Volunteer

Do you have a love for animals and have a few hours a week to spare?  Volunteers are the heart of the NCCR team. They generously give their time each week to care for the many dogs that arrive on our doorstep. We welcome volunteers that have a love for dogs and would like to join the NCCR team!  A training class is required and offered each month to prepare volunteers to begin hands on work with the dogs.  Opportunities are available from hands on care, fundraising events, grant writing to foster care and so much more.  Your contribution of time can make a huge impact of the lives of the dogs in the care of NCCR.  If you have any questions, just send an email to adoptions@caninerescue.org.

If you are interested (and over 18 years old), fill out the online volunteer application here: Volunteer Online Application OR print out and complete this Volunteer Application, drop it off or mail it to the Rescue.   

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Diane Weakley has volunteered at NCCR since our days up on Hardscrabble Road.

I have been a volunteer at NCCR since the spring of 1996 when I moved to Westfield. I started out as a dog walker before the shelter was on Gale Street and before it officially became NCCR. At that time, I would spend time with and walk each dog…showering them with love, care and kind words.

Now, almost 20 years later, I am still a friend to the lost and mistreated 4 paws that arrive at NCCR. I have also been a foster pet-parent to a few of NCCR’s dogs until they were adopted into their forever homes. I also do pet education programs in my classroom to educate my Second Graders about pet ownership, its responsibilities and its rewards. It is the best feeling to see all the dogs, at the end of my volunteering shift, fed, tummies full, bodies exercised and sleepy from the fresh air…all tucked in their beds, warm, safe and happy. When I leave at the end of my shift, I know that I have made the difference in the lives of a few animals in my little world…and they have made a difference in mine!

Don’t forget, a shelter pet can bring you many years of smiles and memories that live on long after your pet has passed on from your loving arms!

Diane Weakley
In memory of my dear terrier, Abby (August 2002-October 2014)