Volunteering at the Humane Society...?

Question

I'd really like to volunteer at my local Humane Society, but I'm going to be moving (not far) in mid-April--should I wait to apply until after I'm settled in? Also, does anyone know what kind of things a volunteer would typically do, and how many hours a day/week I'll need to volunteer? Is there any room for changing hours? I take some classes at college through Running Start, so my schedule gets shuffled around a bit every quarter; I want to make sure I'm able to commit to this. Thank you!

Answer 1

typically, they work around your schedule, as it is voluntary.....commit to what you can and no more.....you will likely help clean the cages and pet and walk the animals....you will not be required/allowed in most cases to euthanize any animals or go out on animal control calls. You will be the person who is responsible for socializing the animals....making them feel comfortable around people....you can also teach them things, like to sit....anything to make them more likely to be adopted. good luck.....start when you can.

Answer 2

Would you be volunteering at a different shelter after you move? If yes, I would wait until then to volunteer. The reason is that the shelters do train you to do the job and they won't want to put in the time/resources to train you and then have you leave soon after. Otherwise, if you'd be volunteering at the same shelter and just may have to take some time off for your move, I think that's fine and you should go ahead and volunteer now!

Shelters are used to having volunteers whose schedules get shuffled around. Lots of students volunteer, which means they may have to change to a new shift every semester. They understand this and make accommodations for it.

The shelter here makes you choose an area to work in when you apply. IE: Dog walking, dog care, cat care, adoptions, fostering, etc. Cat/dog care refers to things like cleaning cages, brushing the animals, playing with them (socialization), etc. With adoptions, sometimes you interview the adopting families, call to check up on people after they've adopted, things like that. Fostering is similar, but with foster families.

My shelter requires a 2-hour/week commitment. I think that's probably fairly normal but of course each shelter will be different.

Volunteering at a shelter is really rewarding! I definitely recommend doing it. However, be prepared for the not-so-nice parts of the job. Last year, I went in and found out a cat had been put down. This is a no-kill shelter, but when there are severe issues, they have to be put down. Well I was REALLY upset when I found out and went to the coordinator - this cat's problems stemmed NOT from any long-term issues but from the fact that he was cooped up in a cage day in and day out!! The cats develop severe behavioral issues because many can't leave their cages for long periods of time for sometimes 6 months. It's a very sad part of working in a shelter and you really need to be prepared for it (though you can never be totally prepared for that).

Also, in many shelters the staff are very disorganized when it comes to volunteers. This seems to be a running theme amongst most shelters and can be frustrating. We've been yelled at by staff who don't want to deal with the volunteers, etc. It's a real problem and you have to just think of the animals and try to ignore these issues. Remember -  you're a volunteer and don't have to be there. They have no right to treat you poorly, so tell a manager or volunteer coordinator if you run into that issue.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I would put your volunteer application right away. The Humane Society often has many, many people wanting to volunteer there. Where I live there is a waiting list. So get on it soon!

Answer 4

The number of hours you commit is up to you, but you need to show up as promised.  We did a lot of socialization, cage cleanup, grooming and exercising for the dogs.  I would go ahead and contact the facility and let them know your start date.  We had an orientation program we had to go through before we were allowed to work as volunteers.  Maybe it will work out that you start the orientation now, but start working after your move.