Volunteering at Pet Rescue Centres or Animal Shelters

Volunteers are an essential part of running a rescue centre or animal shelter. While many rescue centres receive financial donations that help them keep the centre running, the gift of time is another invaluable donation that people can make.

Types of Volunteering Activity

An animal rescue centre or shelter is dependent on people to help in all aspects of running the centre. This stretches from walking dogs through to carrying out pre-adoption checks. Types of volunteering include:

• Dog Walking – without a team of dog walkers, many rescue centres would struggle to look after so many dogs. Dogs need walking daily and this is a huge time investment, therefore volunteers who walk dogs allow the staff at rescue centres to concentrate on other things.
• Cat Socialising – cats need the love and attention of people even when they are in a rescue centre. Many centres have volunteers who will groom and give a cat attention. This is important as it keeps a cat used to the company of people and will ultimately help it settle quickly into a new family.
• Home Visits – part of the adoption process often entails a home visit. These are frequently carried out by volunteers. The volunteers are trained to know what to look for and how to approach a visit and are given plenty of support.
• Fund Raising – many animal rescue centres have regular fund raising events and these are often manned by volunteers. Some centres also operate charity shops and these are typically run by volunteer staff.
• Staffing Coffee or Gift Shops – larger organisations have gift stores, coffee shops and even visitor centres. These are often staffed by volunteers or a mix of volunteers and staff.

Requirements for Volunteering

The precise requirements will vary as to the different type of volunteering task and the criteria of a rescue centre. Most rescue centres will require that volunteers are fit to do the task in hand. They will also look for some level of commitment – especially where training is going to be invested in a volunteer. None of the requirements will be onerous, however, and are specifically designed to ensure the best for the animals and the volunteers.

Benefits of Volunteering

There are many benefits of volunteering and these include:

• Working With Animals – volunteering is a good way for young people who want to start a career in animal care to gain experience. This valuable experience will help support their CV or application to a college.
• Access to Animals for People Without Pets – volunteering is the perfect way for people without pets to experience the pleasure of being close to an animal. Dog walking, for instance, is the ideal way for someone who is unable to keep a dog to have access to one and enjoy its company. People who are unable to look after cats may welcome the opportunity to be a cat socialiser and spend time grooming or simply being with a cat.
• Training – many centres train volunteers and this, plus the other skills that will be learned, such as working within a team, are important skills that will transfer to other parts of life.

Volunteering is a rewarding activity and is an essential part of the animal rescue process.