ATRA need volunteers to walk Airedales that are in boarding facilities.  There are various reasons that our Airesdale must spend time in boarding facilities.  Sometimes we do not have a foster home available or the dog needs to be an only dog and all of our foster homes have dogs.  Whatever the reason, we need someone to make sure the dog gets daily walks that include teaching basic obedience and lots of TLC with the goal of making their stay at the shelter more stimulating and allows our Airedales to gain more one-on-one attention and socialization which helps the dogs make an easier transition into their new homes. 

Volunteers in this position must be able to deal with adverse weather conditions, (we walk the dogs rain or shine), and be in good-to-moderate physical condition because of the  level of physical activity involved. Volunteers must also be committed to using the handling and training protocols that are patient and gentle.  Many of our dogs come in with no or little training, that may even be why they were released to Rescue.  An untrained Airedale can be a real challenge.  So even though we expect an older dog to be trained, we may be starting from the begining.

Volunteers interact with dogs of various sizes, shapes and manners. You need to understand safety issues involved with rescue Airedales. They are often times adult dogs in unfamiliar surroundings, frightened and liable to bolt and run away at every opportunity.  You will need to make every effort to keep the dog safe!