It was a dog’s one-way trip to the vet that started it all. In 2012, Natalie Smith was working as a vet nurse in Pahiatua.
There, she met Todd – a 12-year-old working dog, brought into the clinic for euthanasia. Natalie fell in love. She felt Todd was not ready to go, so she took him home.
From there, a big idea was born! She decided to start a charity; a rescue dedicated to helping seniors enjoy well-deserved retirements. So, with the help of local vet, and now fellow trustee, Helen Sheard, and local vet nurse, Kayla Groves, Natalie’s dream became a reality!
More than a decade later, the now-nationwide rescue and its three trustees, Natalie, Helen and Marie-Claire – together with a multi-skilled team of volunteers and foster carers – help secure promising futures for working breeds of all ages.
And, in case you’re wondering, Todd – the big oldie that set all this in motion – happily lived to 17!
We don’t have a shelter, and rely on a foster community and donations from our fan base to pay for vets bills, rehoming costs and foster care for our dogs.
Volunteer Roles Available
Trustee
Our Trust is led by a small group of volunteers (our leadership team) who oversee operations and activities to achieve our purpose. We also have Trustees who are legally responsible for the activities of the Trust. We need a new Trustee!
We are seeking a Trustee who is actively engaged in the farming ecosystem (e.g., as a farmer, shepherd, or similar role) to represent and promote the charity within the farming community. This individual will help encourage more farmers to utilize the charity’s services and advocate for the welfare of retired working dogs. If you are passionate about animal welfare and have a strong connection to New Zealand’s farming sector, we encourage you to apply. Please send your expression of interest outlining your background, experience, and motivation for joining Retired Working Dogs NZ as a Trustee to president@retiredworkingdogs.org.nz
This position offers a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on both rural communities and animal welfare while contributing your expertise as part of a dedicated team.
Social Media Manager
Due to the demand for more working dogs to be rehomed and the critical role social media plays in rehoming and our community, RWDNZ is looking to recruit a social media manager. The social media manager leads creation and placement of social content to promote the Retired Working Dogs trust and supports our listings team creating content to promote dogs needing homes. Amongst other things, the Social Media Manager will:
● Lead development of and maintain our social media guidelines.
● Maintain strategic oversight of social content and planning.
● Support volunteers to develop their skills and practice including training in social media and our guidelines.
● Create a monthly, quarterly and annual plan
● Provide analysis to inform future activity and enhancement of guidelines
Social Media Message Manager
The social media message manager monitors, responds and manages social media content to promote the work of Retired Working Dogs NZ and the individual dogs listed. It is a rostered role, shared with others in the team to spread the workload over the week. Typically, you will:
● Monitor social media posts – this includes liking and responding as appropriate to encourage engagement.
● Respond to any concerning or inflammatory media posts in a constructive way to best achieve rehoming of the dog and maintain a positive community.
● Escalate any concerning commentary to the trustees or the social media manager or head of community.
● Monitor the social media inbox and either respond as appropriate or triage for attention by another team member.
Dog Listings Lead
Such an important job! Our Dog Listings team checks and manages each incoming rehome request and associated social media content to promote the dog. It is a rostered role, shared with others in the team to spread the workload over the week. Typically, you will:
● Process listings – approve submitted dogs – referring to guidelines re working breeds
● If necessary – call listers – referring to the young dog guideline
● Draft social media post and schedule for listed dogs – use Meta planner and social media guideline
● Complete listings spreadsheet – including callback dates
● Support wider campaigns or projects by contributing ideas, knowledge and capacity where possible.
All our roles are remote and flexible, we connect via Slack and Google Drive and meet up at events regularly!