City Dogs & City Kitties Volunteering Activities
Volunteering at City Dogs & City Kitties Rescue is rewarding!
Join the team!
As an almost completely volunteer-powered rescue, our volunteers are essential in saving the lives of cats and dogs.
CDCK VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
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Foster Dog Buddy
Attention dog loving volunteers! We’re looking for caring, reliable volunteers to walk dogs or dog-sit for short periods while our amazing foster parents are away for the day or evening. Whether you’ve got 30 minutes for a walk or a few hours to hang out with a pup, you can make a HUGE difference in a dog’s life—and help keep our foster network strong. Flexible scheduling. DMV in-person volunteer opportunity.
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Auction Volunteer (Donation Outreach)
We’re looking for enthusiastic and outgoing individuals to help secure auction items from local businesses for our annual auction! This role involves reaching out—by email, phone, or occasionally in-person—to request donations such as gift cards, experiences, or products. Ideal for someone creative, personable, and passionate about supporting rescue animals. Flexible schedule; can be done mostly remotely.
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Foster Admin
Do you love reading about adorable dogs and cats? Join the Foster Admin Team! Coordinate the collection and sharing of Foster Information Forms so adopters can learn about potential matches. You are an essential part of cats and dogs finding their forever home. 6 months are required, approximately 5 hours per week. Flexible virtual position. Familiarity with GSuite is needed. Quickly adapting to new technology is a plus!
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Photographer
This is an in-person volunteer opportunity! We need volunteer photographers who are able to attend weekend animal intakes, adoption events, or one-on-one sessions with our foster dogs and cats. The photos we post of our dogs and cats are critical to getting them adopted, and we need your help! Photographers must provide their own cameras and available to attend at least one event of individual session per month.
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Cat Application Counselor (AC)
We’re seeking Cat Application Counselors (ACs)! These volunteers process applications by reaching out to references, landlords, and vets, and performing virtual home visits. Once approved, ACs provide support to potential adopters through adoption. Since ACs act as CDCK ambassadors to the public, this role requires strong people skills as well a self-starter attitude, great attention to detail, and the ability to respond in a timely manner. This is a remote position that requires from 1-3 hours weekly (this varies depending on how many apps you are processing at once), with a minimum 6 month commitment.
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Dog Intake
This is an in-person position for volunteers over 18 years old. We are always in need of people to help with our animal intake which consists of helping to unload and outfitting the incoming shelter animals in order to hand them off to adopters and fosters. Intake occurs on Saturdays and requires in-person volunteering at 1812 1/2 11th St. NW, Washington, DC 20001. Each intake takes about 2 hours and training is required before attending.Â
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Animal Transporter DC to Columbia, MD
We are looking for individuals with their own car and a flexible schedule to help transport animals during weekday hours to vet appointments for their spay/neuter and illness appointments. Typically, this will mean picking up animals from DC in the morning to drop them off at their appointments in Laurel. Then, they will need to be picked up after the appointment and brought back to DC. Many of these appointments are outside the city where we are able to get discounted vet care in order to help as many animals as possible.
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Dog Foster
This position is in-person and requires a minimum of two weeks. We are in great need of people who can give a temporary yet loving home to some of our dogs. City Dogs & Kitties Rescue pays for all pre-approved vetting during the foster period and provides basic supplies like a collar, harness, leash, crate, etc. Fosters go through a basic training and are matched with pets who will suit their home best. Check out our foster page!
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Dog Application Counselor (AC)
We’re seeking Dog Application Counselors (ACs)! These volunteers process applications by reaching out to references, landlords, and vets, and performing virtual home visits. Once approved, ACs provide support to potential adopters through adoption. Since ACs act as CDCK ambassadors to the public, this role requires strong people skills as well a self-starter attitude, great attention to detail, and the ability to respond in a timely manner. This is a remote position that requires from 1-3 hours weekly (this varies depending on how many apps you are processing at once), with a minimum 6 month commitment.
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Event Team
This is an in-person or virtual volunteer opportunity to get involved with City Dogs City Kitties Rescue for events! In-person events can include adoption events, Holiday Photoshoots, and general fundraisers. Tasks may include setting up or tearing down event set-up, handling animals, or engaging with the crowd and passersby. Virtual events are held entirely online and include live-streamed or pre-recorded Q&As with dog or cat fosters. Tasks may include hosting a Q&A, monitoring the chat, or taking notes on foster answers.
City Dogs & City Kitties Kids
Kids and pets go together, which is why we love when kids ask how they can help City Dogs & City Kitties Rescue!
Do you have a child who loves dogs and cats and wants to help CDCK?
While we are not a shelter and do not have any adoptable cats or dogs at our administrative office there are still creative ways for kids to get involved! Below are just a few ideas that you and your child can do together to help rescue dogs and cats. Email volunteer@citydogsrescuedc.org to learn more!
- Host your own fundraiser! CDCK kid Ethan wanted to rescue dogs for his birthday, so he made t-shirts and raised over $15,000 for CDCK!
- Host a bake sale at an adoption event with your parents! Visit the calendar to find out about what’s coming up. (Please note: children under 16 cannot handle dogs at events.)
- Make a video for a dog or cat in need of adoption! See the video the Georgetown Day School students made for now-adopted Holly below.
- Host a dog wash, car wash or bake sale!
- Write a blog post (about 250 words) about an adoptable dog or cat – or better yet, your very own foster dog or cat! – for us to post on our website!
- Teach your friends about Dog Safety! Watch the video below and learn more here.
- Teach kids appropriate ways to approach dogs to help prevent bites.