Dogs Deserve Better would love to have you as a volunteer in your area or via phone, mail, or internet.

Where do your strengths lie? Do you have a passion for helping these dogs? Do you have a dog in your community living this way, and need to do something about it? Let us know what you'd like to do to help.

1. Become an area rep. This requires diligence and a real desire to make a difference. Not for the faint of heart.

2. Get brochures and put them out in your area, vets offices, restaurants, travel plazas. Print our your own if you'd like, using this .pdf file.

New! 2007 Brochures (without background)
"You gave me a house, when what I need is a HOME."

3. Work to change laws. Very important!

We all need to pitch in to help get laws passed! How do we do that? Dogs Deserve Better has set up a page with instructions and materials to include. Please send this letter to your local and state representatives and senators. It is in .pdf format, and you will need acrobat to print it out.

Letter for Legislation in .pdf format

Letter for Legislation in .doc format

Letter to the Editor in .doc format

Letter to the Editor in .pdf format

Below are a couple of sites where you can find out the name and address of your state and local reps. Also, Congress.org allows you to send e-mails to them too.

Congress.org
House of Representatives

4. Buy (very inexpensive!) and hang our 11x17 posters in your area. They will hold up well in the outdoors, in the rain and snow as they are high quality press run.

5. Get donations or negotiate a free billboard in your local area with our billboard designs.

6. Print out one of the below 8.5x11 .pdf flyers and hang them all around your town, grocery stores, laundromats, telephone poles (although in most cases, unless laminated, will not hold up well outside).

Small size "I Am Unseen" Poster

Small size "Snowball's Generation" Poster

Small size "Bush Legislation" Poster

Small size "Would Jesus Chain His Dogs" Poster

Small size "Man Hugs Dog" Poster

Small size "Winter" Poster

Small size "Cold" Poster

"Santa Leaves a Note" Poster

"Loyal Poster"
courtesy of Janet Deery at Animal Awareness

7. Foster a dog. Contact us at info@dogsdeservebetter.org or 814.941.7447 or your nearest area rep if you'd like to foster. You will need to fill out this form to send.

8. Run a booth for the organization at a pet fair or other opportunity in your area. All the materials can be printed out from the site in .pdf format.

9. Solicit donated public service announcements for radio and tv (PSAs)

PDF radio copy
Radio PSA 1 (audio/.aiff)
Radio PSA 2 (audio/.aiff)
Radio PSA 3 (audio/.aiff)
Radio PSA 4 (audio/.aiff)
Radio PSA 5 (audio/.aiff)
Radio PSA 6 (audio/.aiff)

Get donated links, donated web space (especially for the "Don't Shut Me Out" ad, e-mail for copy), or donated paper and magazine ad space. Get donated tv, radio, and billboard space.

10. Bring in corporate sponsors for the organization.

11. Research and write grants.

12. Speak to caretakers of chained dogs, hand deliver information. If the thought of face to face scares you, buy some doorhangers which you can hang on mailboxes or car or house doors. You can also print them out and make your own, instructions on the doorhanger page.

13. Fence a yard for a dog, get donated material, we will contribute, get others to help you put it in.

14. Show the DDB Video, DVD or one of our PowerPoint presentations in your community, to schools, churches, groups, and lawmakers.

PowerPoint Presentation 1
PowerPoint Presentation 2
PowerPoint Presentation 3

15. Dogs Deserve Better is looking for volunteers with professional skills!

Do you want to use your professional skills to help make a difference in the lives of chained dogs? Dogs Deserve Better has grown by leaps and bounds since we started in 2002. And we are getting too big for our britches!

We are looking for talented and dedicated professional people to take on the following volunteer roles, as well as a volunteer coordinator for each category:

Graphic/Web designers and masters—We need people with strong html and/or design experience to help maintain our ever-growing website.

Public and Media Relations people—Help bring public attention to the chaining issue and DDB by being a public relations and/or media contact for us. You should have experience with soliciting media coverage, talking and writing to the media via press releases and personal interviews. Radio and/or television experience would be welcomed!

Legislative Lobbyers—Do you have connections in local government and/or knowledge of how to get laws passed in your community? Then, we need your help desperately! This is where we can make the most difference—in getting anti-chaining laws passed! Please help put DDB out of business forever!

Foster Homes—Do you have a place in your heart and home for a rescued chained dog? We need fosters all around the country to help get these poor dogs back on their feet and fighting fit to be adopted to a forever home. Formerly chained dogs often have special issues and need patient and loving help with socialization and training. Not a job for the faint-hearted!

Transporters—We need help with transporting rescued dogs. If you feel you can take on a leg of a journey and don't mind getting a little mud in your car, then please call us! We sometimes transport dogs cross-country and really need volunteer drivers. Gas and mileage is tax deductible, so not only are you helping a dog on his way to a better life, you get to write it off!

Vet Care and Advice—Vet care is expensive and dogs rescued from the chain often need a lot of it! De-worming, shots, neutering and spaying, microchipping and taking care of wounds received from being outside 24/7 are just some of the vet services that we need donated. If you are a vet that that has seen one too many chains embedded in necks, or nails grown so long they curl, then please consider helping us get these dogs the care they so desperately need at a discounted or free rate.

Billboard and Bus Advertising Sponsorship—If you have contacts in this business and would like to help us by donating billboard or bus ad space, we would love to hear from you! Thousands of people a month will see the message that chaining or penning dogs 24/7 is wrong. This would also be a tax deductible donation and all artwork will be donated free of charge by the founder of DDB, Tamira Ci Thayne.

Fundraisers—If you are a fundraiser or development/major gifts officer, we would like you to consider using your contacts to raise funds for Dogs Deserve Better. We can't help dogs without generous help from donors!

Additionally, we would love your input into ideas for fundraising programs, ideas for community outreach programs, and any other pertinent ideas you may have.

Contact Info: Dogs Deserve Better, Inc. • P.O. Box 23 • Tipton, PA 16684 • Toll Free 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
email: info@dogsdeservebetter.org • Website designed and maintained by Crescent Communications