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What does an abandoned dog need most? Simply put, a home. A place to live, love, and trust again. Wendy Josephs knows what that means. She’s helped hundreds of homeless Labradors find new homes with loving families. How? By working with Southwest Oasis Labrador Rescue as a home visit volunteer.
Home visits are an important part of the adoption process. It helps us learn more about the applicant, the home, and the family. It helps us place dogs in homes where they’ll thrive.
For Wendy Josephs, the joy of rescuing dogs began in 2020, after reading an ad seeking volunteers to help save Labradors in need. “I knew immediately that I wanted to help,” says Wendy, a former school guidance counselor. “I knew I had the time and skills to make a difference.” Before she retired, Wendy advocated for children. Now she advocates for dogs.
As a home visit volunteer, Wendy meets prospective adopters, tours their home, and helps decide whether they will make a good fit for one of our rescues. There are specific requirements the family and home must meet in order to adopt one of our dogs, and Wendy makes sure all these standards are met. She's completed over 300 home visits since 2020.
This past year alone, she’s helped hundreds of dogs start new lives with new families. It’s fun, adventurous work. She’s visited homes that are palacios with resort style backyards, as well as small one-bedroom apartments – plus everything in between. Regardless of the home’s size, her job is to make sure it is a safe and a loving dog environment. To do that, Wendy says she must look at the whole picture. She needs to know that the dog will be well cared for and never again be abandoned, unwanted, or lost.
Does it take special skills? “As a home visit volunteer, I must be personable, be a good interviewer, and a good listener in order to ask the right questions,” says Wendy. Some of the questions she asks: Have you ever had a rescue? How will you exercise the dog? How much training are you willing to provide for the dog? Wendy knows that rescue dogs often have special needs, so asking good questions helps adopters find a dog that matches their hopes and their lifestyle.
After she leaves the home, she writes a summary and posts it to the rescue database for others to consult. For Wendy, each applicant that gets approved is a success story because it gives one more homeless Labrador a chance for happiness.
“When one of our dogs gets adopted and I see a photo of the family with their dog, it is so rewarding. It warms my heart to know I helped to find a loving home for a Labrador in need.”
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