Adoption Room Helpers:  Most volunteers spend their time working with the animals in cat and dog adoption. The top priorities for all volunteers in these areas are to help visitors safely interact with the animals and to keep the animals’ environment healthy and clean.

Other opportunities in our adoption areas include socializing, walking, grooming and matching adopters with the right pet. The longer you volunteer (allowing us to get to know your skills better), the more options we can provide.

Lobby Greeter: These volunteers are the first point of contact for people coming in the door – answering basic questions and directing visitors to the appropriate place. Lobby Greeters need to be outgoing and comfortable greeting new people.  They need to be 14 plus years old. Greeters sign up for a weekly Tuesday-Friday shift (9:30-11, 11-1, 1-3, 3-5:30) or a bi-weekly Saturday shift (9:30-12, 12-2, 2-4).

Wildlife Transport Volunteer (currently inactive):

We receive injured and orphaned wildlife at the Shelter and we need to send those animals to licensed wildlife rehabilitators, almost all of whom are out of our area.  We are looking for adult volunteers who are interested in helping transport these animals from Animal Services to the rescues, most likely in Graham and Lynnwood.

This is an on-call position and there are no set shifts or required minimum hours.  Once we have transport volunteers on board, we will send out an email/text to the group to let them know that we have an animal who needs transport.  Whoever is available can then sign up for that transport.

This position does not involve volunteering at the Shelter or handling/touching the wildlife.  Transport volunteers are responsible for covering the cost of their transports.  (Animal Services cannot reimburse you for the cost of gas.)

Transport Volunteer Requirements:

• • • Be 18+ years old.
    • Have a valid Washington Driver’s License, reliable transportation, and automobile liability insurance with minimum coverage and limits as required by Washington State.
    • Have a driving record that includes no more than 4 minor convictions in the last 12 months or 5 minor convictions in the last 24 months provided that not more than one of the minor violations is for negligent driving.

Additional Volunteer Help:

• • Foster parents – provide a short-term home for animals;
  • Grounds helpers – maintain the grounds;
  • Humane Educators – teach kids about pet care and safety around animals;
  • Office helpers – clerical work;
  • Project helpers – assist with special projects as needed;
  • Public events – help staff information booths at community events;
  • Publicity – take pictures of our animals for online postings and create educational posters and campaigns;

…and much more!

Volunteers help at the Shelter during working hours.  The Shelter is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:30-5:30 and 9:30-4:00 on Saturday.

Most positions require a minimum of 4 hours each month for a period of 6 months (or longer!) Lobby Greeters sign up for a 2-2.5 hour weekly Tuesday-Friday shift, or a bi-weekly Saturday shift for a period of at least 6 months.

You must be at least 14 years old to volunteer at the shelter. Junior volunteers, 11-13 years old, must be accompanied by a responsible adult volunteer at all times while at the Shelter, including orientation.

If you need to fulfill community service hours, you will need to talk to the Volunteer Coordinator before you attend an orientation. We cannot sign off on any hours unless we have made arrangements in advance.

We can sign off on volunteer hours or projects for school, the courts, or any other group AFTER you’ve met the minimum commitment of volunteering 4 hours a month for 6 months.

For court-required community service, you must be at least 18 years old.  Court-required community service volunteers are often called on to do projects for the shelter that do not include hands-on time with the animals.

Make a reservation to attend a volunteer orientation. Orientations are offered when we have a need for volunteers in specific positions or shifts.  Orientations last around 75 minutes and cover basic information about volunteering and Animal Services. Dates and times of upcoming orientations are posted HERE, as well as on  Facebook.

If after the orientation you feel that volunteering at the shelter would be a good fit for you, you may submit a volunteer application. (Applications are handed out at the volunteer orientations.) The application includes background check paperwork and your social security number is required.

It takes a couple weeks to process your application and background check. After that, we will contact you to schedule your first volunteer shift. This is when you will get your hands-on training.

After volunteering 10 hours at the Shelter, all volunteers who work with the animals must pass a dog or cat body language written quiz.