We are grateful to all of our volunteers for coming out to the shelter to cuddle with our cats and play/walk our dogs. It gives the animals much needed attention and socialization. You are welcome to start volunteering at any time. Stop in and fill out a volunteer application and speak with a staff member to go over basic rules and “how to’s” for our shelter. Volunteers must be 16 years old. If you have any questions, please call us at 618-457-2362.
VOLUNTEER APPLICATION
Hiking with Shelter Dogs
We also have a Hiking With Shelter Dogs volunteer program. If interested, please stop in and fill out a volunteer application and check the hiking option. You will need to volunteer a couple of times at the shelter first. Then one of our Hiking Coordinators will call you to go out on a group hike in the Shawnee Forest. Join our Facebook group, Shelter Dogs in the Shawnee.
shelter dogs in the shawnee
Visit our YouTube Channel for more videos of our sweet pups!
Volunteer Guidelines
We welcome and need volunteers to play with our cats and exercise our dogs. Following these guidelines will help things go smoothly. NOTE: If the guidelines are not followed, the volunteer will be asked to leave the shelter.
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- Prospective volunteers first need to fill out a volunteer application. They are available at the front desk of the shelter.
- Volunteers can come any day except Tuesdays and holidays. We are open from 12-4:30 pm on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Our Sunday hours are from 1 pm to 4:30 pm. Volunteers are asked to call the shelter before coming out. Sometimes we have too many volunteers at the same time, and our shelter quarters become cramped.
- Children under the age of 16 are welcome to help with the animals for up to an hour at a time but must be accompanied by an adult. Each adult may supervise no more than two children. If the child does not behave in an appropriate manner, the parent or adult will be asked to leave, and will not be allowed to volunteer again.
- Volunteers are asked not to answer questions of potential adopters. While we value your help, most often the wrong information is given. If someone has a question about an animal or anything else, tell them to come to the front desk.
DOG GUIDELINES: Our dogs enjoy getting out of their kennels and being walked. They are only allowed to be walked on the grassy area just north of the shelter’s office. We have three different play areas that are fenced in for the dogs. If they are walked, without permission, down the road (Humane Road, Wood Road, etc.) or onto the grassy area by the house, the volunteer(s) will get a warning. If they continue to do this, they will be asked to leave the shelter and will not be allowed to come back and volunteer.
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- Always note what kennel you took the dog from. When taking a dog out for a walk, please make sure it is put into the right kennel when you come back in. This is very important because some of our dogs do not get along with others.
- No more than one dog can be walked by the same person at one time. We don’t want any of our dogs to get loose and run up on the highway.
- If there are two or more volunteers walking dogs at the same time, all dogs must be kept away from each other to avoid potential dog fights.
- All dogs must be kept on leashes at all times. The only exception is if the dog is in one of the three play areas.
- Once you have spent time with a dog, please mark the appropriate box on the doggie playtime chart.
If you have any questions about these guidelines the staff will gladly answer them for you. CAT GUIDELINES: Most of our cats love attention, but volunteers need to follow these guidelines to ensure safety.
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- Some of our cats do not like to be held. If there is a note on the cat’s kennel stating this, please do not hold it.
- To avoid possible catfights, only one cat is allowed out of its kennel at one time. Volunteers can expect occasional scratches.
- Please do not hold another cat until you have used hand sanitizer. We do not want to spread cold germs from cat to cat. At any given time we may have one or more cats that are sneezing and this is easily spread to individuals in a shelter environment.
- If you want to brush a cat, there are usually some brushes in the pink mouse bin on top of the kennels.
- Please report any water spills to the front desk so the staff can get it cleaned up as soon as possible.
- Once you have spent time with a cat, please mark the appropriate box on the kitty playtime chart.
These guidelines have been set for the safety of our animals and our volunteers. Thank you for volunteering at the Humane Society. We appreciate you!