Volunteers are the very backbone of what we do at Greyhound Rescue. Explore the stories of some of our volunteers and find out what it’s like being part of our volunteer family.
Name: Courtney
Lives: Sydney, NSW
Volunteer with Greyhound Rescue for: 1 year
Volunteering role: Kennel-hand, conducting home visits for potential adopters
What was it that sparked your interest in volunteering with Greyhound Rescue?
I have always loved being around dogs, and at the end of 2019, I was looking to donate my time to an animal shelter. I had heard from a friend of my Mum’s who was a volunteer at Greyhound Rescue that it was one of the best things she’d done, and I had recently seen some Greyhound Rescue posts pop up on my social media. Must have been the world trying to tell me something! So, whilst on holidays overseas, I sent in an application, and within days of landing back home I was at the rescue centre and I haven’t looked back since!
What’s your favourite thing about volunteering?
It’s incredibly rewarding to see each grey slowly come out of their shell with all the love we give them at GR, to then be carefully paired with their forever families. I get to make such a measurable difference to the lives of each greyhound that comes through our doors, which just fills me with the greatest sense of happiness and worth.
What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve done while volunteering?
Laying tummy-down on muddy ground, whilst simultaneously making strange, high-pitched noises and dangling BBQ chicken above my head to get photos of our lovely hounds. The things I do for their dating profile pics, honestly!!
How has volunteering improved your life?
Volunteering at Greyhound Rescue has quickly become one of the highlights of my week. It’s funny – whilst you rehabilitate the greyhounds and teach them ‘how to dog’, they seem to ‘rehabilitate’ you in a way as well. I’ve become a lot more confident and am happier as a direct result of volunteering and I now look forward to every day, knowing that I have such a positive impact on the lives of each greyhound that come through our doors.
What would you say to someone thinking about applying to volunteer?
Do it! It’s an amazing and incredibly fulfilling way to donate your time – and you get cuddles from all of the lovely greys! It has quickly become one of the happiest parts of my life, both because of the greyhounds and all of the lovely people that are a part of Greyhound Rescue. Greyhounds are such a gentle, forgiving and intelligent breed of dog. To see what some of these hounds go through, to then be able to show them the ropes of home life and place them into their forever homes – it’s an all-round amazing experience.
Are you interested in joining our volunteer family? Click HERE to find out how you can help.