Learn about volunteering with ARF

How did you start volunteering for ARF? I started volunteering with temperament testing at Domestic Animal Services. What is your role as a trainer for ARF like? What does it involve? As a trainer for ARF I am asked to help out in a variety of areas such as private consultations, behaviour modification, assessments, board and train, walk and trains, and workshops. I love being able to do this, to be able to help others that are enthusiastic but are also volunteering their time and opening up their homes to these dogs is very rewarding, so I am more than happy to do so. What other roles do you play, if any? I am self-employed and have run my own business for the past 8 years, dog training of course. I am a full-time mum to 3 kids under all under the age of 12, I have 3 amazingly different dogs, and I attempt to study in my spare time all things about dogs to help keep my knowledge current and up-to-date. What has been the most rewarding moment of being involved with ARF for you? There is definitely not just one. Whilst foster caring; it would be seeing the dog go into their new home. Whilst helping the carers of ARF; it would be empowering them with the knowledge of what they can do to help dogs transition into their new life, not only for this dog but for others to come. And finally, it would be seeing the change in dogs; seeing them happier, with life fulfilment, purpose, and seeing relationships mend, repair and flourish. What has been the most difficult/most surprising moment of being an ARF volunteer for you? Temperament testing is definitely the hardest. Meeting these dogs at their most vulnerable times and for varying reasons

How did you start volunteering with ARF? I was introduced to ARF by my sister Raelene Stewart around 18 years ago. Goodness where have those years gone. She had started rescuing through the group and I thought we could also help to make a difference for the dogs. We had rescued the odd dog here and there ourselves in the years prior to joining ARF so it was already something I was passionate about.   What was your role as a foster carer like? Being a foster carer can be both challenging and extremely rewarding. Some dogs need a lot of rehabilitation while others were complete angels and you wonder how they found themselves in the pound. The rewards definitely outweigh the challenges. It is through your greatest challenges you learn. That is what being a foster carer does. It teaches you so much. If something happens or there’s an issue you need to work on, there are people to help guide you. You learn about dog behaviour, dog health, dog training, human behaviour and dealing with difficult clients. It honestly has taught me so much. There is nothing more rewarding than to take a dog from the pound, rehabilitate it and see it into its new forever home which is filled with happiness. These days we get a lot of messages saying that their dog has passed on. While this is sad, it shows how much its family loved it. To go from a waif in the pound, on the wrong side of the road so to speak, and to live a long happy and loving life is beyond rewarding. What has been the most difficult/most surprising moment of being a foster carer for you? Perhaps the most surprising and difficult moment was when we had a bitch come

How did you start volunteering for ARF? I started volunteering at ARF while I was working at HerCanberra as a Graphic Designer. Amanda Whitley, the founder of HerCanberra, attended one of ARF’s events and the conversation came up that ARF was in need of a Graphic Designer. Amanda knew I loved all things dog so she put two and two together. What is your role as a volunteer graphic designer for ARF like? It's fun! I never get bored of looking at pictures of doggos. What has been the most rewarding moment of being an ARF volunteer for you? Reading in ChinWag about the difference ARF has made to so many dogs’ and people’s lives. It warms my heart to design such a wholesome magazine. What has been the most difficult/most surprising moment of being an ARF volunteer for you? Working out how many pages I should spread 52 dog pictures across in the Recently Adopted section, while making sure the page-count of the whole magazine is still divisible by four... just thinking about it hurts my brain. What makes a good volunteer graphic designer, particularly in your role as graphic designer for Chinwag magazine? Having a love of dogs and some typesetting/layout knowledge. Tell us the story about how you adopted your dog/s? What has the journey been like with them? We adopted our Greyhound Molly through a rescue agency called Gippsland Greyhounds in VIC. I never knew how special and unique (and big!) Greyhounds were until meeting Molly. They roach their way into your heart very quickly. What else can you say about your time in ARF? It's so wonderful to work with people that share the same passion towards animal welfare. Thank you for all that you do.

How did you start volunteering for ARF? I started volunteering with ARF around 2004-2005. A lady I worked with also started volunteering and fostering at the same time and we used to organise a Christmas dog giving tree in our workplace, where people could donate tinned or dry food for the foster dogs over the Christmas period. I also helped out on stalls and other events such as the calendar launch. What is your role as a volunteer editor for ARF like? While volunteering on the stalls I met with the lady who was initially producing the ARF newsletter; a two page info piece that came out about once a month. When she left around 2011 I took it over. After a while I realised there was a lot of potential in producing it in magazine format. Initially it was fairly basic and digital, but I eventually persuaded a graphic designer colleague (who loved dogs) to work on a 28 page layout which continued for a number of years. Later, and with full approval from the ARF Committee, we started working on a print version. The first print issue of ChinWag magazine was released in the Autumn of 2016, and from then was produced quarterly with Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn issues. I would like to mention that this would not have been possible without the work and support of the then graphic designer, Byron Carr. I remained in the role of Editor of ChinWag until stepping down in December 2019. What other roles do you play, if any? After stepping down as Editor I now volunteer as Assistant Editor on ChinWag. I’m also part of the Calendar Team who produce our beautiful annual calendar, and also worked on the Trivia Night Team which unfortunately has not been allowed to

How did you hear about ARF? The family was looking for a companion for our 20 month old Staffy X, using the old faithful Google ARF came up. Tell us the story about how you adopted Floki? I was searching through the dogs available on the ARF website and came across Floki, it was a no brainer as coincidentally we were watching a NetFlix series at the time called Vikings. One of our favourite characters from this series was a guy called Floki. So we started the adoption process. The first part of the process was to see if our Staffy Zali, and Floki connected so we had a meet up and the rest is history, the love affair began! What is Floki like, and what do you love most about Floki? Floki in a nutshell is energetic and cannot sit still. At night when both dogs come inside Floki will pace around for 10-15 minutes before either settling in front of the fire or laying next to the lounge. Floki craves attention and loves pats and playing. I love the fact he plays amazingly well with any other dog we encounter on walks or at the dog park, he’s like a big kid! What has been the most rewarding moment of being Floki’s owner? It’s nice to think we could help and offer a forever home. Floki seems very happy and content and it’s nice to see how well he has integrated into our family. The joy he has bought our other dog is a pleasure to watch, they really are besties. What makes a good rescue dog owner? I think as a rescue dog owner their comes an element of the unknown on exactly what you are getting, that needs to be considered as the dog’s past can

How did you start volunteering as a foster carer for ARF? I started fostering for ARF back in 2014. I had decided I wanted to foster as I didn't want another dog as I wasn't coping with the thought I'd have to make ‘the decision’ in regards to my dog (he was 17) so thought fostering was a great option as I wouldn't have to make that call. My initial application was rejected as there were concerns over the age of my current dog. I refused to take ‘no’ for an answer as I had decided it was in my dog’s best interest to foster a dog. My mentor came to assess both me and my dog in person and I picked up my first foster Jethro about 3 weeks later. What makes a good foster carer? What does it involve? To me it comes down to someone that really wants to give a dog a chance, being patient and able to cope during the bad times as well as the good. It involves giving your foster the best chance of finding their forever home, including training and helping them overcome any issues they may have. Most of my fosters have been more of a longer-term foster and it’s been lots of work taking them to various training sessions etc. It also takes time going through applications for your foster and taking them for meet and greets. What has been the most difficult/most surprising moment of being a foster carer for you? I think the most difficult part of fostering is saying goodbye when they go to their new home. In saying that, it's also the most rewarding. One of my long-term fosters, the gorgeous Roxy, was quite difficult to rehome. I think I was her 3rd carer. I was

How did you start volunteering for ARF? For us, fostering was a goal we had set for about two years before we actually started. We chose ARF as they seemed to have the most established process and we could read up on heaps of information on the website. We worked hard to get our yard to a point where it was inescapable and had a nice separation area for potential quarantine issues. When we applied the process was really easy. We were given heaps of information and support. Training is provided quite often and is engaging and relevant to fostering. What is your role as a foster carer for ARF like? What does it involve? Our role as foster carers is one of the most rewarding things we do. Bringing a scared dog with few options into a loving home and watching them relax and become themselves is a lovely experience. There is lots of work involved or course, toilet training, cleaning, behavioural training, cleaning, some paperwork and discussions and meetings with potential adopters then more cleaning 🤣 What has been the most rewarding moment of being an ARF volunteer for you? There have been so many. Recently we have been fostering a very scared little dog called Tink. She is terrified of people. The first time she took a treat from my hand I cried. It took her almost 4 months in our home for her to get to the point where she was comfortable enough to take food directly from us. Now she is a bit of a pig and hangs around in the kitchen demanding treats! What has been the most difficult/most surprising moment of being an ARF volunteer for you? Generally, the most difficult thing about fostering is finding the right home for them. However, we

How did you start volunteering with ARF? Initially I was rescuing and rehome dogs from the Queanbeyan Pound privately. The Pound would let me know when there was a dog that they really wanted to find safety for. Shortly after ARF started in 2001, the Pound let me know about the new rescue group and it all started from there. I took on a foster role in late 2001. What is your role as a foster carer like? It is one of the most rewarding and challenging things I have done. Fostering has given me skills in dog behaviour that I would never have had otherwise. I am so grateful for all that. I have learned through the many years that I have fostered dogs of many different personalities. Learning from the dogs as well as taking part in the numerous courses and training sessions provided by ARF. There has been the whole gamut of emotions experienced during that time, happiness of seeing dogs blossom and get fabulous homes, challenges of working with dogs that need rehabilitation and with people, and sadness for those dogs that have battled injuries and for those who were not able to saved. There was also a bit of frustration for the house that came off second best from time-to-time (especially the wooden door and window frames…) What is has been the most difficult/most surprising moment of being a foster carer for you? Some dogs are great most of the time, but there is that very small percentage of the time that makes them not safe to rehome into the community. These dogs are humanely put to sleep. I have always been with them at these times. Given that everyone that fosters is there to save dogs, this is always heartbreaking. Thankfully this does not