Hands-On Animal Care

"Hands-on" animal care is crucial to the work we do. Unlike many other volunteer activities which might be skipped and picked up another day, volunteers who work directly with Shelter pets recognize that these living beings count on regular care -- food and water, a clean liviing area, personal attention, and sometimes medicines and/or special needs services. These volunteers must be committed to providing that care. While everyone has an occasional emergency or need for a day off, direct animal care volunteers must recognize and support their roles as important members of the Shelter's rescue and rehabilitation team.

"Hands-on" animal care can include various combinations of the following responsibilities:

Dogs: dog walking kenneled dogs, dog play yard supervision and play, dog walking crated dogs and crate cleaning, feeding dogs, dog training and socialization, dog grooming, kennel cleaning and grounds pickup.

Cats: open cat room cleaning, caged cat room cleaning, cat socialization, cat grooming, feeding cats including bottle-feeding orphans or kittens whose mother can't provide enough nutrition to them, cat play.

Dogs and Cats: monitor and evaluate the medical status of the animals, transport animals to and from vet visits, provide in-Shelter follow-up care.

Shelter Maintenance

Volunteers who work in Shelter maintenance provide the necessary services to maintain a healthy and safe environment for Shelter animals, Shelter workers and the public. Work includes any combination of the following: laundry, cleaning the common areas, e.g., halls and restrooms, lightbulb replacement in ceiling fixtures, regular cleaning of ceiling fans, filter changes of every type, yard cleanup, e.g., mowing and weedcutting. Anything that needs cleaning in a home, is probably also in need of cleaning at the Shelter.

Shelter Repairs: Volunteers who assist in Shelter repairs might be asked to fix a leaky faucet, replace a motion-sensor in an outdoor light fixture, repair an outlet or spackle and paint a wall patch. These odd jobs crop up from time to time, and accomplishing them in quick order keeps operations running more smoothly. These are varied but important jobs and they often impact directly on the quality of life of Shelter animals...for example, a volunteer comes to the Shelter after work to play with the dogs in the play yards -- if the outdoor lighting isn't working, the volunteer may not have enough light to inspect the yards or to monitor the dogs (some are diggers!). In this case, the dogs would miss a great opportunity to exercise, and to have one-on-one time for play and training with a volunteer. Volunteers who help the Shelter complete these odd jobs play an important role in the Shelter's ability to care for its residents.

Administrative Volunteer: Volunteers who help in this area provide important. This can include filing and record-keeping, ordering supplies, taking photos, finding information on the internet, making flyers, stuffing newsletters, and grant-writing, to name just a few. Like the variety in Shelter repair work and odd jobs, Administrative volunteers do "what needs doing." There are a myriad of details in everyday Shelter operations -- no two are alike!

Volunteers must be dependable, people-oriented, articulate, and be willing to promote the humane work of FOS. Because so much of our work is provided by volunteers, it is important that our volunteers report for their scheduled shifts. All volunteers must have a love and respect for animals.

Click here to complete a Shelter volunteer application.

Foster Volunteer

Often, the Shelter has residents who would do much better in a foster home. Some of these pets might be orphaned bottle-baby kittens, a geriatric pet, a frightened dog, kittens too young to vaccinate but no longer benefitting from the immunity provided from the nursing mother, or a pet recovering from a injury in need of "bed-rest." Foster volunteers are provided with food and supplies to care for their foster pet until the animal is returned to the Shelter for adoption.

Click here to complete a Shelter Foster Volunteer application.