Volunteer

Volunteer2023-04-07T15:28:15+10:00

Make a difference

ARF is a group of volunteers in Canberra and the surrounding region who are dedicated to rescuing dogs from euthanasia and fostering them in their own homes for as long as it takes to find them permanent loving homes.

Not everyone can adopt or foster a dog, but there is still plenty you can do to help ARF find loving, permanent homes for our foster dogs.  We rely on volunteers and donations to continue our life-saving work. Any help you can provide, financial or otherwise will be very gratefully received.

Become a member
Spread the word
Stay up to date
Events and Fundraising
Donate
Why do I Volunteer?
Longest Serving

Here are just a few suggestions for making a difference:

Become a member

You can become a member of ARF.

Your interest and involvement goes directly to helping the dogs. You can choose your level of participation in ARF activities.

ARF Members’ Code of Conduct can be found here

Help to spread the word

ARF is on Facebook and Instagram. You can help by ‘liking” our Facebook page  following us on Instagram and sharing our foster dog profiles with your friends. If you see a dog in our gallery that really takes your fancy, you can ‘like’ them too, which will post their profile to your Facebook page.

Word of mouth is a great way to help!

Golden Spaniel lying on back in long grass.
Golden Spaniel lying on back in long grass.

Stay up to date

Check out the latest ARF news in our newsletter Chinwag.

Events and fundraising

ARF hold regular fundraising events throughout the year which we always need help with.  If you work or have family and friends you can help us by selling calendars and raffle tickets. Our market stalls are always popular. If you’d like to volunteer to help out for a few hours, bake doggy treats or perhaps sew goods for sale, please contact our fundraising coordinator

Small terrier walking on a patio, tongue hanging out.
Small terrier walking on a patio, tongue hanging out.

What our Volunteers say?

Nerida Winters – Foster carer

November 25th, 2021|Categories: Learn about volunteering with ARF|

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

Read More
Comments Off on Nerida Winters – Foster carer

Katie Radojkovic – Graphic Designer

November 25th, 2021|Categories: Learn about volunteering with ARF|

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

Read More
Comments Off on Katie Radojkovic – Graphic Designer

Aine Dowling – Editor for ChinWag magazine

November 21st, 2021|Categories: Learn about volunteering with ARF|

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

Read More
Comments Off on Aine Dowling – Editor for ChinWag magazine

Darren Porter – Adopted an ARF rescue!

November 21st, 2021|Categories: Learn about volunteering with ARF|

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

Read More
Comments Off on Darren Porter – Adopted an ARF rescue!

Joh Dunn – Foster carer who adopted her ARF dog

November 21st, 2021|Categories: Learn about volunteering with ARF|

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

Read More
Comments Off on Joh Dunn – Foster carer who adopted her ARF dog

Kally Monaghan – Foster carer

November 21st, 2021|Categories: Learn about volunteering with ARF|

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

Read More
Comments Off on Kally Monaghan – Foster carer

Raelene Stewart – Foster carer

November 21st, 2021|Categories: Learn about volunteering with ARF|

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

Read More
Comments Off on Raelene Stewart – Foster carer

Longest Serving Volunteers

Carol Anderson

Long serving stalls volunteer

Role(s): Carol managed ARF stalls between 2006 and 2019. Thousands of people discovered the work of ARF through the tireless work of Carol and the dedicated stalls team. Carol was also previously a foster carer, member of the Communications Sub-Committee, and supported ARF to coordinate the sale of the ARF calendars, raffles and Christmas cards.

Time with ARF: 15 years

Questions:

I originally became involved in ARF as a foster carer. However, that didn’t work out and I became a foster fail. So when I retired, I took on the role of Stalls Coordinator. During the 10 years I held this role, we had stalls at various shows, markets, fetes, and shopping centres. As well as raising funds for ARF, the main role of the stalls was to highlight the various dogs in care and the work of ARF. I really enjoyed it when people would bring their dogs up to the stalls and introduce the ex-ARFer and see how happy and loved they were with their new family.

I’ve had 5 dogs – Fred and Floyd came from the RSPCA, George was my failed foster, Bella was a private rehoming through ARF and Mike was adopted from the pound. George was with me for 13 years and died just before we moved to Hamilton. Mike is 13 now and prefers to be the sole dog in the house so I only have him at the moment. However when he passes over the Rainbow Bridge my next dog will definitely be another rescue dog.

Lyn Boyer

Long Serving Foster Carer

Role(s): Currently a Member of the Rescue Sub-Committee, Queanbeyan and Yass pound Liaison, Member of Approvals Panel, Foster Carer Support Person, Foster Carer, Equipment and Donations Coordinator. Previously a Public Officer and Events & Fundraising Coordinator.

Time with ARF: 20 years

Questions:

My most rewarding experiences would have to be in my foster caring role. We’ve had many foster dogs come through our home and each and every foster dog has brought something special. It’s always sad to see them go but the rewards far outweigh that. Seeing them in their new forever homes is pretty special and it then leaves a spot for another.

I have three dogs. Robbie is a 13 year old westie and is a rock to my other two dogs. Ellie is a 6-7 year old terrier mix from a NSW country pound who was an ARF foster fail. Ellie is deaf and probably has been from birth. She is a shy gentle soul who has a beautiful nature. Then there is Squeak, a 3 year old tiny terrier mix who was abandoned at 4-5 weeks old in a park on the southside of Canberra. He is also an ARF foster fail. Squeak was born with a pulmonic stenosis and after many ultrasounds and a very successful surgery while in foster care, he is now doing extremely well. A massive thanks to ARF for all their help and financial support to get him where he is today.

I’d like to make a special mention about how I became part of ARF. I adopted Basil from ARF end of November 2001. He was a very special 4 year old silky terrier who was fantastic as a foster brother to many. When I adopted Baz, I was so taken with ARF’s work I decided to join and become a foster carer. It’s been 20 years since I joined and I owe it all to Basil.

Raelene Stewart

Long Serving Foster Carer

Role(s): Foster carer and mentor. Previously a member of the ARF Committee and Rescue Sub-Committee, Pound Liaison, Rescue Liaison, Behaviour Assessment and Training Coordinator (among many other roles!)

Time with ARF: 20 years

Questions:

Successfully rehoming ex-breeding dogs from puppy farms. They are so troubled and fearful. It is so rewarding to see them blossom, build confidence and be able to love and find their special place in a family of their own. No longer in a cold, outdoor environment with minimal human contact.

I currently have three French Bulldogs: my beautiful Princess Paris, who is just perfect; Ted, who was rescued as he had disgraced himself too many times at the dog parks in Sydney when he would not return people’s balls; and Miley, who we adopted as a puppy, knowing she had challenges. It turns out she has neurological / intellectual disabilities but is a happy girl. Over the years we have adopted several ARF dogs as they were unable to be rehomed due to health or behaviour issues. They have now passed on, but we still think of them fondly.

Read our interview with Raelene on her experience volunteering for ARF here.

Wendy Parsons

Long serving ARF Committee member

Role: Committee member, member of the Communication Sub-Committee

Previous roles: Previously held the roles of President, Communication Sub-Committee Chair, ARF Calendar Coordinator, Foster Carer and much more.

Time with ARF: 14 years

Questions:

I feel so privileged to have worked for the dogs and people of ARF over the 14 years since I adopted my lovely dog Felix in 2007 and joined the organization.

Very soon after my arrival, I began working on communication in the then Public Relations group, becoming its leader and then Chair of its re-named Communication Sub-Committee. I also joined the ARF Committee.

Our magazine Chin Wag was born out of the then ARF Newsletter, and I was lucky enough to have my suggestion for its new name accepted. Aine Dowling became its outstanding editor and set the very high standard we have today for the magazine.

Developing our highly popular calendar with a strong team over several years was also very rewarding.

I became President in 2011 and for the next 8 years took on the rewards and the challenges of a volunteer organization. It’s always a privilege to work with dedicated people and certainly ARF people, particularly ARF foster carers, are just that.

Since 2001, our organization has been built into a strong, respected and hardworking team, a credit to all its volunteers, past and present.

When Felix trotted over the Rainbow Bridge in October 2016 – far too early with lymphoma at 10 years old – I had to wait a little while before looking for another ARF dog. Fortunately, some of my best friends were experienced foster carers and kept a lookout for the right dog for me.

And of course, being the good folk that ARF carers are, they found him in Goulburn Pound, skinny, frightened, and trying so hard to please.

That is the joy of ARF carers – they work their butts off to find those permanent loving homes that rescued dogs long for.

Long live ARF!

Beverley Margosis

Long Serving Foster Carer & Foster Carer Mentor

Roles: Foster Carer & Foster Carer Mentor.

Previous roles: A Temperament Assessor for 12 years, an RSC member, and a Committee Member.

Time with ARF: 17 years (almost 18 years!)

Questions:

As DAS Liaison Officer I would find homes for dogs not just within ARF but from all over Australia. So I was able to have a part in the rescue of hundreds if not thousands of dogs. This makes me incredibly proud. I continued this in my role at DAS as the rescue of dogs is so important.

All my dogs are rescue dogs and always have been. I have Swampy who was dumped at the gates of Goulburn Pound at 4 months old. He was my foster but we all fell in love with him, he is a gorgeous Wolfhound X.  Goose, a bloodhound who I adopted from Beagle Rescue VIC, was chained and starved for the first 2 years of his life but is an absolute gem.  Albert is a Pug born in ARF care.  My mentor thought that he may have anxiety issues, so we adopted him – he is just a little rascal! 😀  And lastly, we have Fry.  Fry is a gorgeous English Setter whose owner sadly passed away.

Nerida Winters

Long serving foster carer

Role: Foster carer

Previous roles: Member of the Rescue Sub-Committee, a mentor, and the veterinary liaison officer.

Time with ARF: 19 years

Questions:

My last foster dog Bonnie was my most rewarding moment. She had been lost in the bush for some time and came to a family. When she started to have pups they rang the pound who asked ARF for help. She was very fearful of people. When she arrived we had a difficult time getting her out of the crate. She had had 2 pups but one had died so she came with one pup. She was showing significant fear aggression. We managed to get her out of the transport and into a crate inside. At 4am the next morning I went to check on her and she had broken out of the crate and was behaving very aggressively, growling and barking at me. For the first two weeks I could not touch her or go near her puppy. I would sit and throw food to her, talk to her gently or just sit in silence. At two weeks she climbed up on the chair next to me and we were almost inseparable ever since. She was the most kind, delightful soul. I honestly wasn’t sure we were going to be able to rehome her based on the behaviour she was showing. She soon became part of our family and while she was still scared of strangers, she was included in all family doings. Over time she became more and more comfortable with strangers. She was soon rehomed to an amazing family in Bungendore who absolutely adore her and she them. We could not have found a better home for her. This made me so very happy.

We have many pets. We have 16 horses (some are rescues), 1 bullock who was a rescued poddy calf, 3 cats (all rescues) and 4 dogs. Pookie, a poodle x, was our first foster fail. That was about 13 or so years ago. He and my daughter were stuck together like glue, how could we part with him :).  Midge was our second foster fail. Queanbeyan Pound rang to say they had a tiny puppy that had been handed in. They needed help due to her small size. We picked her up and we think she was about 4 weeks old. We called her Midget because she was so small. Again Ellen fell in love with her so she stayed. She kept growing and growing. We thought she was going to be a staffy size but she kept growing.  She is now 27kgs and we think a greyhound x kelpie and maybe staffy. She is 5 years old and a delight. Colorado was one of a litter of10 pups we cared for that Ellen also fell in love with, 🙂 and he stayed. Rocky is a staffy and he was a birthday present for my son, however he stayed with us when my son moved out. He is 8 years old now and we adore him. He loves baby animals so much. He has helped us rear the puppies, cared for bottle fed kittens, he even wants to mother newly hatched chickens.

Read our interview with Nerida on her experience volunteering for ARF here.

Alyssa Rankin

Long Serving Trainer

Current role(s): Trainer

Previous roles(s): Foster carer, Pound Temperament Test Team Co-Ordinator

Time with ARF: 13 years

Questions:

I had been asked to assess a relatively new foster dog, who had started exhibiting possessive and aggressive behaviours towards the resident dog within two days of being in care.  After a thorough assessment I realised that the poor girl was either pregnant or having a phantom pregnancy.  Poor darling.  It was wonderful to be able to easily adjust the environment to allow pressure to be taken off situations so she could feel more comfortable and at ease.

We have a bunch these days… I’ll go from oldest to youngest

China: Almost 14 years old.  Foster Fail.  The beginning of everything.  A complex girl who forced me to step up and extend my knowledge if she was ever going to be safe in society.  She is literally the reason I am now a trainer.

Ding: Approximately 14 years old.  Kelpie x.  My partner’s oldie who I inherited when we moved up here.  He’s a sweet old guy, but quite the scaredy cat.

Penny: 11 years old.  Kelpie x.  A pound puppy I bought for my partner sight unseen.  She was meant to be a GSD x. When I got to the airport and broke her out of the crate the most adorable Kelpie x puppy welcomed me.

Luna: 8-year old AmStaff.  My partner’s girl.  Just the sweetest lady. Loves a good chat.

Charlie: 4-year-old. Kelpie.  Foster Fail.  Charlie was a disaster as a puppy.  He was with different carers, who I met with for a private consultation.  I offered for him to stay with me for a long weekend while they went away, and he never went back.  It just made so much sense for him to stay with me, where he could get as much exposure and work as possible that wasn’t limited simply by office hour job requirements.  Two years later, I eventually admitted defeat and adopted him.  He’s the apple of my eye.  Another who forced my learning, for which I will forever be grateful.

Willow: 2-year-old ‘bitza’. Our daughter’s dog. The sweetest little thing who makes a wonderful team with Miz.  The two of them working together is pretty darn nice and lovely.

I love helping dogs find their place in this crazy world we ask them to live in with us.  I also love helping people realise that they are so much more than we give them credit for.

ARF does amazing work.  They invest in their carers like no other rescue that I’m aware of.  It was thanks to these investments that initially exposed me to considering dogs as something more than a pet who is there for our entertainment.  I cannot thank them enough.

Deanne Shegog

Stalls and fundraising

Role: Stalls and fundraising

Time with ARF: 13 years

Questions:

Receiving positive feedback from the public while on stalls about the work ARF does, working with lovely and like-minded people who are also passionate about ARF’s mission, and receiving an ARF Life Membership in 2016.

I adopted my beautiful dog, BJ from the wonderful Rae and Malcolm Stewart in 2008 and decided to start volunteering.

The dogs that ARF continue to rehome.

Liz Faul

Graphic designer

Current role(s): Graphic designer

Previous roles(s): Liz designed the first calendars, newsletters, posters, brochures, and certificates. Liz is also an artist and has donated her works for ARF raffles.

Time with ARF: 17 years

Questions:

It’s really hard to single out a particular event or moment over the years. From a personal point of view my favourite thing was working on the ARF Christmas card designs in 2014, when my dog Ruby was one of the models. Such a gorgeous dog! And the photoshoot was so much fun. She was featured in The Canberra Times in a long article by Ian Warden, who was a staunch supporter of ARF.

My first dog was Cricket, a cattle dog/staffy mix, who I got from the RSPCA in 2002. I’d never had a small puppy and it was a huge challenge. She had many little quirks and problems, lots of health issues over her lifetime. I got involved in ARF because of her.

Currently I have a lovely red kelpie called Ruby, who I met at DAS when I was volunteer dog-walking back in 2013. ARF fostered her from the pound and then she came to me. She has so much personality and adores everyone, all humans—people who love dogs, people who don’t, people who are afraid of dogs, it doesn’t matter—she loves them all and runs over to greet every single person we pass, which can often be awkward. Luckily she has the iconic look of Red Dog from the movie so most people find her charming. She’s fun and gentle, and super smart. And I often think she’s part Labrador because her appetite is insatiable!

When Cricket was young we were visiting the vet one day and there was a copy of the ARF newsletter in the waiting room. I had no idea that ARF was out there and I was so impressed by what they did: it really opened my eyes to the extent of the problems that dogs are facing in this country. Even though I didn’t feel able to foster, I wanted to help in some way so the only thing I could think of was donating an artwork for the ARF raffle that year (I’m a visual artist). That led to working on the newsletter for many years, which had a flow-on effect to other design work, volunteering at the pound and helping out at stalls now and then.

Knowing that even in spite of the efforts of ARF and lots of other dog rescue organisations, so many dogs are desperate for our help. Can you imagine the world without ARF?!

I frequently drive past DAS on my way down Hindmarsh Drive and always send a positive wish to all the dogs who are in there… Knowing that ARF is working to rehome those dogs is one of the things that makes it bearable, and meeting the other volunteers who have given so much to ARF over the years has been a true privilege.

Make a difference to a dog’s life

Click on the Buttons below to find out what you can do to make a difference to a dog’s life
Adopt
Foster
Volunteer
Donate

NSW Rehoming No. R251000000

About Us

We rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome unwanted dogs in the Canberra region and NSW, fostering them in our own homes for as long as it takes to find them new and loving forever homes.

ACT Rescue and Foster Inc. (ARF)

> Adopt
> Foster
> About Us
> Get Involved
> Shop
> Contact Us

Get Social with us

Follow ARF on Facebook and Twitter and share your pics and stories of your own former ARFers.

View Chinwag

Chinwag is ARF’s magazine featuring recently adopted dogs, dog news, tips and tricks, book reviews, event reports and much more. Read more…

Contact Us

Go to Top