Lifestyle
7 Amazing Ways Every Dog Mom & Her Fur Baby Can Volunteer Together

by Jasmine Vaughn-Hall

Dogs voluntarily show us the utmost loyalty, devotion, and love that anyone could ask for. If humans consistently reflected even a fraction of a dog's genuine qualities, the world would be such a better place. This is why dogs would make the best tagalong buddies to volunteer with. By thinking of ways to volunteer with your dog, it's pretty much your best bet at expressing even more gratitude toward lending a helping hand.

Because our dogs are literally the poster children for volunteering, we can actually learn a thing or two from them when it comes to dedicating our time to giving back. They never ask why, they always just do, which is literally a motto that should be hanging up on our walls. Your dog makes every selfless attempt to make your day all the more better, and you will be doing the same for other people — even strangers — if you volunteer.

Having your dog by your side will be a little reminder about what good you are doing. It will also be incredibly fun, because your dog is clearly dope and always knows how to make the best out of any situation. It's hard to be apart from your fur baby, and if you want to volunteer, you no longer necessarily have to leave them behind. There are more than a few volunteering opportunities that prove that four legs are, quite frankly, better than two.

01Certify Them For Pet Therapy

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As much as we may be biased when we vouch that our dog always miraculously makes our day better, their presence actually calms people. Therapy dogs are the real deal, so getting your pup certified is the first step. Next, accompany your pup to a senior living center or even a college campus during finals or midterms week. We all know how much you love seeing your own dog's face, so imagine the reaction from other people who could really use the pick-me-up.

02Volunteer At A School's Show And Tell

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Schools host show and tells or just educational courses for children to learn about animals. All it takes is a little searching and your paw-fect pup, and you can impact the lives of kids who are just starting to learn about how awesome animals really are. Knowing your pup, they will definitely eat up all of that attention.

03Take Them To Donate Some Blood

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Donating blood isn't just a human thing. There are plenty of animals undergoing surgery and who are sick and injured who need blood almost as instantaneously as people do. Taking your pup to donate blood could possibly save the life of another dog. It's important, and if you're considering the thought, talk to a professional like a local veterinarian.

04Run A Marathon For A Cause Together

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Some marathons, usually ones raising funds for a dog-related cause, will let you bring your puppy along. I mean, it would be sort of weird if only humans could run in a marathon that's supposed to aid pups. Anyway, your pup will enjoy being outside with you and will probably be so pooped from the exercise, that they'll basically crash when you get home. Running or jogging really doesn't seem that bad if you're looking at your little fur ball trotting alongside you.

05Train Them For Rescue Work

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This might seem like a stretch in regards to volunteering, but disasters strike unknowingly all of the time. Getting your dog search and rescue trained will allow your dog to help locate distressed people or other animals who were impacted by a disaster. A lot of the times we are sitting at home when disasters happen wondering, "How can I help?" With your dog already trained, you'll be out there helping in a bigger way than you could imagine.

06Start A Dog Walking And Trash Pickup Group In Your Neighborhood

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Hey, it's still volunteering if you start a little group of your own. The goal is to help out, so meeting up once or twice a week with other dog moms and fur babies to walk and pick up any trash in your area is helping out. Literally, you're knocking two birds out with one stone.

07Foster Another Pup

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People foster animals all of the time just to help to get them ready for adoption, or because of overcrowding at shelters. Opening your home to another pup will not only be an exciting adventure for your dog, but you're also helping them with socializing skills. Dogs in shelters are often separated and don't get that social playtime like at the dog parks or in a home with multiple dogs.

Our dogs teach us way more than we could possibly teach them. Volunteering with your fur baby will seriously give you another reason to love them even more than you already do.