Do you love animals and all the cute things they do to make their way into our hearts? Well, there’s no better way to help pets in need than to volunteer with a shelter program. Animal shelters are always looking for people to help them. Volunteer programs range in the animals you work with. Most will require you to visit an animal shelter and work with animals there. But if you take part in a fostering program, you may work with animals at your house to prepare them to find their fur-ever homes. The hardest part of volunteering at an animal shelter? Trying not to get attached to all the adorable animals there.
Signing Up
The volunteering process varies from shelter to shelter, but most require future volunteers to submit an application. This tells them a bit about yourself from your name to your interests and whether you are afraid of any animals or have any allergies. Some animal shelters also have age requirements for their volunteers. These shelters may require volunteers under a certain age to have a parent volunteer with them to help and supervise. Once they accept your application, you may have to take a training course. This course will teach you about the various responsibilities of a volunteer. You will learn rules the shelter has about interacting with the facility, your fellow volunteers, and the animals. You may also have to shadow a more experienced volunteer before you can work on your own.
Res-paw-nsibilities
When you volunteer at an animal shelter, you may end up doing anything from walking dogs to folding pamphlets. It depends on what they need help with. Some of the most common responsibilities of an animal shelter volunteer include; dog walking, socializing animals (Yep, this means playing with them!), feeding animals, bathing dogs, cleaning kennels, distributing flyers, and attending events (but there are plenty of other things you may do!).
Goals
Why volunteer at an animal shelter? When you volunteer at a shelter, you don’t only give the shelter a larger group of people to work with, you also give them more people to show the animals they work with that they are loved. Volunteering with shelter animals prepares them to find fur-ever homes that they may never have had otherwise!
