Lend a Hand in Rescuing Homeless Airedale Terriers
Volunteer with SOAR
SOAR is an all-volunteer organization who could not accomplish what we do without the help of some amazing volunteers! We are always looking for people with a soft spot for Airedales who would like to be a part of our team. If you have some extra time, please join us in our mission to place adoptable Airedales in loving new homes.
SOAR does not have a facility; instead, our volunteers work out of our homes and communicate by phone, email, and our website. Our volunteer positions fall into two broad categories: Hands On and Support, both of which are defined below. Take a look and see if there is something you can do to help.
Hands On Volunteer Positions
Foster
One of the most rewarding and satisfying ways to volunteer is to become a foster family. It's not always easy, but it is critical to a successful adoption.
The purpose of a foster home is to provide a home environment while evaluating the dog's behavior around other dogs, children, and to observe the dog's personality, attitude, and temperament. Most dogs need help with something, whether it's house-training, separation anxiety, shyness, jumping on people, or just plain house manners. Our fosters help them to become better pets and more adoptable.
SOAR takes care of the vet bills.
Home Visits
Prior to placing a rescue Airedale with a new family, SOAR needs to personally see the homes and yards and visit with the families. There is no better way to help SOAR determine if an applicant should be approved than to see where and how our rescue Airedales will live. Home visits are also a great way to see how a family interacts with an Airedale. Coordinators and foster homes rely on this input to help them make good decisions when matching our rescue Airedales with forever homes.
Transports
SOAR covers 3 states which make for quite a bit of territory. We work together when it comes to finding our rescue Airedales good homes. Sometimes, the best home is found in a state other than where the Airedale is being fostered. Sometimes, the Airedale needs surgery, training, or special foster care to get ready for their new home. Any of these reasons result in the need to move our Airedales to other states within our area.
Transporting is a great way to give a small amount of your time without the long-term commitment needed to foster. It is also a great way to combine assisting SOAR with activities you might not otherwise have done. Take a friend with you and catch up on the latest news while helping SOAR do a transport. Do some shopping in a long-distance town after dropping off your Airedale. Regardless of whatever else you might do along the way, you can be sure SOAR and the Airedale appreciate your support!
Support Positions
Here are some of the ways that you could help SOAR by performing a support role. Many of these support positions can be done from home on a part-time basis.
- newsletter editor
- writing thank You notes
- e-bay auctions
- annual calendar publication
- merchandise manager
- vet committee
- microchip manager
- auction committee
- transportation coordinator
- stories coordinator
- Web site support
- helping with outreach, promoting and education
- professional help such as accounting, finance, legal, public relations, etc.
Click on the "Volunteer App" button to let us know how you can help!
Meet Our Volunteers
Our volunteers are a precious resource to SOAR! We value each and every contribution they make from transporting to fostering, from publicity to fundraising, or just simply spreading the word. We have gotten to know our volunteers and would like to give you a chance to meet them also through the pages below.
If you would like to become a volunteer for SOAR, click on the button to the right. We would love to have you join our team!
Barbara Mann
As one of the three founding members of SOAR, I was delighted and proud when we were incorporated as a non-profit rescue organization in 2009. One of the great joys of working with SOAR is that all of its volunteers are highly valued and treated with the utmost respect, and that it does such a…
Read MoreBeverly Langley
Hi! My name is Bev Langley and I’ve owned Airedales since I was 15 years old. Our first family pet was a wire-haired fox terrier and our second family pet was a 12 week old Airedale girl who was all legs and that’s when I fell in love with Airedales. I currently have two Airedales – Emma, who…
Read MoreCarol Vanderlaan
Hi, I’m Carol Vanderlaan. My father introduced me to Airedales when I was a child because he wanted his family to enjoy what he (and later I) considered to be magnificent creatures. There’s something unique about their intelligence and independence, and yet they have an entertaining, almost clownish side that makes them utterly irresistible. When…
Read MoreCheri Andrews
I live and work in Indianapolis, Indiana. I am a legal assistant for a major law firm. While we do not have any children, Brad and I adopt dogs to love. We presently have a couple of older dogs (14 and 12) who just happened to walk by our house at the right time. I got my…
Read MoreChris Bettis
Hi- Chris Bettis from mid central Arkansas. I work as a project manager for a financial software development company and in my free time enjoy sharing time with our family, dogs, and SOAR rescue activities. I have always been a big dog lover which started early in my childhood, from stories told to me by…
Read MoreDarla Dickensheets
Hello, my name is Darla Dickensheets from Hillsdale, Michigan and I first fell in love with the Airedale Terrier in the mid 1980s. I was fortunate enough to have my first girl, Brandy, 14 years before losing her to cancer in 1998. Two months later I rescued my boy, Zeus, who stood a tall 28″…
Read MoreDavid & Marlene Ware
After fostering and transporting for ATRA for many years, Marlene and David Ware teamed up with SOAR in the same capacity, and they haven’t looked back. Why volunteer? For them, the answer is simple. “How can one not?” asks Marlene. “This is something not all families can do, but it’s needed.” The Wares not only act…
Read MoreEvelyn & Tom Gugger
Hi, I’m Evelyn Gugger from Toledo, Ohio. Our family became acquainted with SOAR four years ago when we were looking for our first rescue Airedale. After our last dog crossed the Bridge, we contacted SOAR and learned about a 14-month-old Airedale named Morgan. Once the formalities were concluded, my daughter, granddaughter, and I drove to…
Read MoreHeather Estlow
Hi. My name is Heather Estlow, and I live in Altoona, Pennsylvania with my husband Dan, seven (yes, seven) children and seven dogs. Three Airedales; Daphne, Sam, and Fletcher, a Cattle Dog/Border Collie mix named Mia, a Lab/Beagle mix named Bailey, a black Labradoodle named Gracie, and a Bluetick Coonhound named Elvis. Gracie and Elvis are…
Read MoreJan Ensign
Hello, my name is Jan Ensign and I am a certified master trainer. What does that mean? It means I have attended a state recognized school for dog training. I attended a world renowned school sharing the class room with people from all over the world. I qualified to take an extensive master course and thus…
Read MoreJenny T. Patrick
“All dogs have value and all dogs deserve to be loved,” says Jenny T. Patrick. “We are their voice. And dogs are my true passion.” As with every volunteer working with SOAR, Jenny feels right at home. Why? “Because SOAR is made up of an amazing group of people dedicated to helping the Airedale breed.…
Read MoreJulie King
Hi, I’m Julie King and live in the northwest Chicago suburbs with my husband and three sons, along with our beloved Airedale, Kaeleigh. I was introduced to Airedales when I was eight years old and met my aunt and uncle’s big dog, Max, who became a favorite companion when I would visit them in southern…
Read MoreAiredale Rescue Training (ART)
Whether you are a seasoned rescue volunteer or thinking of becoming a volunteer, you will want to know about these articles written by National Airedale Rescue. NAR started the ART program (stands for Airedale Rescue Training) to help provide insight to various aspects of doing the job of rescue. Approximately once each month, a new article is published through their e-newsletters. If you would like to get on the list to receive the ART e-newsletters (or any of the other interesting e-newsletters they offer) you can sign up with the module at the bottom of the right sidebar of their Website.
Click on the link below to check out the ART articles.
