Strengthen Bonds Through Volunteering

Volunteer Opportunities for Individuals, Families, and Teens

Explore Volunteer Opportunities

Community Impact

Why Volunteer with the Dog Alliance?

Looking for meaningful ways to make a difference? At the Dog Alliance, we offer diverse volunteer programs for individuals, families, and teens. Whether you want to volunteer with your children, earn volunteer hours for school programs, or make an impact with animals, we have a program for you!

Discover how you can get involved and make a difference, including our therapy dog training program if you’d like to volunteer with your pet.

  • Animal-assisted therapy and hands-on work with dogs.
  • A variety of volunteer programs for families, teens, and individuals.
  • Opportunities to train and foster future service dogs.
  • Make a real impact in your community while spending quality time with dogs in training.

Explore Our Volunteer Programs

Volunteer Work Day – Help Beautify Our Grounds

Join us for a fun, outdoor workday maintaining our beautiful space! Help with tasks like raking, planting, and trimming bushes, all while spending time with service dogs in training.

Who can attend?

Ages: Open to all ages

Children under 15 must have a guardian.

Join the Next Work Day

Foster a Future Service Dog
–Puppy Raising Program

Learn how to raise a service dog and support its journey to assist a veteran or first responder. Our seminar covers the responsibilities and joys of fostering, from a weekend to 20 months.

Who can attend?

Ages: 21+ and attend the seminar to enroll in training.

Sign Up for Seminar

Volunteer Ambassador Training – Become a Leader

Gain leadership skills and learn how our nonprofit operates in this interactive seminar. The session includes a tour, presentations, and games, preparing you for roles like ambassador, board member, or puppy raiser.

Who can attend?

Ages: 21+ and attend the seminar to enroll in training.

Important note: Please leave pets at home.

Register for Ambassador Training

Greet Dogs in Training

Join a class to help service dogs in training learn to politely greet strangers.  Perfect for corporate groups, families, and teens seeking volunteer hours.  This hands-on event ensures these future service dogs are ready to meet new people.

Who can attend?

Ages: Open to all ages

Children under 15 must have a guardian.

Join the Dog Greeting Class
Get involved

What Families Can Do at The Dog Alliance

Volunteering as a family at The Dog Alliance offers a unique opportunity to bond while making a difference in the lives of our dogs and the community. Here are some of the hands-on activities your family can participate in

Dog Care and Socialization

Help our dogs feel loved and cared for by spending time with them. This includes playing, walking, and socializing with the dogs, ensuring they are well-adjusted and ready for their future roles as service or therapy dogs

Cleaning and Maintenance

Keep our facilities in top shape by assisting with daily chores like cleaning kennels, tidying up training areas, and ensuring that the dogs’ living spaces are clean and comfortable.

Feeding and Grooming

Assist our staff with feeding the dogs and helping with basic grooming tasks. This is a great way for kids to learn responsibility and care for animals.

Event Support

Families can help with the setup, coordination, and cleanup of various events hosted by The Dog Alliance. This could include anything from helping with fundraising events to organizing volunteer appreciation days.

Administrative Support

If your family prefers indoor activities, help with tasks such as preparing materials for training sessions, organizing supplies, or assisting with data entry.

Groundskeeping

Get outside and enjoy some fresh air while helping with landscaping, gardening, or general upkeep of our outdoor areas. This is a great way for families to work together on projects that beautify our space.

Do you have any questions?
Let's talk

Testimonials from Our Volunteers

  • "What a dynamic organization! I've volunteered for almost 4 years helping with marketing and board development. Through these activities, I've been able to talk with therapy dog volunteers, puppy raisers for service dogs, and pet owners who love the dog training offered here. To a person the reviews are positive, upbeat, and enthusiastic. Debi and her team provide an amazing resource for the Greater Austin community! Well done!"
    Jonidiane
    GreatNonProfits.org
  • "I've been working with Austin Dog Alliance for almost a year as I try to get my dog and myself certified as a therapy team. The work that is done at Austin Dog Alliance is nothing short of amazing, and all of the volunteers work long and hard to help members of our community. Their training classes are very worthwhile and their support as we try to prepare for certification has been invaluable. We are lucky to have people like Debi (the founder) who are passionate about dogs and helping others in our community.becoming a well mannered puppy thanks to Nancy’s guidance. Thanks Nancy and The Dog Alliance. Keep up the GREAT work !"
    M. Deal
    Google Review
  • "I have volunteered with this group for more than 7 years. They have grown by leaps and bounds because of the dedicated owner and director's vision and hard work as well as all the many trainers and volunteers. They are a group of caring professionals who love dogs and care about people as is evident by their Job Skills Course for people with disabilities in which they train students to work with dogs and then place them in jobs. It can be challenging keeping an eye on the dogs and these students so that all are safe. While I was not at the class during the incident mentioned above I have volunteered in the class and know that it is very important not to take your eyes off of the dogs and students and I can imagine that this was the situation when the man showed up suddenly. I feel sad that the family lost their beloved pet and that this poor man's feelings were hurt unintentionally. I hope that the family will visit again to see the wonderful work they do with training dogs for people with PTSD, job skills training , training and certifying dogs for pet therapy and the many many other classes they offer. This group gives and gives to others. It has given much to me and I feel so fortunate to have found it."
    Mary c.
    Google Review
  • "I've been taking my hounds to The Austin Dog Alliance for over three years now. I got certified through ADA and currently do therapy visits with one of my dogs. The folks at ADA have been SO helpful whenever I have questions. They are really supportive through the whole process of volunteering. They are there with me every step of the way, from helping me find the perfect type of therapy work to suggesting facilities that have requested volunteers and then making the introductions. They've got my back! "
    Morgan L.
    Google Review

Make a Difference Together

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Family Volunteering

Families with children aged 5 and up are welcome to volunteer at The Dog Alliance. However, certain activities may have specific age requirements, so please check with us for more details on age-appropriate tasks.

Families can participate in a variety of activities, including dog care and socialization, cleaning and maintenance, feeding and grooming, event support, administrative tasks, and groundskeeping. We strive to offer roles that are engaging and suitable for all ages.

No prior experience with dogs is necessary. We provide all the training and guidance your family will need to safely and effectively contribute to our programs.

Volunteering is free, and we provide all the necessary supplies and training. We do recommend that volunteers wear appropriate clothing for the activities they’ll be participating in. If you decide to expand your volunteering role, a background check or fingerprinting ($) may be required.

We suggest wearing comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing, as well as closed-toe shoes for safety. If you’re working with dogs, we recommend avoiding loose jewelry such as hoop earings, bracelets and necklaces.

We understand that things come up. If you need to cancel, please notify us as soon as possible so we can adjust our schedule accordingly and find a replacement.

Would you like to help save a life?

Get Involved

Our Service Dog Program for Veterans relies on dedicated puppy raisers to prepare our future service dogs. By volunteering to raise a puppy, you play a crucial role in supporting veterans and first responders with disabilities. Your love and care can make a life-changing difference.