The Underdog Project

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The Underdog Project

A registered NPO connecting underprivileged youth and shelter dogs to inspire collective healing.

The Underdog Project is a Non-Profit Organisation, working with both at risk youth and shelter dogs, based at the DARG animal shelter premises in Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa. Our objective is to assist at-risk teenagers to overcome social and emotional problems, and learn valuable life skills, through the training of shelter and rescue dogs; in turn teaching these dogs the skills to improve their chances of adoption.

08/09/2026

WE’RE HIRING: Programme & Operations Coordinator

The Underdog Project is looking for their next team member: an individual who is passionate about our cause and has the skills required to take on the position. Is that you?

FOR MORE DETAILS: Find the job description and minimum requirements by visiting this link: https://tr.ee/9faw0FOjsY

TO APPLY: Send your CV and Letter of Motivation to [email protected]

DEADLINE: Applications close on Monday, 21 September 2026

* A friendly note that given the size of our team and the number of applications, should you not hear back from us it means your application was unfortunately unsuccessful.

04/09/2026

Baloo update 🐾 it’s been 1 month since this adorable boy joined our project. He has become an absolute favourite amongst our youth with his gentle and patient temperament. What’s extra wonderful is he started with us around the same time some new youth joined our project so in this video, these two have been learning the ropes together. Can you tell by the enormous smile that his trainer is super proud of them both for what they’re learning to master together?

We love having you on our project Baloo, thank you for being such a loving and patient boy 🐾

Feel free to let us know which of our other UnderDOGS you’d like to see some videos of next!

02/09/2026

CONNECTION ❤️

For youth growing up in complex and challenging environments, having someone who sees you and accepts you just as you are can make all the difference in your life. It’s a connection that creates a sense of belonging and nurtures the belief that you matter.

For shelter dogs having experienced neglect and environments that have never made sense to them, a patient and gentle human interaction can change how they see the world and offer them a chance to rebuild their confidence and trust.

That is why we believe so strongly in our concept. Two vulnerable groups who have both experienced hardship get to connect with one another giving them both a chance to feel understood and safe. They walk away from every interaction knowing they are not alone. And that is immensely powerful ❤️

Join our Underdog 555 family now by following the link below to our secure debit order donation platform, and we’ll add your name to our supporter wall. A daily reminder of the community keeping us going!

https://underdogproject.org/the-underdog-555/

28/08/2026

DOG SHOW PHOTOS: PART 2 🐾

As promised, here are some more photos from our Youth Day Dog Show that took place on 16 June. We just can’t stop looking at these photographs that capture so beautifully the work that The Underdog Project does. You’re too good Juliette Bisset, and every person who helped us make this day happen.

Happy dogs & happy youth ❤️

Our teams are already working towards our end of year dog show, mastering some new and exciting tricks! We can’t wait ✨

If you’d like to support our End of Year Dog Show, you’re welcome to reference any donation as “Dog Show” so we know exactly where to allocate the funds for when the time comes to gather catering, prizes and resources for the day!

25/08/2026

This might be our favourite selfie ever ❤️

After a lovely walk and some mentally stimulating training, Molly and her trainer took a moment under the trees to just “hang out”. The unconditional love and acceptance that both of them offer each other is an immensely powerful tool for healing and confidence building as they navigate their worlds.

Have you joined our Underdog 555 family?

We need 555 people supporting us with R200/month to keep going for an entire year. Will you be part of the difference being made in the lives of the youth and dogs we serve? Visit the link below to sign up or reach out to us if you have any questions.

We need you! ❤️

https://underdogproject.org/the-underdog-555/

20/08/2026

The Underdog Project will be losing a significant donation each month by the end of October and you can help us get it back - without losing a single cent of your own money!

Select us as your MyDifference beneficiary so that each time you shop at Woolworths and scan your MyDifference barcode, they donate a portion of what they make to our project.

HERE’S HOW TO DO IT ✨

Step 1: Download the Woolies App
Simply update your Woolies App, or find it in the App or Play Store on your phone.

Step 2: Join MyDifference
New customers should register, and existing customers should sign up.

Step 3: Select a Cause
Go to the Loyalty Hub and tap ‘Causes’

Step 4: Choose ‘Add Cause’
Tap ‘Choose My Own’

Step 5: Search for The Underdog Project
Place our name in the search bar.

Step 6: Choose Us
Help us make a difference together!

If you get stuck, we’re just a WhatsApp away and would be more than happy to talk you through it!

LET’S GET OUR MyDifference SUPPORTERS BACK ❤️

17/08/2026

Pure joy in a photo ❤️ Need we say more?

13/08/2026

QUIZ NIGHT next Thursday, 20 August 🤓

Join us for our August quiz night where our quiz masters will ask the best questions while you eat the best food 🍔 we’ve got Jack Black Brewing Co. for our top 3 winning teams and of course our awesome lucky draw line-up (b***y prizes included!).

Grab your best friend, their best friend, their best friend’s best friend and show up for a night we promise you won’t regret! And what’s even better, is that all proceeds made from entry and lucky draw ticket sales go directly towards funding the programmes we run with shelter dogs & at-risk youth 🐾

Teams are a max of 8 and bookings can be made with us directly on WhatsApp (0728489892) or email ✨

See you all there 🍻

12/08/2026

We are so proud of these learners from CAFDA School of Skills for graduating from our programme ✨

After two terms with us, they learnt all about training with empathy, life skills, and humane education, while showing us determination, resilience and how powerful & healing the connection between humans and animals can be ❤️

We look forward to welcoming a new group of learners next week and our UnderDOGs are eager to meet them too 🐾

06/08/2026

Meet Baloo, the newest member of our UnderDOG crew 🐾 he is the sweetest, happiest boy!

Whenever a new doggo is introduced to our project, we do an important assessment with them created by Michelle, who is our very own qualified behaviourist.

This assessment looks at things like:
▪️Food Motivation: how driven are they by food (treats) so we know for training purposes.
▪️Toy Motivation: how motivated are they with different types of toys.
▪️Resource Guarding: we use a fake hand to test this one as you’ll see in the video.
▪️Distractibility: both visual and audible so we know if we need to keep them quite far away from distractions while training.
▪️Touch Sensitivity: where on their body do they prefer not to be touched so we can be mindful of this.
▪️Fear/Anxiety: how confident and comfortable are they so we know who would be suitable to work with them, and how slowly to introduce them to training.
▪️and much more.

These assessments not only help us better understand a new dog when they join us and who would be suitable to work with them as our programmes always need to be mutually beneficial, but we are able to look back on these assessments after a few sessions and see the progress they’ve made having been on our programme.

We are so excited to be working with you, Baloo and have you as part of our Underdog Family. We’ll keep you posted on his progress! ❤️

Play a part in Baloo’s life and our other Underdogs & youth by signing up as part of the Underdog 555. We need just 555 donating R200 a month to be sustainable for an entire year. Will you join our family? Follow the link below or DM us to find out more.

https://underdogproject.org/the-underdog-555/

Address

Underdog Classroom, Lower Level DARG, Main Road
Hout Bay
7806

Telephone

+27728489892

Website

http://www.underdogproject.org/

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