I want to work in an animal shelter...or at least volunteer...?

Question

Well im 13 and i love animals especially dogs and cats and i've done research about both animals and know the breeds well i dont even think they would ever hire someone young as me to work but can i volunteer i have mostly nothing to do in the house and i clean the house but after that i just go to my laptop and such im very responsible and i want to know where can i volunteer in a local animal shelter around brooklyn,ny or such but i dont even think they would hire me

if they dont hire me to volunteer/work at what age can I work? or at least volunteer I want to make some money well at least volunteer in there because i love animals.....but if i have allergies [[not bad]] would there be something wrong??

Answer 1

most humane societies have volunteer programs for 10- 16 year olds. check on your local humane society's website, that's what i did :-).

Answer 2

As far as the age limit goes, it all depends on the shelter or rescue. I am sure that plenty of people on here will tell you specific ages like 18 or 16, but its not that simple.

EACH organization has different rules, different policies. Some you have to be 18 years old, some 16, some 13, some younger, and some will let you volunteer with a parent or sign a contract. They are all different, and the only way to find out is to check with each shelter to see what policy they have. By calling or visiting the organization's website you should be able to find the age limit, AS well as your tasks (walking animals, playing with them, cleaning up...etc.).

As far as work goes, sorry to say so, but no one is going to hire you.  You usually have to be 15 or 16 to get a job, and for a job at an animal shelter you usually have to be18 or 19.  To get a job at an animal shelter you also usually have to already have gone to college and be a certified vet tech or veterinarian or have a degree in business or administration to work at the front office.  So at 13, there will be no jobs available for you.  Sorry.

To find shelters/rescues, follow these directions:

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 with 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. Some might have great outreach, spay/neuter, and other programs that you can get involved with. Your experience just depends on the shelter/rescue.

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. :)

ALSO, just to get you started, I found you a list of shelters/rescues to contact (But there are many more than these). Good luck!

Organization Pet List City, State/Prov Phone

DALMATIAN ADOPTION, INC.  Brooklyn, NY 718 522-4782

IN OUR HANDS RESCUE  Brooklyn, NY 718 836-4023

Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition  Brooklyn, NY 718-360-9918

Infinite Hope  Brooklyn, NY  

WOOF! (Wagging On and On Forever!)  Brooklyn, NY 718 783 3432

Place For Cats  New York, NY 212-751-2093

Paws To Love Adoptions Inc.  New York, NY  

NYC Siamese Rescue  New York, NY Please email

Tigger Foundation  New York, NY 347-393-3649

Urban Cat League.org  New York, NY  

PURRBARK Brooklyn Rescue  Brooklyn, NY  

Slope Street Cats  Brooklyn, NY  

The Brooklyn Animal Foster Network  Brooklyn, NY Please e-mail

City Critters Inc.  New York, NY [phone]

New York City Rescued Kitties  New York, NY 212 353 9783

Waggytail Rescue  New York, NY EMAIL ONLY

Empty Cages Collective  Brooklyn, NY 1 [phone]

B.A.R.C. (Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition)  Brooklyn, NY 718-486-7489

First Run Medical Rescue Fund for Animals  New York, NY 212-979-6014

IGCA Rescue Affiliate - NYC/NJ/Eastern PA  New York, NY  

K9Kastle  New York, NY Please E-Mail

KittyKind  New York, NY [phone]

Gotham City Kitties, Inc.  New York, NY  

Eskies Online American Eskimo Dog Rescue  New York, NY 617-216-9483

Metropolitan Maltese Rescue  New York, NY 212-242-1151

Kensington Kitties  Brooklyn, NY 347-414-5066

Sean Casey Animal Rescue  Brooklyn, NY [e-mail]

Louis Animal Foundation Inc.  New York, NY [phone]

Bideawee  New York, NY 212 532 4455

Barbara the Cat Lady  Brooklyn, NY please e-mail

Picasso Veterinary Fund  New York, NY 917-449-2448

NYC Shiba Rescue, Inc.  New York, NY 917-292-9285

Companion Animal Placement  Hoboken, NJ  

Northeast Boston Terrier Rescue Inc.  New York, NY  

Heart and Hand Society  New York, NY 212-421-7920

Heavenly Huskies & Cuddly Canines Rescue  Brooklyn, NY  

Humane Society of New York  New York, NY 212-752-4842

Companion Animal Trust  Jersey City, NJ Please email

Lafayette/Bergen Animal Rescue  Jersey City, NJ 201-985-0406

All About Labs Rescue Inc.  New York, NY 501-333-2833

Anjellicle Cats Rescue  New York, NY  

Spay Neuter Intervention Project  Maspeth, NY  

Maspeth Bird Haven Inc.  Maspeth, NY  

My Loveable Rescues  Queens, NY  

Tavi & Friends  Brooklyn, NY 646-872-1533 / 1519

Muffin's Pet Connection  Brooklyn, NY  

Hudson County Animal League  Jersey City, NJ 201-200-1008

TLC Rescue Inc.  Jersey City, NJ please email

A Call 4 Paws  Jersey City, NJ [phone]

Heaven On Earth Four Paws  Jersey City, NJ 201-823-4303

Liberty Humane Society  Jersey City, NJ 201-547-4147

2000 Spays and Neuters Animal Rescue  New York, NY  

SADD Dog Rescue  New York, NY  

Stray From The Heart  New York, NY 212-496-1053

Lindas Feral Cat Assistance  Woodside, NY [phone]

Woof Dog Rescue Inc.  New York, NY 212-517-PAWS

Sugar Mutts Rescue  New York, NY 646-732-3795

Kings Highway Cat Rescue  Brooklyn, NY email only

Animal Care and Control of New York City - Brooklyn  Brooklyn, NY 212-788-4000

Savekitty Foundation  Bellerose, NY 347-993-3163

Mighty Mutts  Brooklyn, NY 718-946-1074

The Artemis Project  New York, NY Please Email

NY PET-I-CARE ADOPTION PROGRAM  New York, NY 212 614-7194

Uptown Cats  New York, NY 646-701-1812

Waggin Train Rescue  New York, NY  

ARTRA Corp./National Rat Terrier Rescue  New York, NY [phone]

New Yorkers for Companion Animals (NYCA)  New York, NY 212 427-8273

Posh Pets Rescue  New York, NY 917 319 -4304

Zani's Furry Friends  New York, NY 000000000000000000

ASPCA  New York, NY 212-876-7700 x4120

Treasured k9s  West New York, NJ 877-774-8597

Lend-A-Paw Animal Rescue Foundation of New Jersey  North Bergen, NJ  

Animal Center of Queens  Rego Park, NY 718-424-3340

Franciss Friends Inc  Astoria, NY 347-393-3649

Animal Care and Control of New York City  New York, NY 212-788-4000

C.A.R.E. Companion Animal Rescue & Education  Bayonne, NJ 201-436-6595

Manhattan Valley Cat Rescue  New York, NY 212-2229007

Vancouver Dog Training, Inc.  New York, NY 212-877-7116

Kittyshockwave  New York, NY 718-238-4605

Neighborhood Cats Inc.  New York, NY 212-662-5761

Happy Feet  Secaucus, NJ  

Friendly Ferals, Inc.  Forest Hills, NY 917-579-5718

Companion Animal Network Television  Forest Hills, NY 718-544-PETS (7387)

Second Chance Boxer Rescue Inc.  Dumont, NJ 877-281-3146

Bobbi & the Strays  Ozone Park, NY  

CSM Stray Foundation (USA) Inc.  New York, NY  

Angels for Animals Network  Cliffside Park, NJ  

Strictly Strays Inc.  Staten Island, NY 718-876-9991

Greater New York Bichon Frise Fanciers Rescue  Kew Garden Hills, NY  

For Animals Inc.  New York City, NY 917-257-6759

KittyKaretakers of Queens  Jamaica, NY [phone]

Associated Humane Societies-Newark  Newark, NJ 973-824-7080

Second Chance Pets  Staten Island, NY 718-698-1400

P.L.U.T.O (Pet Lovers United Together as One)  Staten Island, NY [phone]

Animal Haven  Flushing, NY [phone]

Friends of Strays Inc  Flushing, NY 718-969-6688

Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue, Inc.  Flushing, NY EMAIL ONLY, PLEASE!

Strays from the Heights  New York, NY  

Earth Angels - Emelinda Narvaez  New York, NY 917-648-7070

Animal Life Savers Inc.  Palisades Park, NJ