create a welcoming, positive atmosphere for all our visitors and volunteers.

No previous experience is needed, but you will be working with bleach and similar cleaning supplies. 


Responsibilities:

• Clean all floor surfaces (sweep, vacuum and mop with bleach or Prevail solution)
• Clean counters, sinks, bathrooms
• Vacuum and sweep storage room
• Wipe all doors, door handles, light switches
• Remove garbage to outdoor garbage bin
• Restock supplies as needed
• Notify Facility Coordinator when supplies are low

Time Commitment:

The schedule is flexible but requires coordination with other facility activities.

📍 ARF Facility

Dog Care Volunteers are responsible for cleaning and general care of the dogs housed at our shelter facility. You’ll play a big role in creating a clean and healthy environment while these dogs wait for their forever home. 


Responsibilities:

• Minor dog handling for dogs of all ages, sizes and health
• Feed and water dogs
• Follow quarantine cleaning and sanitization procedures
• Clean and sanitize of dog kennels, quarantine room and quarantine play area
• Do laundry and take out garbage
• Follow veterinarian orders for medical recovery and give medication if needed
• Provide basic training and enrichment
• Follow ARF’s philosophy on positive reinforcement training 


Requirements:

• Confidence working with and handling dogs of all sizes
• Ability to follow written protocols
• Ability to work with cleaning equipment and cleaners (bleach and detergents)
• Willingness to clean up animal waste
• Ability to lift and move up to 50lbs
• Work well in a team environment
• Access to email and internet for scheduling purposes
• Fulfillment of online prerequisite training requirements
• Access to transportation to and from the facility in NE Calgary 


Time Commitment:

The Dog Care Team is looking for volunteers to fill weekly morning, evening, and weekend shifts averaging 3 to 4 hours. All animal care training will be provided, including a general ARF orientation, 2 webinars on canine communication, a corresponding test, and 2 hours of in-person training on dog handling. You will also be paired with an experienced volunteer for your first few shifts.

📍 ARF Facility

The Fundraising Team Lead works with the Fundraising Coordinator to enhance revenue potential for ARF, directly contributing to increasing our facility capacity. As a catalyst for tuning compassion into action, this role is beneficial for anyone wanting to gain experience in the non-profit sector.

Responsibilities:

• Plan various fund development activities, including but not limited to auctions, 50/50 draws, fundraisers with local businesses, etc.
• Explore new fund development opportunities
• Maintain the fundraising schedule
• Manage the fundraiser budget by tracking all funds raised and expenses
• Work with the Volunteering Coordinator and Event Coordinator to organize volunteers for fundraisers
• Create/modify fundraising procedures and various administrative tasks
• Keep up to date on non-profit fundraising trends and best practices

Requirements:

• Excellent leadership, organization, and communication skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Access to internet and email as regular communication with volunteers and other Coordinators
• Access to a reliable vehicle and ability to travel to fundraisers and ARF’s facility (NE Calgary)
• Must adhere to Imagine Canada’s Ethical Fundraising and Financial Accountability Code, ARF’s Code of Ethical Principles & Standards of Professional Practice, and AGLC’s Charitable Gaming Policies
• Experience with fund development for non-profit organizations is an asset
• Experience with Google Workplace (Gmail, Sheets, Drive, etc.), Square Point of Sale, and Better Impact is an asset

Time Commitment:

This position requires a minimum 6-month commitment. Hours per week/month will vary depending on the number of and timing of the events each Event Lead is responsible for; this a very flexible role.

📍 ARF Facility

Are you just getting started in the dog training industry and need hours for experience and certification? This Training & Enrichment position is ideal for anyone who has extensive dog handling experience and wants to work with shelter dogs or is in a reputable Dog Training Apprenticeship program and seeking hours for certification.

ARF’s Training & Enrichment program is designed to give the dogs staying at our facility extra time out, structured training, and enrichment time during the day, reducing workload on the regular care shifts. Once required on-boarding is complete, you will shadow an experienced volunteer for
one shift.

You will be responsible for the training and enrichment of eligible dogs by following an outlined training calendar and individual training plans. Once your shift is complete, you will be responsible for sending a report to the team highlighting the activities each dog worked on.

Requirements:

• Enrolled in or recently graduated from a reputable Dog Training Apprenticeship program OR you have extensive handling experience as a pet
dog owner
• Comfort working with dogs of all sizes and personalities
• Ability to take direction, follow instruction and enrichment calendar provided and stay current on training activities and plans
• Utilize only dog-friendly reward-based training practices
• Access to internet and the ability to send email updates after each shift
• Ability to commit to a minimum of one shift per week
• Ability to follow cleaning and sanitation protocols

Time Commitment:

The training and enrichment shifts run Monday to Saturday from 12 to 4pm. We ask that you can commit to at least one shift per week for consistent for the dogs.

📍Trinity Hills, South Center, Beacon Hill NW, Airdrie

Volunteers at PetSmart showings, which take place on a select Saturday each month at 4 different PetSmart locations: Trinity Hills, Beacon Hill NW, South Center, and Airdrie. This is our primary opportunity to allow the public to interact with and meet our adoptable dogs and puppies.

This role will introduce you to practicing and promoting reward-based training practices training techniques for dogs. It’ll also allow you to see positive dog interactions and learn how to intervene correctly in dog-to-dog interactions.

Responsibilities:

• Be able to communicate with PetSmart Coordinator regularly by email or phone
• Fulfillment of training requirements, including a general ARF orientation and corresponding test
• Attend in-person training session on puppy handling 


Requirements:

• Friendly and outgoing
• Comfortable meeting new people and talk freely about our rescue programs
• Volunteers must be 18 or older to volunteer at PetSmart

Time Commitment:

Dog showings take place on a select Saturday each month, between 1 and 3pm at 4 different PetSmart locations.

📍 Airdrie, Beacon Hill NW, or Trinity Hills

Do you love cats and kittens? Join our PetSmart Cat Enrichment team! We’re looking for volunteers to visit the adoptable cats and kittens that reside at 3 PetSmart locations, Airdrie, Beacon Hill NW, or Trinity Hills, to help with daily socialization and enrichment. 


Responsibilities:

• Passionate about cats and people in their community 
• Able to stay at the store for 30 minutes or longer to interact with the kittens and cats 
• Able to meet with potential adopters at PetSmart, as communicated by Animal Program Manager
• Have access to email and text to communicate with fellow volunteers, PetSmart Coordinators and Animal Program Manager
• Cat care knowledge is not required as training and job-shadowing will be provided; however, it is an asset
• Applicants should have access to transportation to PetSmart 
• Must be 16 or older to volunteer at PetSmart

Time Commitment:

We ask that you commit to a minimum of two or more scheduled shift per week. A shift should be 30 minutes or longer. Days and times are flexible as you set your own schedule, but visits must be during store hours.