What to Expect When Volunteering at Your Animal Shelter

Do you love animals? Are you looking for a way to give something back? You might enjoy volunteering at your local animal shelter. During the cold winter months they fill up with animals and their volunteers tend to decrease. It’s the perfect time for you to get started. Here’s what to expect.

#1 Training
Regardless of the type of volunteer work you’re going to be doing at your local animal shelter, chances are you’ll have to participate in some type of training. This training is important because it helps protect both you and the animals in your care. For example, if you’re going to be taking care of small rodents like bunnies and guinea pigs, you’ll need to know how to handle them so they don’t get injured.

#2 Commitment
Most animal shelters require a weekly commitment from their volunteers. This helps them best manage their staff and make sure that all animals receive the proper care. If you cannot commit to volunteering an hour or two each week, it may not be the right opportunity for you.

#3 Choices

There are so many ways you can volunteer at your local animal shelter. Here are some of the myriad of opportunities:

• Dog walker – Help dogs get their daily exercise
• Cat handler – Play with and interact with cats so they’re properly socialized
• Dog coach/trainer – Work with the dogs to help increase their adoptability
• Bunny/small animal handler – Work with the small animals to help socialize them
• Groomer – Help the animals feel more comfortable and more presentable by grooming them
• Adoption assistant – Help people and families find the best match for them
• Foster parent – Care for pets in your home and help train and socialize them making them better candidates for adoption
• Fundraising/behind the scenes – You don’t have to work directly with animals to make a difference. You can volunteer your services and help manage your local animal shelter. Help with fundraising events, staff training, volunteer recruiting and more.

#4 Be Prepared to Get Your Hands Dirty
Working with animals is a dirty job. You may be asked to clean cages and you’ll most certainly come home covered in pet hair. If you have allergies or issues with getting dirty, you may prefer to help in a more administrative capacity. Don’t worry, all volunteers are appreciated. In fact, because so many people want to work with the animals, the administrative responsibilities often get overlooked by volunteers.

#5 What’s Next?
Your local animal shelter likely has volunteer information right on their website. Visit their site and learn what you need to do to get started. If there’s no information, simply pick up the phone or drop in and see how you can help.

Want to Help Animals? How to Donate to Your Local Animal Shelter

Animal shelters across the country are filled to capacity. The ongoing animal control problem is part of the problem. The expense of caring for an animal is another. People simply cannot afford to keep their pets. Shelters require a great deal of help to continue caring for their animals. If you’re an animal lover, you can help in a number of ways.

Donate Money

One of the simplest ways to help your local animal shelter is to donate money. Many shelters have a donation button right on their website. Click the button, choose the amount you want to donate and save your receipt for tax time. Some shelters even allow you to set up recurring payments so you can donate every month.

Another way to donate money is to attend shelter fundraising events. For example, the Humane Society often holds races to help raise awareness and money. Sign up for a race and a portion of your race fee will go toward helping pay for the cost of animal care.

Donate Supplies

In addition to donating money, you may be able to donate supplies to your local animal shelter. Shelters commonly need:

• Cat food
• Dog food
• Food bowls
• Bedding for cats and dogs
• Bedding for rodents
• Leashes, collars, and harnesses
• Crates
• Unused dog and cat toys

Contact your local animal shelter to see what supplies they need most. If they house livestock they may also need hay, veterinary care, and other livestock supplies.

Donate Your Belongings

Some animal shelters have other means to raise funds. For example, a local Humane Society may have a thrift store. Proceeds from the thrift store go to help pay for the care of the animals. You can donate to the Humane Society by donating your gently used items to the thrift store. It’s a great way to get rid of clutter and help a charity at the same time.

Donate Your Time

Finally, almost every single animal shelter in the country could use a few more volunteers. They need people to walk dogs, play with cats, and care for the animals by cleaning out their crates. They also need people to help with press and publicity, recruit volunteers, train volunteers and much more. You can apply your specialized skills and help a local shelter. Whether you help care for the animals or help manage or promote the shelter, your time and skills are needed.

If you want to help animals and are unsure how you can give back to your community, consider donating your time, energy, or money to your local animal shelter. It can be a wonderful feeling to know you’ve helped make the life of an animal better.