How To Help With Whippet Rescue

Whether flying round an agility course or tearing across the grass at the local park, whippets are renowned for their incredible speed. They're also friendly, loving and obedient by nature, but this doesn't always stop them being given up either as a family pet or when their time in the show ring is over.

Why Volunteer With A Whippet Rescue Charity?

Luckily for these animals there are whippet rescue charities on hand to help them. Whether they're surrendered or lost, these organisations work hard to rehome them with a new family.  

If you're interested in whippet rescue, UK charities like Battersea are always in need of volunteers to help out. Volunteering in this area can be a hugely rewarding thing to do, especially if you're an animal lover. You never know, you might also meet some other great non-canine friends along the way too!  

How To Help Whippet Rescue Charities

ADOPT A WHIPPET 

The job of a whippet rescue centre is simple; to find a new home for all the dogs that come to them. If you're able to provide a loving home for one of these dogs, then you could welcome a wonderful new addition to your family. Adoption is a serious commitment which you should think very carefully about, but it can be greatly rewarding to see a dog who needs a home flourish and thrive in your care.  

OPEN YOUR HOME UP FOR FOSTERING 

If you can't take on a permanent pet for one reason or another, you could consider fostering instead. Rescue centres prefer to place whippets into temporary homes while they find a new family for the dogs to go to, rather than keeping them in shelters, and volunteers are needed for this. Different dogs may need to stay with you for a matter of days, weeks or months, as you play a crucial role in the rehoming process.  

VOLUNTEER AT A REHOMING CENTRE 

Charities that operate shelters, such as Dogs Trust, rely on volunteers to help them run smoothly. Your tasks can be quite varied. You might be greeting people who want to adopt, or feeding and exercising the dogs, or even doing a spot of maintenance to the grounds.  

CARRY OUT HOME CHECKS 

When dogs go to a new family, the best whippet rescue charities pay home visits to make sure they're going to a suitable environment. This helps dogs go to the right place - one that works both for the dog and their new family. If you're confident and potentially willing to travel a bit, you could volunteer as one of the people who carries this out on behalf of a dog shelter.  

USE YOUR IT SKILLS 

Almost every charity these days runs a website, and the appearance of that site can be crucial in giving an organisation credibility. Perhaps your skills can help a charity to build their online presence, or simply maintain what's there and add new content when required. This could include things like pictures and details of dogs available for rehoming, so you'll play a key role in helping whippets find a new family.  

Things To Know Before You Help

When you adopt a whippet, most charities will offer a period of around a month which will give you and the dog time to see whether you have a good match. After this, you should be prepared to look after your new pet for the rest of their life.  

Where To Get Started

If you want to volunteer for a good cause that helps with whippet rescue, you could take a look at one of the charities below:  

Battersea 

Dogs Trust 

People's Postcode Lottery players have raised over £18 Million for those two charities alone, and you could add to this by signing up to play People's Postcode Lottery.