I want to volunteer at an animal shelter, but I'm only 14. Anyone know where I can voluteer? Please?

Question

I need something to do over the summer and I thought that volunteering at an animal shelter would be fun. I love working with animals (any kind). But I need to find an animal shelter that will let me volunteer. I'm 14 and I'm ready to volunteer. The shelter has to be in San Jose, but if you have an animal shelter link for any animal shelters in California I'll be glad to check it out. Thank You.

Answer 1

I see that a few of the shelters in the Valley require age 16 or 18

Try this one, not sure about the age requirement

Metro Cats

Contact: Joan Elias

5770 Winfield Blvd space #88

San Jose, CA  95123

408 578 6371

Also check the link below about the Humane Society of Silicon Valley education programs.

You might try "googling" for rescue groups in San Jose for various dog breeds.  Try something like "dog rescue san jose" (not in quotes).  The rescue groups might welcome volunteers, especially during the summer vacation period.  I found one for Boxers and pasted it below.

You could also volunteer to walk dogs for neighbors.  You might even get paid something for that!

Answer 2

oh my goodness, maybe i'll see you this summer. i want to do the same thing, and i'm 14, and i live right near san jose; which is santa clara. i'm not so sure though, it'd be better to talk to managers in person though so they can get a feel for you n stuff.

Answer 3

As far as the age limit goes, it all depends on the shelter or rescue.

EACH organization has different rules. Some you have to be 18 years old, some 16, some younger, and some will let you volunteer with a parent or sign a contract. You will have to check with each shelter to see what policy they have.

To find some shelters, you can visit this link.  (and to get you started I provided a short list of organizations, there are many more, at the end of my post)

visit : http://www.petfinder.com/

Scroll down, and on the left it says "Find Animal Welfare Groups".

You can put in your location/zip code and it will provide you with a list of all of the animal rescues and shelters in your area.

Go through the list, call them, visit them, or take a look at there websites to see what their age limit is.

Thats the best way of finding out who you can volunteer with.

http://www.volunteermatch.org/ is also a great website for finding shelters and organizations to volunteer with and it will show you when you search which shelters are teen friendly.

Also, I find shelters to have a more strict policy and age limit. Rescues, who work off of foster homes (homes that take in animals until they get adopted), are more lenient about the age limit.

It was difficult for me to find a shelter to volunteer with when I was your age, I had to look for a couple of months until I finally found a shelter that would let me volunteer(the age limit was 13 and over w/ parent supervision). It worked out great!

It was nice spending more time with my mom.

Volunteering at a shelter is a lot of fun, but some people sometimes have bad experiences and don't want to volunteer because they have been to a bad, high kill shelter. Not all shelters are high kill and if you volunteer with one shelter and have a bad experience that doesn't mean you should stop. Just keep looking for the animal organization that suits you because they are all different. Some will let you play with the animals, and some might want you to do the dirty work, like cleaning up p**p, vomit, laundry, etc.

Just remember to never give up on your search, keep trying, there are MANY MANY shelters and rescues out there and they ALL need your help.

Also, a GREAT website that could help you a lot is http://www.humaneteen.org/?q=forum

The Humane Teen (one of the Humane Society of the United State's programs) website has great suggestion on how teens can help animals (volunteering, fundraising, clubs,..etc.). You can even get advice and help from other teens on the message board or the Humane Advisory Board members. I think that this website would help you so much! Check it out. :)

Good luck!

Here is the list

(you will have to visit their websites or call for the age limit)  Remember to also check volunteermatch.com

Organization Pet List City, State/Prov Phone

Finding Keepers 4 Creatures  San Jose, CA email

City of San José Animal Care Center  San Jose, CA 408/ 578-7297

13th St Cats  San Jose, CA 408-566-3637

Purr.fect Feline Companions  San Jose, CA  

TikiHut Akita Rescue Association (TARA)  San Francisco, CA  

South Bay Purebred Rescue  San Jose, CA 408-629-8293

Nike Animal Rescue Foundation (NARF)  San Jose, CA 408-224-NARF (6273)

Bay Area Boxer Rescue  San Jose, CA 408-787-0700

Katz Luv Us  San Jose, CA 408-971-6489

Toy Breed Rescue  San Jose, CA 408-379-5554

Animal Rescue and Care Network Inc.  Santa Clara, CA  

Humane Society Silicon Valley  Santa Clara, CA 408-727-3383

Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority  Santa Clara, CA 408-764-0344

CARE Companion Animal Rescue Effort  San Jose, CA 408/ 227-2273

Bay Area Siberian Husky Rescue/Referral  Campbell, CA 800-473-BASH

Pet Awareness Welfare Society for San Jose ACS  Campbell, CA 877-729-7475

Shelter Cocker Rescue - Northern California  San Jose, CA  

Our Pack, Inc.  San Jose, CA 4084604244

Group Education to Protect and Defend Animals  San Jose, CA  

NorCal Boxer Rescue Inc.  Davis, CA 408-231-8036

German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California Inc  Cupertino, CA (866) SAVE-GSD

Homeless Kitties  Los Gatos, CA please email

Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary  Cupertino, CA 408-420-7233

Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue  San Jose, CA  

The Pet Network Inc.  Saratoga, CA 408-450-2452

Unconditional Love Animal Rescue and Placement  Los Gatos, CA [phone]

Bay Area Cat Rescue  Mountain View, CA 650 279 4333

Fat Cat Rescue  Mountain View, CA  

Bostons by the Bay - Northern CA Boston Terrier Rescue  Mountain View, CA  

Companion Animal Rescue League  San Jose, CA  

Humanimal Connection Inc.  Redwood City, CA 650 578-4478

Ohlone Humane Society  Fremont, CA [phone]

Tri-City Animal Shelter  Fremont, CA 510-790-6640

Peninsula CatWorks  Palo Alto, CA [phone]

Palo Alto Animal Services  Palo Alto, CA 650-496-5971

Purrfect Cat Rescue  Fremont, CA 510-739-1597

Furry Friends Rescue  Fremont, CA 510-794-4703

Calys Cats Feline Rescue  Stanford, CA 650-793-4273

Stanford Cat Network  Stanford, CA [phone]

Pound Puppy Rescue  Palo Alto, CA  

NorCal Irish Setter Rescue, Inc.  Cupertino, CA [phone]

NorCal German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue  Menlo Park, CA 408-402-2092

Town Cats  Morgan Hill, CA 408-779-5761

Nine Lives Foundation  Redwood City, CA 650-368-1365

Santa Cruz County Animal Services  Scotts Valley, CA [phone]

House Rabbit Society  Redwood City, CA 650-868-7474

Rattie Ratz: Rescue, Resource, and Referral  Mountain View, CA 650-704-5368

Northern California Bulldog Rescue  Woodside, CA 6508513386

California Bengal Cat Rescue  Redwood City, CA  

Tuffies Animal Rescue  Pleasanton, CA [phone]