If you've been involved in or expressed interest in animal rescue, you've likely received the email requests for help transporting rescue dogs, cats or other pets from a shelter to a new forever home or no-kill rescue. Many of these transports--which often involve cross-country travel--consist of moving several animals to safety and involve several different trip legs. A volunteer generally drives one to two hours of the transport and meets another volunteer at the end of the leg.
Instructions
1. Talk to local animal rescue organizations and express your interest in becoming a volunteer pet rescue transporter. These rescue leagues can put you in touch with those organizing transports.
2. Sign up to drive a leg of a transport near you. Ensure that your vehicle is large enough to accommodate the number of pet crates that will be necessary for the transport.
3. Print the email instructions you receive from the rescue coordinating the transport and take the instructions with you. Read the instructions and follow them closely.
4. Assemble the supplies you will need for the transport. The email instructions will list any items you need to bring. Most transports do not require transporters to provide any supplies. However, it's always a good idea to take along paper towels, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, an extra leash, some bottled water, water bowls and a few towels.
5. Print directions to the location where you will meet the transport both for pickup and delivery of the pets.
6. Load your vehicle with your printed instructions, supplies, printed directions, cell phone and cell phone charger the day before the transport.
7. Fill you vehicle with gasoline, and check your vehicle's fluid levels and tire pressure the day before the transport.
8. Make contact with the volunteers you will be meeting on both ends of your animal rescue transport leg at least one day before the transport. Ensure that you have correct cell phone contact information, a description of the volunteers' vehicles and that you are in agreement about where you will be meeting.
9. Place any telephone calls you are instructed to make in the email from the rescue organization coordinating the transport. Some transports require drivers to check in by telephone when they arrive at their loading and delivery locations. Others do not ask that a telephone call be placed unless there is a problem.
10. Leave to arrive at least 30 to 45 minutes earlier than the assigned time to meet the transport.
11. Help the other volunteer unload the animals from her vehicle and load them into your vehicle.
12. Take the veterinary medical paperwork and any other paperwork from the transporter.
13. Help the volunteer at the other end of the transport unload the animals from your vehicle and load them into his vehicle.
14. Give the veterinary medical paperwork and other any other paperwork to the next transporter.
15. Place any calls you are instructed to make once you have delivered the pets to the next leg of the transport.
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