Owner Surrender Volunteer Training

Volunteers are a vital part of helping pets transition safely and compassionately into Grey Face Rescue. This guide will walk you through the Owner Surrender process, including checklists, expectations, and tips for making each surrender appointment smooth for both families and pets.

INTAKE DAY CHECKLIST & LOGIN
SURRENDER GUIDE & QUESTIONS
SHELTERLUV PROCESS
SURRENDER VOLUNTEER SIGNUP GENIUS

Owner Surrender Manager: Kate Soller
ownersurrender@greyfacerescue.org

Before the Appointment

Approach & Compassion

Owner surrenders can be emotional. Families may experience guilt, sadness, or anxiety, and some pets may be stressed. As a volunteer, your role is to:

  • Stay professional, cheerful, and supportive.

  • Show empathy and respect to both the pet and family.

  • Avoid judgment and maintain a calm presence.

Owner surrender Manager Responsibilities (Pre-Appointment)

Before the appointment, the Owner Surrender Manager will have:

  • Sent directions to the facility

  • Shared a link to pay the surrender fee

  • Sent the owner surrender contract for signature

  • Asked the family to bring pet belongings and a full, unopened bag of food

  • Communicated approximate appointment length (~30 minutes) and that detailed questions will be asked to help with the pet’s care

Day-of Appointment: Arrival & Setup

Volunteer Arrival

  • Arrive 1 hour before the first appointment to set up.

Opening Checklist

  • Open doors and turn on lights

  • Place signs outside and on doors

  • Turn on volunteer computer and review the day’s appointments

  • Review appointment notes in Squarespace

  • Pre-fill the Owner Surrender Intake Form

During the Appointment

Greeting & Initial Assistance

  • Offer a warm, welcoming greeting

  • Assist with unloading belongings or holding the pet’s leash if needed

Intake Questions

Sit with the family to ask about the pet in the following areas:

Daily Care & Routine

  • Feeding schedule, amount, and special diets

  • Potty training habits and cues

Behavior & Socialization

  • Interaction with dogs (small vs. large)

  • Interaction with cats and children

  • Food aggression or triggers

Lifestyle & Preferences

  • Enjoyment of walks, car rides, and crowds

  • Kennel habits or separation anxiety

  • Sleeping areas and alone time

Health & Exercise

  • Medical conditions and medications

  • Exercise needs and stair handling

  • Grooming needs and comfort with nail trims/ear cleaning

Personality & Favorites

  • Favorite activities, toys, or tricks

  • Likes, dislikes, and special quirks

  • Most challenging behaviors and current management strategies

Tip: Keep the tone conversational, empathetic, and non-judgmental. These details help foster families and adopters understand and care for the pet properly.

Closing the Appointment

  • Invite the family to ask questions

  • Explain the Grey Face Rescue process: foster → veterinary care → adoption

  • Offer the option to receive updates via email: ownersurrender@greyfacerescue.org

  • Allow private goodbye time

  • Thank the family sincerely

Post-Appointment Tasks

Surrender Processing

  • Complete intake in ShelterLuv:

    • Click the animal’s name under Pre-Intake View

    • Change status to Unavailable (Just Arrived)

  • Take photos of intake worksheets and email to:

    • vetting@greyfacerescue.org

    • foster@greyfacerescue.org

  • Take updated, high-quality photos of the pet for their profile, if possible and send to foster@greyfacerescue.org.

End-of-Day Checklist

  • Add notes to memos in ShelterLuv

  • Clean up supplies and wipe down tables/desks

  • Vacuum, sweep, and mop

  • Take garbage to dumpster

  • Turn off lights and lock doors

Volunteer Login Information

Squarespace

  • Login: intake@greyfacerescue.org

  • Password: GreyFace2015

ShelterLuv

NOTES

  • Surrender Fee: Surrendering families are not allowed to schedule an appointment without first paying the surrender fee. Going forward, all fees must be paid prior to the appointment.

  • Appointment Timing: Surrender appointments are 30 minutes, followed by a 15-minute buffer to allow foster families time to pick up supplies.

  • Notifications:

    • Surrendering families receive a booking confirmation email after scheduling.

    • A text notification is sent 1 day prior to the appointment.

    • An email reminder is sent 24 hours prior to the appointment.

  • Volunteer Notifications: Each surrender day is scheduled for 1.5 hours. I’ve added everyone’s email address to the booking notifications, so you will:

    • Receive an email for each booking

    • Receive a digest of all appointments the morning of
      This allows you to review appointments before volunteering. If you’d prefer to be removed from these emails, just let me know.

  • Arrival Instructions: Foster families and surrendering families are asked to remain in their vehicles until a volunteer comes out to get them. Occasionally, these instructions are missed, so please feel free to gently remind anyone who walks inside.

  • Tardiness & Contact Info: If a surrendering family will be late, they are instructed to call the office phone. Their contact information can be found in Squarespace. Additionally, under the dog’s profile in the “Files” section, you’ll find the surrender receipt. Clicking the surrendering family’s name will take you to their full profile and contact details.

  • Late Policy: Surrendering families are informed that if they arrive more than 15 minutes late, we reserve the right to reschedule their appointment.

  • No-Shows: Unfortunately, there will be times when surrendering families no-show due to a change of heart. While frustrating, all we can do as volunteers is apologize. We do make fosters aware ahead of time that this is a possibility.