Volunteer

Do cats have a special place in your heart? Our Cat Care Volunteers help maintain a clean, stimulating, and loving environment for our feline residents. Ideal volunteers are comfortable handling cats of all personalities—from shy to outgoing—and enjoy creating calm, happy spaces.

Duties include cleaning litter boxes, refreshing food and water, socializing with cats, and helping keep their spaces cozy and safe.

Training will be provided on proper cat handling and care.

Must be at least 16 years old.

Required Training: Attend New Volunteer Orientation, attend Cats 101 Workshop, complete 2 shadow shifts as a Cat Care volunteer

Shift Times:

• 8-10 am
• 5-7 pm

Responsibilities Include:

• Feeding cats
• Documenting findings in each cat’s medical chart
• Loading and unloading cat dishes in dishwasher
• Spot cleaning kennels
• Change and/or shake out their blankets
• Cleaning litter boxes
• Sweeping and tidying up Kitty City and feature rooms in the hall way
• Disinfecting the litter scoops

Are you ready to get active and make a difference in a dog’s day? Dog Care Volunteers provide exercise, socialization, and enrichment for our shelter dogs through walks, playtime, and positive interaction. Your time will help keep dogs happy, healthy, and ready for their new homes.

Ideal volunteers are comfortable handling dogs of different sizes and energy levels, enthusiastic about outdoor activity, and committed to following safety guidelines. Must be comfortable with all size dogs and dogs that pull on the leash.

Training is provided to ensure safe and effective care.

Must be at least 16 years old.

Required Training: Attend New Volunteer Orientation, attend Dogs 101 Workshop, complete 2 shadow shifts as a Dog Care volunteer

Shift Times:

• 8-10 am
• 5/7 pm

Responsibilities Include:

• Feeding dogs
• Documenting findings in each dog’s medical chart
• Loading and unloading dog bowls in dishwasher
• Spot cleaning kennels
• Change and/or shake out blankets
• Cleaning up after the dog (picking up poop)
• Walking adult dogs for at least 15 minutes
• Sweeping and mopping the community room after puppy playtime

Are you interested in animal health and medical care? Treatment Room Volunteers assist our operations coordinators by comforting our animals through treatments and maintaining cleanliness in their living space.

Volunteers should be detail-oriented, calm under pressure, and eager to learn about animal healthcare. Previous experience in cat or dog care is required. This role requires maturity and the ability to follow strict protocols to keep animals healthy and safe.

Must be at least 16 years old.

Required Training: Attend New Volunteer Orientation, attend Cats and Dog 101 Workshops, current 6-month volunteering and complete 2 shadow shifts with Operations Lead

Shift Times:

• 8-10 am
• 5-7 pm

Responsibilities Include:

• Feeding cats and dogs
• Documenting findings in each animal’s medical chart
• Loading and unloading dishes in dishwasher
• Spot cleaning kennels
• Change and/or shake out their blankets
• Cleaning litter boxes/walking dogs
• Wearing Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) when necessary

At Valley Humane Society, our customer service representatives (CSRs) embrace and exemplify our vision, our mission and our values. CSRs create a welcoming space in our facility, act as a trustworthy source to the public, present information in a non-threatening way, and provide a direct, positive, and personal experience to Valley Humane customers, potential adopters, and community members. CSRs suspend personal judgment and give customers the benefit of the doubt.

The ideal CSR has a customer service, reception, or retail background and must be comfortable interacting with different types of people in person, over the phone, and sometimes by email. You should be professional in demeanor and flexible to roll with the unexpected. With additional training, this role can lead to the volunteer position of Adoption Counselor, and you can learn how to complete adoptions on your own.

Must be at least 18 years old. This position is based on an interview process.

Required Training: Attend New Volunteer Orientation, complete 2 shadow shifts with a lead front desk volunteer

Shift Times:

• Tuesday – Saturday, 9:45 am-1 pm
• Tuesday – Saturday, 12:45-4 pm

Responsibilities Include:

• Interacting with the public
• Answering phone inquiries
• Giving walk-in appointments a tour of the facility and showcasing any potential adoption interests
• Receiving walk-in donations from the community
• On going training to become an adoption counselor

Do you enjoy meeting new people and supporting animals looking for loving homes? As an Event Volunteer at Valley Humane Society, you’ll play an important role at our adoption events by helping with set-up, welcoming visitors, providing information about our animals, and assisting adopters throughout the day.

Your friendly presence helps create a positive and welcoming atmosphere that encourages successful adoptions. This role is perfect if you enjoy working with people and want to make a direct impact on our animals’ future. Volunteers should be outgoing, organized, and ready to support a variety of tasks at different event locations.

Adoption event schedules vary, and volunteers are typically scheduled based on event needs.

Must be at least 18 years old.

Required Training: Attend New Volunteer Orientation, attend Cat and/or Dog 101 Workshops, and be an active cat or dog care volunteer for at least 6 months

Shift Times: Varies based on location and times. Shifts are typically on weekends.

Responsibilities Include:

• Interacting with the public
• Carrying items and animals up to 50 pounds
• Answering basic questions about Valley Humane Society and adoptable animals to guests
• Overseeing animals at event locations to ensure they are calm and safe

Are you passionate about photography and animals? As a Media Volunteer at Valley Humane Society, you’ll use your skills to take high-quality photos of our animals to help showcase their personalities and boost their chances of finding loving homes. Your images may be featured on our website, social media, and adoption listings, making a real difference in connecting pets with adopters.

In addition to photographing animals, you’ll capture special moments at events and volunteers in action, helping tell the story of our community’s dedication to animal welfare. This role is perfect for creative individuals who want to contribute behind the scenes while supporting a great cause.

Experience with photography is preferred but not required—just bring your enthusiasm and eye for capturing meaningful moments.

Must be at least 16 years old.

Required Training: Attend New Volunteer Orientation, attend Cat and/or Dog 101 Workshops, and be an active cat or dog care volunteer for at least 6 months and complete 2 shadow shifts

Shift Times: Flexible hours. Must be active at least once a month.

Responsibilities Include:

• Photographing animals in a stressful environment
• Walking or carrying animals to a photo area
• Uploading photos to digital repository
• Travel to off-site event locations

Are you a lover of animals and not afraid to get your hands a little dirty? Then you might just be interested in our volunteer position with the Cleaning Crew! Cleaning crew members help maintain a clean, safe, and healthy environment for the animals in our care. Their work ensures that our facility is welcoming to visitors and potential adopters.

The ideal cleaning crew member is detail-oriented and self-motivated. You should be able to follow directions, work independently or as part of a team, and be prepared for physical activity—including lifting, bending, and extended periods on your feet. Volunteers may assist with washing dishes and laundry, sanitizing surfaces, and restocking supplies.

If you have a strong work ethic, a heart for animals, and a desire to make a real impact behind the scenes, we’d love to have you join our team!

Must be at least 16 years old.

Required Training: Attend New Volunteer Orientation, attend Cleaning Crew Workshop, complete 1 Shadow Shift

Shift Times:

• 8-10 am
• 5-7 pm

Responsibilities Include:

• Sweep and mop floors
• Wipe down and sanitize windows and walls
• Empty trash and recycling bins
• Fold and sort clean laundry as directed
• Keep shelves organized and stocked with clean towels, blankets, and cleaning supplies for animal care volunteers
• Follow all sanitation and cross-contamination prevention guidelines

No, unfortunately each volunteer must be able to do the required job on their own with no assistance. We do not have “parent child volunteering”. Please read our Essential Job Function for details.

We do not have “team” volunteering. Each individual must be be able to do the required job with no assistance.

All volunteers must complete the New Volunteer Orientation and the appropriate training workshops and shadow training for their assigned paths.

We appreciate your enthusiasm of our volunteer program, but we rely 100% on volunteers to care for the animals, therefore each volunteer must make a commitment and work a weekly shift on a set schedule. We do not have drop in volunteering.

Volunteers must be at least 16 years old and willing to make a one year commitment.

We do offer volunteer opportunities for youth working on community service hours. We ask for a six month commitment and working a weekly shift. The same volunteer requirements apply.

We do not offer “Court Ordered” community service hours.

All new volunteers must purchase a Volunteer Starter Kit for $30 that will set you up with a volunteer t-shirt, name badge, and volunteer manuals. This fee allows us to provide your materials without taking any money away from the support of the animals in our care.

Please fill out and mail in the handler application and dog application. Please read about our program here**. After review you will then be contacted to attend a Canine Comfort Orientation where you will learn about VHS and our history and how to get involved with our Canine Comfort Program.

If you have any questions, please contact Volunteer Program Manager Shoshannah Reed.