Get Involved
Getting involved with an animal rescue organization through fostering and volunteering offers profound personal and community benefits. Fostering provides a safe and loving environment for animals in transition, helping them recover, socialize, and prepare for their forever homes. This intimate connection allows foster families to make a tangible difference while experiencing the joy of companionship. It’s an opportunity to teach responsibility and empathy, fostering a deeper understanding of animal welfare.
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Volunteering at a rescue like DTR supports the organization’s mission while building valuable skills for adults, teens, and even kids. Tasks like event coordination, animal care, or adoption assistance strengthen community bonds and raise awareness. The experience fosters a sense of purpose, enabling volunteers to contribute meaningfully to saving lives.
Foster
Here are some amazing reasons to foster a dog or cat for DTR:
1. Fostering a dog brings love and joy into your home and into the heart of the animal you're fostering. According to research, pets really do make us happier and more compassionate human beings.
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2. Fostering can fit any lifestyle - it's a flexible way to bring a pet in need into your home for a limited period of time. It’s not permanent (unless you fall in love and adopt)!
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3. Fostering helps free up a space in local shelters and rescue facilities, making more room so those agencies can save more animals. For every animal that is fostered, there is one more space in a shelter or rescue for the next dog or cat that is waiting patiently for their chance to shine.
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4. You can give a foster pet one-on-one attention they could not get in a crowded shelter. Dogs often need special attention, especially those who have been injured or are experiencing behavior issues due to their previous housing situation. Some dogs simply don’t react well to a crowded, stressful shelter environment.
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5. When you foster, you help our rescue learn more about the animal so we can find the best family for them. Is the pet shy or does it run to greet guests? Does the dog act strangely in parks, around children, or have a trigger of some kind that may limit his adoption chances? The key is to learn about your foster's behavior and any training they may have in order to make sure they find the perfect family.
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6. A foster parent gets the dog used to being around people and possibly other pets. When the foster parents have pets, the foster dog gets used to being around other animals and being part of a pack. Dogs learn a lot from each other!
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7. Fostering is a great way to see if you are ready to become a full-time pet parent, and it takes almost no monetary commitment. DTR sends all of their foster families home with starter supplies for each animal (things like leashes, beds, food, crates, litter boxes, etc.). This allows your family to see what it’s like to have a pet in the house and see if this is the right time for your family to adopt permanently!
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8. Fostering will teach the members of your household - including children - responsibility and compassion for animals. This will help them be great pet parents themselves one day, but will also teach them to be strong, accountable, generous human beings.
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9. You may just fall in love with your foster animal and want to adopt them. We sometimes call this a “foster fail,” but it just means that the animal ended up being a perfect fit for your family, and doesn’t need to be placed for adoption.
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10. And last but not least: the smile on your foster dog's face the first night they have a soft, quiet place to rest. Priceless.
Volunteer
Our work is possible because of people like you. Here are some reasons to volunteer and some ways to do it.
When you volunteer at DTR, you will know you are making a real difference in a way that is suited to YOU. As a DTR volunteer, there are endless ways to volunteer your time and you can do so in a capacity and in an environment that is comfortable and doable for you and your family - we want you to use your own strengths and interests to help animals in need. Don't overthink it: you got an extra hour each week? Maybe 5 a month? Hit us up and we'll tell you how you can use that time to help us in ways like:
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Volunteering for a shift where we have a booth, like a street fair or festival, so we can educate people on rescuing and responsible pet ownership
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Making crafts and merch (or donating crafts you have made) that can be sold at festivals to raise money for supplies and medical care
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Offering to transport animals from their original intake location to DTR's facility
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Donating a few hours of your time at the DTR Sanctuary, where you can do things like help clean horse stalls, brush and walk horses, walk dogs, help clean chicken coops, or help clean kennels
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Coordinate an event with your place of business that could help build awareness and raise funds for DTR
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Donate your skills to help us with things like merch design, grant writing, or file management
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No matter how you choose to share your time with DTR, volunteering will boost your mood and reduce stress naturally. Volunteering at a rescue or shelter has the added benefit of being around animals, which has been shown to lower stress and blood pressure and boost serotonin and dopamine levels.​
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Separately, you'll make new friends and become a better team player! If you are an animal lover offering to donate your time to DTR, there's no doubt that the other volunteers will be animal lovers too. You will be able to meet other like-minded individuals who are just as passionate about rescuing animals, and problem-solving with them will help strengthen your teamwork skills.
Volunteering is also a great way to get work experience or boost your resume, especially for high schoolers or young adults looking to get in their service hours. And just because you are volunteering doesn’t mean you aren’t developing new skills that will help you along your career - the skills you learn working with a variety of animals and people are truly valuable to your future endeavors. These skills also help you develop a sense of responsibility and selflessness.
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Not a people person? No problem. Let’s face it, not everyone is a people person (case in point: Manda is, Sam isn't) and that’s ok. At DTR, we have a come-as-you-are mentality. If you want to donate your time to help animals in need, we'll find an opportunity that is perfect for you.​
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If you would like to donate your time or skills to DTR, send us an email at dtr@dtranimalfoundation.com!
Donate
Donating to Determined To Rise Animal Foundation transforms lives.
Your support saves animals, builds hope, and creates a better world.
Every Donation Saves a Life
When you donate to DTR, you become a lifeline for animals in desperate need. Every dollar you contribute goes directly toward rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals who have been abandoned, abused, or neglected. Your generosity ensures they receive the medical care, food, and shelter they need to thrive.​ When you see relief on the face of a once-frightened dog or hear a malnourished cat purr contentedly in a warm bed, you will know that these moments are made possible because of people like you. Together, we can give these animals a second chance at life.
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Your Support Fuels Hope
Animals don’t just need physical care—they need hope. By donating to DTR, you’re not just providing resources to the animals, you’re restoring faith in your fellow humans that together we can save these innocent creatures. Your contribution helps us create safe spaces where animals can heal, both physically and emotionally, and in doing so their human counterparts heal as well. ​Your support inspires others to take action.
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Strengthen Your Community
Donating doesn’t just help animals—it strengthens your community. Rescued animals often become therapy pets, service animals, or beloved family members, enriching the lives of those around them.​ DTR hosts educational programs and volunteer opportunities that bring people together. So by being a part of the DTR community, you’re investing in a brighter, more compassionate future for everyone.
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Be Part of a Bigger Movement
Your donation is more than just a gift—it’s a statement. It says you stand against animal cruelty and believe in a world where every creature is treated with kindness. When you donate to DTR, you join a global movement of animal advocates working tirelessly to make a difference.​ Every contribution, no matter the size, adds up.
No extra cash right now? No problem.
We know that not everyone who wishes to donate monetarily is in a position to do so. Bills add up, kids are expensive, and pricey surprises seem to pop up when you least expect them. So if giving a monetary donation isn't possible for you right now (or ever) we get that. Instead, consider donating some of your used or open pet-care items to DTR! We're always in need of things like food, towels, crates, beds, cleaning supplies, and cat litter. No gift is too small, and every gift is appreciated. Email us at dtr@dtranimalfoundation.com if you have items you'd like to donate to our cause!