animal shelter volunteer essay

My Experience Volunteering at an Animal Shelter

So, I found a plan B: volunteering at my local animal shelter. I realized that I didn’t need a fancy internship just to get the hands-on experience I was looking for. So, I spent the summer volunteering, and it was probably the best decision I have ever made.

Working at an animal shelter isn’t the most glamorous work. I can tell you from firsthand experience: Do not wear your favorite shirt when training the dogs how to sit and stay because the big slobbering kiss that the Boxer is going to give you is going all over it.  I wouldn’t wear new sneakers when feeding the cats either, especially near that one black tabby who shows her displeasure of particular food by spitting it out at random targets.

Despite all this, it’s an amazing and rewarding experience. While there are many tough chores, like cleaning up after the animals and washing their dirty beds, there are also fun ways to directly interact with the animals. I always love walking around and deciding which dog to take to the training room to teach new tricks. It’s always a difficult decision because the dogs always get so excited to see you, and it can be hard to just pick one.

I remember teaching a mixed breed Collie how to sit, and when I came back the next time, another volunteer had taught her how to do paw. So every time I came with a treat, without even giving the commands, she immediately sat and gave me her paw. The experience was as motivating and exciting as it was to teach my own Labradoodle puppy to do the same tricks. In addition to teaching the dogs tricks, you can also take them on walks and train them how to act appropriately on a walk. This is probably the most difficult task because each dog acts differently on their walk, and it becomes hard to gauge how each dog will react in certain situations.

When I first came to the shelter, I have to admit I was terrified of cats. But when I came with my friend, a cat lover, she convinced me to “socialize” the cats and interact with one of them directly. Slowly, my fear subsided, and now I love playing with the cats. While I still prefer hanging out with the dogs, I make sure to set aside enough time to go to the cat room during a visit, especially because most volunteers only come for the dogs.

Many people don’t realize the importance of donations for a shelter’s survival. Shelters often run low on basic and necessary supplies, like newspapers and towels. When I heard about this, I solicited small donations from my school to allow the shelter to purchase necessities, which made the shelter extremely grateful. People also don’t realize that in order to get involved, they don’t need to work hands-on at the shelter. There are so many other ways to contribute: raising money, soliciting donations, or even helping out at the front desk.

So, if you’re not a big fan of animals but still want to help, there are other ways to do so. Ultimately, plan B was a great decision!

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10 Reasons to Volunteer at an Animal Shelter

Are you looking for a way to give back? You might want to consider volunteering at your local animal shelter. Not only will you be giving back to an animal in need, you will discover other benefits, too.

1.Boost your mood and reduce stress: Naturally, volunteering produces good feelings about serving someone in need. Volunteering at a shelter has the added benefit of being around animals, which has shown to lower stress and blood pressure. Cuddling and petting animals also help boost your serotonin and dopamine levels, which in turn helps you relax and feel happy.

2. You are making a difference: As an animal shelter volunteer, your primary goal is to help make the animal adoptable. This involves feeding the animals so they can be a healthy weight, bathing and grooming them and helping abused or stray animals become accustomed to human interaction. All these tasks help the animal find a happy home and better life filled will love.

3. There is a big need for volunteers: Animal shelters can’t function without the help from volunteers. There are so many animals constantly being brought in and lots of tasks need to be done. Volunteering a couple of hours of your time every week can help give animals another chance.

4. Make new friends and become a team player: If you are an animal lover, chances are the other volunteers will be animal lovers too. You will be able to meet other like-minded individuals who are just as passionate about rescuing animal as well. Volunteering will also teach you how to work as a team to get major tasks done.

5. Gain work experience or service hours: Volunteering is a great way to get work experience or boost your resume. It is also a great way for high schoolers or young adults to get service hours. Just because you are volunteering doesn’t mean you aren’t developing new skills that will help you along your career.

6. Help develop a sense of responsibility and selflessness: Helping at an animal shelter can be a big responsibility. Not only are the animals depending on you, but the entire organization is also depending on you. You might think dog walking or socializing with cats isn’t making a difference, but it has a bigger impact than you know. Volunteering also helps you become selfless by giving your time to your community . All these skills help make a leader.

7. Something new and fun: If you need a change of pace, volunteering at your local animal shelter can give you something new to do. Invite your friends and make a day out of it. You will be able to bond with them and your new furry friends.

8. Not a people person? No problem: Let’s face it, not everyone is a people person and that’s OK. You will mostly be in contact with animals and focused on their care. This is perfect if you are shy or prefer keeping to yourself.

9. Stay active: Dog walking is one of the main tasks at shelters. Dog walking will help you get some fresh air and burn calories. Other tasks may involve a lot of cleaning which can also give you a small workout.

10. You get be around animals who need you: The best part about volunteering at a shelter are the animals! You get to play and care for cats and dogs while helping them get adopted. You will build bonds and see your new furry friend’s personalities develop. In turn you will experience the unconditional love only a dog or cat can give.

Are you experiencing depression or anxiety? Visit our Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Service page for more information.

You may also be interested in:

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Top Tips for Volunteer Success in an Animal Shelter or Rescue

Want your volunteers to embrace their work with commitment and enthusiasm? Here’s how to establish a win-win relationship with these critical and often unsung heroes that will have them inspired, empowered, and engaged. From transparency to accessibility to recognition and training, volunteers need straightforward information from recruitment through onboarding and (hopefully) years into their commitment to your animal shelter or rescue.

To ensure volunteer success, use these tips to create a motivating environment to retain your most crucial and valuable assets: your volunteers.

Be Accessible and Inclusive

Focus your messaging on how volunteers can best serve your organization to help prospective volunteers make an informed decision: is your program right for them? Consider these essential elements for proactive messaging and volunteer recruitment:

• Provide need-to-know information before  application submission (volunteer tasks, animals’ needs, etc.)
• Why consider your program
• How do community members get involved
• Minimum standards to participate (age, availability, proximity, etc.)
• Skills (highlight which are nice to have and which are required)
• Time commitment and schedule (highlight flexible schedule opportunities)
• Diverse volunteer roles and tasks, including those outside the shelter, like outreach, lost pet support, or foster.
• Where and when are opportunities available?

Though there will always be top volunteer needs operationally, attracting animal lovers of all interests and skill sets is helpful. Encouraging and empowering volunteers to be creative, whether their thing is social media, data, or baking, can increase your community engagement and lead to even more volunteer and donor support.

Another critical step in volunteer engagement is their onboarding. Streamlining the onboarding process helps reduce both short-term and long-term frustration for volunteers and staff and increases inspiration and motivation for new volunteers:

• Be flexible: Consider “fast-tracking” volunteers with known skills.
• Orient your volunteers to a culture of feedback;  check out this sample.
• Consider providing a pre-recorded training to describe the program before the prospective volunteers commit to reduce staff time and applicant frustration.
• Involve volunteers to train fellow volunteers – this empowers the mentors and inspires the mentees!

Be Transparent and Set Expectations

Be transparent with your volunteers so they have a deeper understanding of your organization’s opportunities and struggles. This will increase trust and empowerment.

• What are the needs of your animal population?
• What challenges might volunteers face (i.e., humane euthanasia decisions and compassion fatigue)?
• Are there opportunities to meet with or shadow different staff roles to learn new ways to help?

Engage volunteers to help where the needs are greatest.

• Motivate volunteers to support vital operational work (e.g., laundry, kennel cleaning) by asking them to do the “dirty work before the furry work.” Highlight the importance of this work for proper integrated care and overall animal health.
• What is available?
• What is required to get started?
• Who can help train them or “buddy up” for role shadowing?
• How will they be supported?

Train and Empower

Training means retaining . Follow these training tips to ensure your volunteers are prepared for duty, maximize their potential, and stick around for the long term.

• Provide clear and concise training (written, oral, video, and signage).
• Partner them with staff or experienced volunteers.
• Encourage – and provide access to – ongoing animal welfare education.
• Offer progressive training opportunities for growth.

Also, check out these  3 Tips to Train Volunteers with Staying Power .

Recognize and Support

Retain and cultivate volunteers as essential team members by fostering a sense of community and appreciation. These tips will help nurture a culture of volunteer value within your organization:

• Prioritize making good use of volunteers’ time.
• Offer social opportunities and events that include volunteers and staff.
• Empower staff to lead and coach volunteers.
• Recognize volunteers’ contributions with regular expressions of gratitude for their commitment.
• Provide development pathways to advancement and track accomplishments.
• Cultivate peer support programs (mentors).
• Commit to understanding your volunteers’ experience and feedback.
• Provide proactive communications that include changes, new opportunities, and success stories.

These essential elements will ultimately contribute to volunteers’ motivation and overall success— at the shelter and in the community as your advocates. By recognizing your volunteers’ dedication towards animal welfare, you will increase their investment in your organization, and vice versa.

We have lots more on this subject:

Featured Tools & Tips

Compassion Fatigue & Resilience Resources for Animal Shelter Staff & Volunteer Wellness

Learn essential ways to stay healthy and resilient while working in animal welfare, including tips for managing stress and preventing burnout.

Tips to Showcase Your Volunteer Appreciation

Get inspired from these easy & accessible ways to show your volunteers the appreciation they so deserve.

5 Ways to Show Volunteers How Important They Are

You know your volunteers are vital. Here are volunteer appreciation tips to help make sure they know it, too!

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Volunteering At An Animal Shelter by Mykaella

Mykaellaof WEST PALM BEACH's entry into Varsity Tutor's January 2017 scholarship contest

Volunteering At An Animal Shelter by Mykaella - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

As a little girl, I've always loved animals. Cats, dogs, little bunnies, you name it. About a year ago, I decided to volunteer at a nice animal shelter down the street from where I live. Working at an animal shelter isn’t the most glamorous thing. I can tell you from firsthand experience: Do not wear your favorite shirt when training the dogs how to sit and stay because the big slobbering kiss that the Boxer is going to give you is going all over it. I wouldn’t wear new sneakers when taking the dogs out for a nice stroll either, you never know where you plan on stepping and you most certainly don’t want to accidentally step in any dog waste.

Despite all this, volunteering at the animal shelter is a great experience. It showed me that there are a lot of wonderful pets who are placed into shelters each and every day who really just want to be loved. It inspired me to encourage the people in my community to go out and adopt from animal shelters instead of buying pets. A neighbor of mine decided to go ahead and do so, adopting a little yorkie terrier named Chewy. Lisa claims that adopting Chewy was one of the best decisions she’s ever made. Lisa suffers from anxiety and depression, but ever since she’s gotten Chewy, her anxiety and depression issues has decreased drastically.

“I don’t feel so alone anymore,” says Lisa. “Chewy makes me happy and I’m not sure where I’d be without him.”

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How to Volunteer at an Animal Shelter or Animal Rescue

Being a volunteer at an Animal Shelter or Rescue is a rewarding experience and something you could do for years upon years. What draws people to volunteering at an Animal Shelter or Rescue is simple… the adoptable animals that long for their forever homes.

At Helen Woodward Animal Center, people help animals and animals help people. Our lives are more precious when trust, unconditional love, respect and care exist as the primary bond between animals and one another. Most of the work that is done here would not be possible without our team of dedicated volunteers, who donate their time to help us continue our mission.

What is Animal Shelter Volunteering?

When you volunteer at an Animal Shelter, there is so much that you could contribute your time to helping with, such as feeding, cleaning, and socializing with animals. Depending on the Animal Shelter, there may be other departments unrelated to Adoptions that may offer other opportunities to work with animals or community building.

There is a wide variety of volunteer opportunities available for anyone looking to join the Center. Whether it’s walking dogs in Adoptions, lending a hand at one of our local events or helping in our Administrative office, there is something for everyone!

How to Get Involved in Animal Shelter Volunteering

To get started, you will need to find the animal shelter or animal rescue that you would like to volunteer with. Go to their website to find information on how to volunteer or how to apply to volunteer. Most animal shelters or rescues will have a volunteer representative that you can contact to inquire about the volunteer application process. After you apply to volunteer, you may either be invited to an orientation or invited to start your volunteer training right away.

In some cases, you may even have the opportunity to participate in a one-off event that requires volunteers, this may be ideal for you to get your foot in the door and figure out if the organization is one that you want to consider pursuing.

At Helen Woodward Animal Center, we welcome new volunteer applications throughout the entire year. To find out more about volunteer opportunities and to apply to be a volunteer, you can visit https://animalcenter.org/volunteer .

Once you complete an application to volunteer at Helen Woodward Animal Center, you will be invited to attend a Volunteer Orientation held at the Center every month. During the orientation, you will express your interest for the departments you wish to volunteer with. After the orientation is complete, departments will reach out to you within 1-2 weeks if they are interested in bringing you on board as a volunteer.

Age and Legal Requirements for Animal Shelter Volunteers

Since you would be working with animals or children while volunteering at an animal shelter or rescue, there will most likely be an age requirement for new volunteers.

The minimum age to volunteer at Helen Woodward Animal Center is 14 years old; however, some departments require that volunteers must be either 16 or 18 years of age. The reason for the age requirements varies depending on the level of risk and the type of activity the volunteer is subject to.

Benefits of Volunteering at an Animal Shelter

There are so many reasons someone may want to volunteer at an animal shelter or rescue, starting with an overall sense of fulfillment, feeling that you are contributing to making a difference on the lives of animals and people, skills development depending on the department you volunteer with, and you have the chance to become a part of a community of volunteers where you can build meaningful connections.

Helping Animals in Need

By volunteering at an animal shelter or rescue, you can make a true difference in the lives of animals, such as providing them with care, love, and attention.

Building Connections and a Supportive Community

It is incredible how the sense of belonging and the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who share a passion for animal welfare will have an impact on your life. Volunteering allows for networking, friendships, and community building that you may not expect. If you are new to a neighborhood or city, it may be one

Skill Development and Experience

Volunteering at an animal shelter can improve skills, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, as well as aid with career development.

Types of Animal Shelter Volunteer Opportunities

There are a variety of opportunities to volunteer at an Animal Shelter or Rescue and dependent on the number of departments, there may be some unique placements that you would not otherwise suspect would be available. Some of the more commonly sought out roles are with the adoptions team, where volunteers may walk, clean or socialize with pets. Beyond that, there may be one-off opportunities to volunteer with events throughout the year which requires less time commitment.

Here are some volunteer opportunities that are specific to Helen Woodward Animal Center:

Adoptions kennel volunteers.

Pets awaiting new homes need extra TLC! Working in the Adoption kennels includes exercising and socializing dogs or cats, kennel and crate cleaning, laundry, dishes, and other various tasks assigned by the Volunteer Supervisor.  Volunteers must be at least 16 years old to apply.  Once trained, volunteers are scheduled to come in once a week for a 3-hour shift. The set shift times are 7:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m., 10 a.m.–1 p.m., 12:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m., and 3 p.m.–6 p.m. Shift times can be semi-flexible depending on the volunteer’s schedule. Shifts are available Sundays through Saturdays. Volunteers work with minimum supervision once fully trained. Volunteers working with dogs need to be physically able to handle very large, enthusiastic dogs. Commitment required is 6 months or 70 hours with a regular weekly schedule.

Club Pet Boarding Volunteer

Club Pet is looking for energetic volunteers to give our boarding dogs and cats lots of attention and TLC! Volunteers are needed 7 days a week. You must be able to commit to a 3-hour block of time, once per week, for at least 6 months. Our volunteer shifts are 9 a.m-12 p.m., 10 a.m.–1 p.m., 11 a.m.–2 p.m., or 12 p.m.–3 p.m. Our dogs and cats miss their families, so our volunteers step in to give them the love and attention they need while boarding.

Volunteers exercise our dogs by taking them on walks and doing off-leash field play. For our older dogs, we offer TLC and cuddle times out in the sun on the lawn. Our cats look forward to their feather time sessions. Felines also enjoy bubble time, cuddle time and TLC sessions with our volunteers. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old to handle animals. Volunteers must also pass our dog handling class, which is given as part of the Club Pet Volunteer orientation and training program.

Counselor or Camp Leader

Our summer camp program has 12 week-long sessions. Junior volunteers  ages 14-17  may apply to be teacher assistants for one week, Monday through Friday. (You may apply for more than one week, but it’s not a guarantee that you’ll be able to volunteer for all of the dates that you request.) Junior volunteer assistants help instructors with behavior management as well as setting up and cleaning up for the day.

* Important note to Juniors:  This program has a separate application and training program  to teach classroom leadership skills and determine junior volunteer readiness to be classroom assistants. The “Critter Camp” application is available in January or early February.  (The general volunteer orientation is  not required .)  The application period is January through March, with summer assignments made in late April/early May.

Adoptions Medical Volunteer

The Adoptions medical position is a great place to volunteer for those who are looking to gain more experience in the veterinary world!  Working in medical includes cleaning kennels, sterilizing instruments, administrating oral medications, assisting with our animal intakes, as well as other various tasks assigned by the medical manager.  Volunteers must be at least 18 years old to apply.  Once trained, volunteers are scheduled to come in once a week for a 3-hour shift. Shift times vary in the medical department, but are typically between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Shifts are available Sundays through Saturdays. Volunteers work with the medical manager, supervisors, and the veterinary assistants. Commitment required is 6 months or 70 hours with a regular weekly schedule.

Therapeutic Riding Assistant

Therapeutic Riding is dedicated to serving clients with special needs through equine-assisted activities. Equine-assisted activities have a substantial positive impact on a student’s emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development. Volunteers help to provide the necessary environment of safety, support, and fun by assisting in several roles. Volunteers help prepare horses for lessons, and serve as either leaders of the horse or as side walkers, helping the rider with various tasks such as balance, motor skill planning, or focus. Although lessons are the main focus of volunteer duties, volunteers also assist in barn chores, tack cleaning, and grooming. Volunteers are requested to come to the same 4-hour shift on a weekly basis. A 6-month overall commitment is required, though many volunteers stay much longer. Shift times vary depending on lessons, but can range from 12:30 p.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. We have no volunteer opportunities on Mondays.  Volunteers must be able to help lift and support an adult rider. 

Junior volunteer openings (ages 16-17) are limited.   For junior volunteers, an extensive background of lessons or comparable horse experience is required.   We may have several camps in the summer where juniors are needed for 1-2 weeks.  A background of lessons or comparable horse experience is highly recommended for all volunteers, but at various times throughout the year a limited number of positions may become available for volunteers 18 and older with limited or no horse experience. Please note, volunteers do not have the opportunity to ride our horses.

For more dedicated volunteer options, go to https://animalcenter.org/get-involved/volunteer/dedicated-volunteer-opportunities/

Group Volunteering Opportunities

Typically, our group projects involve packing and organizing dog/cat food for our AniMeals program, assisting with crafts for our Education department, sorting and pricing donated items in our resale shop, cleaning out storage areas, etc.  NOTE: Volunteer projects do not include handling animals as that requires a separate training/orientation process .

We do require at least 30 days’ notice to secure a volunteer project and we can accept a maximum of 20 volunteers on one day. If you have more than 20 volunteers, please reach out to Megan McCarty, Volunteer Manager at  [email protected] .

All participants must sign a volunteer release form before volunteering.

For Group Volunteer opportunities, visit https://animalcenter.org/get-involved/volunteer/group-volunteer-projects/

Fundraising and Event Outreach

We have five major events here at Helen Woodward where we need volunteers!  Our Paws & Unwind Luncheon is held in March, our annual Spring Fling Gala is a black-tie event in June, PawMicon is held in July, the Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon is held at Del Mar Dog Beach each September, and our HOPE Telethon is in November. 

Volunteering only for events does not require the general orientation and tour . It does require an onsite training session and a 5-8 hour shift on the day of the event. Tasks include set-up, take-down, registration, auction sales, cashiering, vendor assistance, course control, etc. Limited positions are available for junior volunteers (14 and up.) Contact the Volunteer Department for more information.

In addition to onsite volunteer opportunities, you can also be a part of our Paw Partners Committee which is responsible for getting auction items and sponsorships for our Spring Fling Gala. 

For more on special event opportunities, visit https://animalcenter.org/get-involved/volunteer/special-event-volunteering/

Looking for an at-home option? Choose to Foster or run a Donation Drive

Foster Families  care for orphan pets in their home. Volunteers provide varying levels of care for canines and/or felines, including but not limited to bottle feeding, medical assistance, socialization, or simply cuddling and feeding.  This is a separate application process .  (The general volunteer orientation is not required.)  Volunteers participate in an in-person foster orientation and a virtual home check to be approved as a foster. The foster application is  available online  or from the volunteer office. 

Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.  Once approved, the volunteer can care for animals 1 week to 4 years of age, as the need arises. (Volunteers are not ‘on-call’ indefinitely). They are called at the time of need to see if they’re available for about 1- 8 weeks, or they can request an animal through the foster website and call to request an animal). The pets are brought back to the Center once they are ready for adoption.

For information on hosting a pet food donation drive, visit https://tj2f0e.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/community-service-flyer.jpg

Tips for a Successful Volunteer Experience

In order to feel that your volunteer experience at an animal shelter or rescue is successful, it is important to be transparent with your commitment while remaining flexible to the organization’s needs, communication and teamwork plays a huge role in helping the organization achieve its goals, and constant education plus general curiosity will keep things exciting and motivating for you.

●     Commitment and Flexibility- It is important to keep yourself accountable to the timeframes you commit to. Although this is an unpaid volunteer experience, the team relies heavily on volunteer support to get the work done. Be sure to remain flexible as sometimes where you are needed most may change depending on the tasks that need to be completed. For instance, if you were initially scheduled to help clean kennels but they instead could use your help with laundry, there could be a valid reason for the change.

●     Communication and Teamwork- It is important to work collaboratively with your fellow volunteers and with the paid staff at the animal shelter or rescue. If you need help or if you are unable to complete a task, it is better to speak up rather than perform a task wrong which could require a staff member to redo your work. This mentality will help to create a positive and supportive working environment.

●     Education and  Curiosity – It is important to keep an open mind about what you could be working on and what you may be exposed to at an animal shelter or rescue. Being curious about different roles and departments will make you a greater asset to the organization as there are often times that volunteers may need to pivot to different tasks depending on what is needed at a given time.

Add or delete any opportunities that are available.

• March 5, 2024

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How to Write a Great Community Service Essay

College Admissions , Extracurriculars

Are you applying to a college or a scholarship that requires a community service essay? Do you know how to write an essay that will impress readers and clearly show the impact your work had on yourself and others?

Read on to learn step-by-step instructions for writing a great community service essay that will help you stand out and be memorable.

What Is a Community Service Essay? Why Do You Need One?

A community service essay is an essay that describes the volunteer work you did and the impact it had on you and your community. Community service essays can vary widely depending on specific requirements listed in the application, but, in general, they describe the work you did, why you found the work important, and how it benefited people around you.

Community service essays are typically needed for two reasons:

#1: To Apply to College

• Some colleges require students to write community service essays as part of their application or to be eligible for certain scholarships.
• You may also choose to highlight your community service work in your personal statement.

#2: To Apply for Scholarships

• Some scholarships are specifically awarded to students with exceptional community service experiences, and many use community service essays to help choose scholarship recipients.
• Green Mountain College offers one of the most famous of these scholarships. Their "Make a Difference Scholarship" offers full tuition, room, and board to students who have demonstrated a significant, positive impact through their community service

Getting Started With Your Essay

In the following sections, I'll go over each step of how to plan and write your essay. I'll also include sample excerpts for you to look through so you can get a better idea of what readers are looking for when they review your essay.

Step 1: Know the Essay Requirements

Before your start writing a single word, you should be familiar with the essay prompt. Each college or scholarship will have different requirements for their essay, so make sure you read these carefully and understand them.

Specific things to pay attention to include:

• Length requirement
• Application deadline
• The main purpose or focus of the essay
• If the essay should follow a specific structure

Below are three real community service essay prompts. Read through them and notice how much they vary in terms of length, detail, and what information the writer should include.

From the Equitable Excellence Scholarship:

"Describe your outstanding achievement in depth and provide the specific planning, training, goals, and steps taken to make the accomplishment successful. Include details about your role and highlight leadership you provided. Your essay must be a minimum of 350 words but not more than 600 words."

From the Laura W. Bush Traveling Scholarship:

"Essay (up to 500 words, double spaced) explaining your interest in being considered for the award and how your proposed project reflects or is related to both UNESCO's mandate and U.S. interests in promoting peace by sharing advances in education, science, culture, and communications."

From the LULAC National Scholarship Fund:

"Please type or print an essay of 300 words (maximum) on how your academic studies will contribute to your personal & professional goals. In addition, please discuss any community service or extracurricular activities you have been involved in that relate to your goals."

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas

Even after you understand what the essay should be about, it can still be difficult to begin writing. Answer the following questions to help brainstorm essay ideas. You may be able to incorporate your answers into your essay.

• What community service activity that you've participated in has meant the most to you?
• What is your favorite memory from performing community service?
• Why did you decide to begin community service?
• What made you decide to volunteer where you did?
• How has your community service changed you?
• How has your community service helped others?
• How has your community service affected your plans for the future?

You don't need to answer all the questions, but if you find you have a lot of ideas for one of two of them, those may be things you want to include in your essay.

Writing Your Essay

How you structure your essay will depend on the requirements of the scholarship or school you are applying to. You may give an overview of all the work you did as a volunteer, or highlight a particularly memorable experience. You may focus on your personal growth or how your community benefited.

Regardless of the specific structure requested, follow the guidelines below to make sure your community service essay is memorable and clearly shows the impact of your work.

Samples of mediocre and excellent essays are included below to give you a better idea of how you should draft your own essay.

Step 1: Hook Your Reader In

You want the person reading your essay to be interested, so your first sentence should hook them in and entice them to read more. A good way to do this is to start in the middle of the action. Your first sentence could describe you helping build a house, releasing a rescued animal back to the wild, watching a student you tutored read a book on their own, or something else that quickly gets the reader interested. This will help set your essay apart and make it more memorable.

Compare these two opening sentences:

"I have volunteered at the Wishbone Pet Shelter for three years."

"The moment I saw the starving, mud-splattered puppy brought into the shelter with its tail between its legs, I knew I'd do whatever I could to save it."

The first sentence is a very general, bland statement. The majority of community service essays probably begin a lot like it, but it gives the reader little information and does nothing to draw them in. On the other hand, the second sentence begins immediately with action and helps persuade the reader to keep reading so they can learn what happened to the dog.

Step 2: Discuss the Work You Did

Once you've hooked your reader in with your first sentence, tell them about your community service experiences. State where you work, when you began working, how much time you've spent there, and what your main duties include. This will help the reader quickly put the rest of the essay in context and understand the basics of your community service work.

Not including basic details about your community service could leave your reader confused.

Step 3: Include Specific Details

It's the details of your community service that make your experience unique and memorable, so go into the specifics of what you did.

For example, don't just say you volunteered at a nursing home; talk about reading Mrs. Johnson her favorite book, watching Mr. Scott win at bingo, and seeing the residents play games with their grandchildren at the family day you organized. Try to include specific activities, moments, and people in your essay. Having details like these let the readers really understand what work you did and how it differs from other volunteer experiences.

Compare these two passages:

"For my volunteer work, I tutored children at a local elementary school. I helped them improve their math skills and become more confident students."

"As a volunteer at York Elementary School, I worked one-on-one with second and third graders who struggled with their math skills, particularly addition, subtraction, and fractions. As part of my work, I would create practice problems and quizzes and try to connect math to the students' interests. One of my favorite memories was when Sara, a student I had been working with for several weeks, told me that she enjoyed the math problems I had created about a girl buying and selling horses so much that she asked to help me create math problems for other students."

The first passage only gives basic information about the work done by the volunteer; there is very little detail included, and no evidence is given to support her claims. How did she help students improve their math skills? How did she know they were becoming more confident?

The second passage is much more detailed. It recounts a specific story and explains more fully what kind of work the volunteer did, as well as a specific instance of a student becoming more confident with her math skills. Providing more detail in your essay helps support your claims as well as make your essay more memorable and unique.

Step 4: Show Your Personality

It would be very hard to get a scholarship or place at a school if none of your readers felt like they knew much about you after finishing your essay, so make sure that your essay shows your personality. The way to do this is to state your personal strengths, then provide examples to support your claims. Take some time to think about which parts of your personality you would like your essay to highlight, then write about specific examples to show this.

• If you want to show that you're a motivated leader, describe a time when you organized an event or supervised other volunteers.
• If you want to show your teamwork skills, write about a time you helped a group of people work together better.
• If you want to show that you're a compassionate animal lover, write about taking care of neglected shelter animals and helping each of them find homes.

Step 5: State What You Accomplished

After you have described your community service and given specific examples of your work, you want to begin to wrap your essay up by stating your accomplishments. What was the impact of your community service? Did you build a house for a family to move into? Help students improve their reading skills? Clean up a local park? Make sure the impact of your work is clear; don't be worried about bragging here.

If you can include specific numbers, that will also strengthen your essay. Saying "I delivered meals to 24 home-bound senior citizens" is a stronger example than just saying "I delivered meals to lots of senior citizens."

Also be sure to explain why your work matters. Why is what you did important? Did it provide more parks for kids to play in? Help students get better grades? Give people medical care who would otherwise not have gotten it? This is an important part of your essay, so make sure to go into enough detail that your readers will know exactly what you accomplished and how it helped your community.

"My biggest accomplishment during my community service was helping to organize a family event at the retirement home. The children and grandchildren of many residents attended, and they all enjoyed playing games and watching movies together."

"The community service accomplishment that I'm most proud of is the work I did to help organize the First Annual Family Fun Day at the retirement home. My job was to design and organize fun activities that senior citizens and their younger relatives could enjoy. The event lasted eight hours and included ten different games, two performances, and a movie screening with popcorn. Almost 200 residents and family members attended throughout the day. This event was important because it provided an opportunity for senior citizens to connect with their family members in a way they aren't often able to. It also made the retirement home seem more fun and enjoyable to children, and we have seen an increase in the number of kids coming to visit their grandparents since the event."

The second passage is stronger for a variety of reasons. First, it goes into much more detail about the work the volunteer did. The first passage only states that she helped "organize a family event." That really doesn't tell readers much about her work or what her responsibilities were. The second passage is much clearer; her job was to "design and organize fun activities."

The second passage also explains the event in more depth. A family day can be many things; remember that your readers are likely not familiar with what you're talking about, so details help them get a clearer picture.

Lastly, the second passage makes the importance of the event clear: it helped residents connect with younger family members, and it helped retirement homes seem less intimidating to children, so now some residents see their grand kids more often.

Step 6: Discuss What You Learned

One of the final things to include in your essay should be the impact that your community service had on you. You can discuss skills you learned, such as carpentry, public speaking, animal care, or another skill.

You can also talk about how you changed personally. Are you more patient now? More understanding of others? Do you have a better idea of the type of career you want? Go into depth about this, but be honest. Don't say your community service changed your life if it didn't because trite statements won't impress readers.

In order to support your statements, provide more examples. If you say you're more patient now, how do you know this? Do you get less frustrated while playing with your younger siblings? Are you more willing to help group partners who are struggling with their part of the work? You've probably noticed by now that including specific examples and details is one of the best ways to create a strong and believable essay .

"As a result of my community service, I learned a lot about building houses and became a more mature person."

"As a result of my community service, I gained hands-on experience in construction. I learned how to read blueprints, use a hammer and nails, and begin constructing the foundation of a two-bedroom house. Working on the house could be challenging at times, but it taught me to appreciate the value of hard work and be more willing to pitch in when I see someone needs help. My dad has just started building a shed in our backyard, and I offered to help him with it because I know from my community service how much work it is. I also appreciate my own house more, and I know how lucky I am to have a roof over my head."

The second passage is more impressive and memorable because it describes the skills the writer learned in more detail and recounts a specific story that supports her claim that her community service changed her and made her more helpful.

Step 7: Finish Strong

Just as you started your essay in a way that would grab readers' attention, you want to finish your essay on a strong note as well. A good way to end your essay is to state again the impact your work had on you, your community, or both. Reiterate how you changed as a result of your community service, why you found the work important, or how it helped others.

Compare these two concluding statements:

"In conclusion, I learned a lot from my community service at my local museum, and I hope to keep volunteering and learning more about history."

"To conclude, volunteering at my city's American History Museum has been a great experience. By leading tours and participating in special events, I became better at public speaking and am now more comfortable starting conversations with people. In return, I was able to get more community members interested in history and our local museum. My interest in history has deepened, and I look forward to studying the subject in college and hopefully continuing my volunteer work at my university's own museum."

The second passage takes each point made in the first passage and expands upon it. In a few sentences, the second passage is able to clearly convey what work the volunteer did, how she changed, and how her volunteer work benefited her community.

The author of the second passage also ends her essay discussing her future and how she'd like to continue her community service, which is a good way to wrap things up because it shows your readers that you are committed to community service for the long-term.

What's Next?

Are you applying to a community service scholarship or thinking about it? We have a complete list of all the community service scholarships available to help get your search started!

Do you need a community service letter as well? We have a step-by-step guide that will tell you how to get a great reference letter from your community service supervisor.

Thinking about doing community service abroad? Before you sign up, read our guide on some of the hazards of international volunteer trips and how to know if it's the right choice for you.

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Teen Service Day

Youth ages 14-18 can make a difference in the lives of homeless dogs by walking and socializing them in our enclosed park. This is a  one-time volunteer session that earn students 3 hours of service to use towards school or organization requirements. CAP hosts a Teen Service Day event every month! We are currently not hosting Teen Service Day sessions.

Individual Volunteering

• Must be age 14+ (ages 14-15 must  co-volunteer with parent/guardian).
• Must commit to volunteer a minimum of 6-months/24 hours.
• Volunteer hours cannot be used for court ordered community service-click  here  for information.

Step 1:  Register here for our next orientation session! ( Our next orientation session will be posted on August 1st! )

Step 2:  Complete volunteer application (received after registering).

Step 3:  Train in your chosen area.

Step 4:  Sign up for approved shifts and volunteer!

Group Volunteering

Corporations, schools and organizations can volunteer to walk and socialize homeless dogs during a morning or afternoon session! Click  here  to fill out your request form (must be 16 years old or older in order to participate)

Students wishing to earn service hours who aren't able to meet the age requirement or time commitment can complete p rojects from home . Verification forms  are signed during business hours only. 

Visit PIMA Medical Institute  to learn more!

Current volunteers click here to remotely manage account.

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7 Benefits of Being an Animal Shelter Volunteer

Being a volunteer at the CCSPCA benefits you just as much as it benefits us. We have specific volunteer programs for juniors (8-14) and youth (15-17) as well as for adults (18+). Besides getting to work with animals and dedicated staff members, here are 7 other benefits of being an animal shelter volunteer.

Why Become an Animal Shelter Volunteer

• It’s a feel good thing. Being an animal shelter volunteer at the CCSPCA makes you feel like you are doing the right thing. You are contributing to the solution, which makes you feel good about the work you are doing. Part of the job as a volunteer is that you work with the animals so they can become adoptable. Most of the animals we receive through our open door shelter are strays and have had little to no human interaction. By working with them on a semi-regular basis, they begin to trust you and other humans in extension. This helps them come out of their shell, stop being so timid, and become desirable to adopters.

• Animal shelter volunteers are needed! We have a constant intake of animals. Each one of these animals needs your love and care. Your help will never go unnoticed and you will never feel like you aren’t helping in some way. There will always be a dog to walk, a cat to groom or some animal to give your love to. The most important volunteer job at the CCSPCA is dog walking. Walking dogs is the easiest cure for kennel stress. Kennel stress is the behavior dogs have when transitioned to a kennel. Signs of kennel stress include hiding in the back of the kennel, be less active or stop eating. Some dogs may behave aggressively in response to stress, while other dogs will begin to perform repetitive behaviors, increase their frequency of barking/vocalization, become destructive, and start to urinate and defecate in their kennel. Stress may also affect a shelter dog’s physical health, causing increased susceptibility to diseases and a longer recovery time from illness. If dogs can get out of the kennel to take a walk on a regular basis, this helps relieve the stressors of the kennel and will in turn begin to act happy and healthy.
• Being an animal shelter volunteer is good for your emotional, physical, and mental health. It is scientifically proven that spending time with animals helps lower your stress levels and blood pressure. It will also keep you active, especially if you prefer to walk dogs. You get to create a unique bond with the animals, which helps your emotional health. Caring for pets can help you deal with depression, anxiety, and stress. Playing with a dog or cat can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which helps you be calm and relaxed.

• Volunteering encourages civic responsibility . By volunteering you get to contribute to a cause you care about. So, if you are passionate about saving animals, volunteering at the CCSPCA would be right up your alley. Volunteering also makes you feel like you are involved with your community and making a difference. It gives you a chance to give back to your community as well.
• You learn responsibility and time management. We expect our volunteers to behave in a professional manner. That means being on time to your scheduled shifts and notifying us when you might be late. Being a responsible person who manages their time well will make a valuable employee and a well-rounded person. It also shows that you have taken the initiative to dedicate your time to a specific cause.

If you are interested in becoming an animal shelter volunteer, please visit our volunteer page or contact our volunteer department at 559-233-7722 ext. 111 or email at [email protected]

32 reasons to volunteer with an animal rescue

There are endless reasons to volunteer with an animal rescue. Here our are top reasons to volunteer.

There are so many reasons to volunteer with an animal rescue and there is no denying that animal rescues play a vitally important role in their local communities. Taking in unwanted pets and rescuing animals from difficult situations, they save millions of lives globally every week. They also often provide sterilization services to help with population control in low-income areas.

Volunteering at a rescue is hard work, particularly if it's a kill shelter where animals have a limited amount of time to find a home or foster before being humanely euthanized. It can be overwhelming, loud, smelly, and sometimes heartbreaking, but it is also one of the most rewarding things you can do with your spare time.

You can spend hours sharing some of the best dog toys with puppies, or scoop out some of the best cat food for hungry felines.

1. You’ll get to meet lots of great animals 

Often animals are surrendered through no fault of their own, due to sickness, marriage breakdown, or the death of their owner. While this is awfully sad, these are well-socialized dogs and cats who often want nothing more than to make another friend. As a new volunteer, you are more likely to be working with these friendly pets than with more difficult animals that might need professional help.

2. You can help to rehabilitate rescue animals 

Once you have been volunteering for a while and have received proper training, you might be given the opportunity to help rehabilitate some of the more traumatized or reactive animals at the shelter. This is a difficult job, but so rewarding when your charge begins to make progress towards becoming a happier animal.

3. Inner city rescues are often desperate for volunteers   

Inner city rescues are usually overwhelmed with the number of animals in their care. As a volunteer, you can help to shoulder some of the burden on these rescues by helping to feed, groom, walk and wash-up among other things. If you have a spare day in your week, you could make a huge difference to these rescue centers.

4. You’ll learn a lot about animals 

"Difficult" animals often teach us the most. Animals that struggle with fear, and anxiety or have had a difficult life are often unadoptable and some rescues have provisions to keep these animals in their care until they pass away. These animals may be unsuitable to live in homes but still need lots of love and affection from their human carers.

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5. It’s a great way to meet like-minded people  

You're unlikely to meet someone volunteering at an animal shelter that doesn't really, really love animals. When you start volunteering, you have one big thing in common with all the other volunteers, and that's a great way to start a friendship.

6. You might receive specialist training 

The longer you volunteer at a rescue, the more likely you are to be given a specific role or receive specific training. If you're a young person who wants to work with animals in the future, this training can be a great kick-off point for your career.

7. You might meet your next pet

Often, when volunteering at a rescue, you will find that you bond with one or two of the residents more than the others. If you are in the position to take them home, this might be the way that you find your next pet and give them their forever home. You'll have far longer to get to know them over your time volunteering than if you were simply adopting them, which means you have a better chance to build on that bond before they come home with you. Often this is how "lifers" or pets who are long-term residents with little prospect of adoption for one reason or another will find their home.

8. It can look good on college applications

If you're looking for something that makes a great personal essay, spending your free time helping your local community and caring for animals is a subject most college admissions officers are sure to enjoy reading about.

9. It is likely to give you a sense of fulfillment  

Fulfillment is a little vague and hard to describe until you have experienced the feeling. The satisfaction and purpose you are likely to find volunteering at an animal rescue as an animal lover is likely to leave you feeling fulfilled and happy at the end of a long day.

10. It will benefit your local community

If you volunteer locally, you are directly working to improve your immediate community. Rescues will often run educational and outreach programs, which can help people better care for their pets and prevent unwanted litters of puppies or kittens that may end up dumped, putting further pressure on the shelter.

11. You may find the perfect pet for a friend or family member 

Have you ever met an animal that reminds you of someone? Perhaps it's the confused expression or the mustache marking on their lip that reminds you of your grandfather. While some of these things are trivial, sometimes you may strike gold and stumble upon a pet with a compatible personality for someone in your life.

12. You will be helping to give animals a second chance at life 

Animal shelters provide a vital service in rehoming pets. Whatever past these animals carry, the rescue center gives them the opportunity to experience love, a home, and a full belly, sometimes for the first time in their lives. Rescues that take in dogs from racing backgrounds, mama cats from backyard breeders, or semi-feral animals from the street are often finding them their first family, which is a fantastic thing to be a part of.

13. You can raise awareness for the shelter 

Through volunteering, your friends and family are more likely to hear about their local shelter and perhaps consider adopting their next pet rather than buying a puppy or kitten from a breeder.

14.  You can raise awareness for your local foster program  

Some people don't want a pet for life, but they do love animals and want to make a difference. In-home fostering is a great option for these families, as they can make a difference without making a lifelong commitment and can take breaks between fosters if they choose. Working with your local shelter means that you can help get your family and friends involved in fostering, lifting some of the pressure on the shelter.

15. If you fundraise, you’ll learn valuable sales skills 

If you've never done any fundraising before, it can teach you how to talk to people about projects you are passionate about and how to convince people to invest in causes you believe in. These are transferable skills that are particularly useful when applying for jobs in sales and marketing.

16. If it is a large animal rescue, you could learn to work with farm animals 

One of the things that holds many people back from a career in agriculture is lack of experience. Volunteering at a local farm shelter or large animal rescue is a great way to learn how to care for livestock and identify the individual needs of each type of animal.

17. You’ll get time to play with animals 

As a volunteer, a good chunk of your role will be socializing with the animals, learning about them, and helping identify the sort of home they will need. This involves walking dogs, playing with cats, and hanging out with all sorts of animals to help get them used to humans.

18. If you’ve not had a pet of your own but want one 

If you've never owned a pet but aspire to, volunteering at an animal shelter is a great way to learn the basics of pet care. You are likely to come across some pets with health conditions that will need specialist care, which can be very helpful knowledge to have when choosing your first pet, and you'll learn about the general minutia of feeding, grooming, and exercising animals.

19. You will learn about animal behavior

Animal behavior is sometimes counterintuitive, subtle, and difficult to understand. That "smiling" dog might be very uncomfortable. The "puppy dog eyes" another is giving you from across the room may mean "Don't touch me". By spending time around animals, you will learn what their body language and sometimes confusing signals really mean.

20.  You are likely to build connections with vets and pet stores 

Rescues often work closely with local vets and pet stores, meaning that you will get the low-down on the best places to take your own pets. When regularly dealing with a vet, you may also pick up some healthcare knowledge that can be useful when caring for shelter animals and your own pets.

21. You are likely to learn about animal grooming 

Some animals come into the shelter with fleas, ticks, matted hair, and overgrown nails. These are all important problems to solve as soon as possible, and by helping out with these tasks you are likely to pick up some tips and tricks for grooming your own animals.

22.  You will learn about training  

Shelters often work closely with animal behaviorists and veteran volunteers and shelter employees know a lot about positive reinforcement and training. If you've never potty trained a dog or cat before, shelters are a great place to learn this skill, as they often offer support to new owners or begin a pet's toilet training themselves.

23. You might develop your photography skills 

If you're already a shutterbug, you might be put in charge of taking portraits of the residents for their adoption pages. You want to help these animals find homes, so you're going to learn pretty quickly how to make them look their very best and capture them at their most adorable.

24. It’s a rewarding use of free time

If you have a lot of free time and don't know what to do with it, spending it at the animal shelter can be a rewarding experience. If you are retired or don't have many other time commitments, you can make a tangible difference in the lives of the shelter animals.

25. It’s good exercise  

Playing with cats, walking dogs, and cleaning pens in particular are great ways to burn some calories. Lifting large bags of animal feed will have your biceps popping in no time, and playing tug-of-war with a large breed dog will challenge your core muscles like nothing else.

26. You’re likely to learn basic pet first aid 

Shelters often deal with cases where animals are unwell or injured. Basic pet first aid is important knowledge to have if you have your own pets, and you are likely to pick up some remedies and skills like disinfecting and bandaging cuts when volunteering. Remember, do not attempt any advanced medical care yourself, take your pet to a qualified vet.

27.  You can teach others how to properly look after their pets 

Part of the work many shelters do is outreach: teaching people how to properly care for their pets and give them the best quality of life. While you may prefer volunteering for the animals, rather than the people who care for them, it's an important role and can teach you valuable skills.

28. You might learn about specialist pet diets 

Some shelter pets have complex needs and this can include specialist diets. If an animal has allergies, food intolerances, or a condition like diabetes their meals will need very careful preparation.

29.  You’ll take some of the burden off paid staff  

Often shelters do have paid staff working for them, but these employees are often overstretched and do not have the time or resources to spend quality time with the animals under their care. As a volunteer, you can make sure that you are providing enrichment to the resident animals, as well as taking care of some of their basic needs so the shelter staff can focus on other things.

30. Being around animals can be a great stress reliever 

If your day-to-day life is full of stress, spending a few hours with a non-judgemental furry friend can help to relieve some of that stress. As well as being silent and affectionate listeners, spending time with animals often has a calming affect on people.

31. Animals can be good for low mood 

For those experiencing mental health problems like depression, spending time with an animal can be a great lift to their mood. Dogs and horses are some of the best emotional support animals and are often used as therapy animals, due to their sweet and intuitive natures.

32. Baby animals!

Last but not least, shelters often take in litters of dumped or unwanted puppies and kittens and they need round-the-clock care. If you want to spend time playing with some of the cutest rescue animals around, you're likely to find them at your local shelter.

Lou is an experienced writer and keen dog lover who works at PetRadar's sister site, LiveScience. When Lou isn't covering health and fitness, she's busy spending time with her family dogs or growing all kinds of veggies and flowers on her allotment. 

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Become a Volunteer

• Complete a Volunteer Application   for EACH INDIVIDUAL, 
• Attend an in-person pet training class with our Volunteer Team
• You are ready to volunteer!
• The minimum age to volunteer is 10 years of age.
• Volunteers ages 10 - 15 must volunteer with a parent or guardian.
• Individuals 16 and older may volunteer without a parent or guardian.
• $20 for individuals ​
• $40 for parent/child, and $15 for each additional child
• $30 for individuals
• $50 for parent/child, and $15 for each additional child
• Volunteers are required to volunteer 2 days a month for 6 months minimum and helping with one off-site outreach event every 3 months.
• Volunteers who need community service hours for school requirements must serve a minimum of 30 hours.
• Hours cannot be issued for court-ordered community service.

Houston Humane Society Volunteer Testimonials:

Volunteer carole.

Volunteer Debbie

Volunteer Gene

Volunteer Janice

Volunteer Karla

Volunteer Sarah

Hello, my name is Sarah and I am a newer volunteer. The Houston Humane Society's incredible devotion to all animals, as well as the humans involved in their lives, makes me feel honored to be a part of this amazing volunteering program. The staff and established volunteers are exceptionally kind, helpful, and are always ready to help with any question or concern. I love that I can choose my daily activities such as walking dogs, have cuddle time with the mini mammals, or even join in on a pet adoption event to help find homes for our wonderful animals. There is so much to choose from and it's great to be able to help with it all in a meaningful way. I hope to be a part of HHS forever!

5 Reasons to volunteer at a local animal shelter

If you love pets, you can become an animal shelter volunteer at your local SPCA. The experience has many advantages for your career as well as your overall well-being. Here are the top reasons to volunteer at an animal shelter.

1. Your Local SPCA needs Volunteers

Volunteering at your local SPCA is one way to give back to the community. Many animal shelters are looking for volunteers to help them with various aspects of raising pets.

Most animal shelters would struggle without volunteers. Abandoned and abused dogs need to interact with people to get used to human interaction. They also need to be fed and walked regularly.

2. It is Beneficial for Your Emotional and Mental Health

Generally speaking, giving back to the community has positive emotional and psychological effects. Working with animals has additional benefits that can boost your overall health.

Petting and cuddling pets have been shown to reduce blood pressure and increase levels of serotonin and dopamine. Those hormones help you to relax and manage depression and stress. Studies show that people who frequently play with pets tend to have lower levels of triglycerides and cholesterol.

3. There are Lots of Fun Activities to Do

Another benefit of working with a local SPCA is that there are many activities. You can pick from an activity that you enjoy even as you help out at the animal hospital. For example, if you love photography, you can volunteer to take pictures of pups.

If you enjoy DIY and crafts, you can volunteer to make toys for your local vet clinic. You can work as an adoption counselor to match pets and their new owners. There are children’s programs and many other activities that may coincide with your skills and passion.

An animal shelter will need volunteers for:

Walking and taking care of the dog

Administrative and counseling duties

Making toys for cats and dogs

Cooking food and making treats for pets

4. Prepare Yourself to Adopt a Pet

Volunteering at a local SPCA is a great way to gain experience in taking care of dogs or cats. There are lots of things you can learn about taking care of pets. By the end of the program, you will have learned about animal psychology and physical health.

If you plan to adopt a pet in the future, working at an animal shelter will give you the experience you need. You can tap into the knowledge of other professionals at the local veterinarian. You will have the opportunity to ask questions from highly skilled staff.

5. Open Up New Opportunities

Volunteer work has many long-term benefits and can open up new opportunities for you. You can use the experience on your resume. You may also use the experience to find a job or another volunteering opportunity.

Time to Get Involved

The beauty of working for a local animal shelter is that you can choose from many activities and responsibilities. The work hours are flexible, allowing you to commit a few hours a week. Always choose something you enjoy so that you can make the most of the experience. At The Brandywine Valley SPCA, there is always a wide variety of volunteer opportunities at both our Delaware and Pennsylvania campuses. Feel free to call or visit to learn more.

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Virtual volunteering

If you think working directly with animals is the only way to volunteer for Best Friends — think again. In fact, as Hillary Barker proves, you don’t even have to live in the U.S.

“It sounded interesting,” says Hillary. “I actually work with data and this position is somewhat similar. I thought it would be cool to see how my work tied into a specific issue I was really passionate about.”

Close to her heart

So for the past two years, Hillary has helped Best Friends business intelligence project manager Kathi McDermott. “By collecting and summarizing national studies and surveys, Hillary provides our staff with reliable information we can use to educate the public and garner support for our lifesaving initiatives,” says Kathi.

The topics she researches include a myriad of animal welfare subjects — everything from volunteering to dog bites, to free-roaming cats. However, of the articles she’s assigned to summarize, there are two topics that really resonate for Hillary. Having volunteered in the past at a shelter that killed animals to make space for incoming pets, she really values articles that showcase ways to get dogs adopted. It’s taught her how something as simple as putting kennels in the lobby to house overflow animals can help to save lives. And because her sister has a pit bull terrier, she knows they often get an undeserved bad rap. Hillary says, “It’s not the breed. It’s just the way they’ve been portrayed.” So she relates to articles that feature innovative ways to get pit bull terriers into loving homes.

Hillary’s volunteer efforts help stock a library of resources that ensure the accuracy of the facts and data distributed by Best Friends. And she does a fantastic job. “Hillary is enthusiastic, dependable, and great at drilling down to the key points of a study,” says Kathi.

Worldwide flexibility

“One of the best parts about virtual volunteering is I feel like there’s some continuity between what I was doing in Boston and now London,” says Hillary. “I can still be involved in similar things and be a part of one of the same communities, even though the community I live in has changed.”

Her hope is to one day attend the Best Friends National Conference and visit the Sanctuary. In the meantime, since she can’t be hands-on to help homeless animals, her virtual volunteering fills that void in her desire to help Save Them All.

Learn more about volunteering for Best Friends .

Photos courtesy of Hillary Barker

Volunteer at AHS

From in-shelter support to at-home foster care, volunteers support every facet of our work. Together, we're creating a more humane world for animals.

Volunteering at AHS

• Explore opportunities and apply  
• Review volunteering FAQs  
• Become a foster volunteer  
• Student Volunteer Experience

Volunteer requirements

• Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age. If you're younger than 16, there are other ways to support animals and AHS.
• Volunteers must read and comprehend detailed policy and protocol information and follow shelter rules.
• Human interaction is a requirement of all volunteer roles. Volunteers must always communicate professionally.
• Volunteers must understand and fulfill all responsibilities of their role independently.
• New in-shelter volunteers are required to begin in an entry-level role and are not allowed to take on tasks that require direct animal handling . Foundational volunteers offer their time and talents to AHS without having to commit to long-term volunteering or a specific shift.
• Most volunteer roles require volunteers to stand, and/or walk for up to three hours; lift and carry up to 20 pounds; reach and lift; possess vision abilities including close vision, distance vision and depth perception; and speak to customers, employees, and other volunteers.

Volunteer roles and application process

Animal lovers who are interested in becoming a volunteer at AHS must complete a four-step process. Learn more about available opportunities (including foster volunteering), the application process, and what to expect once you’ve submitted your application.

Explore volunteer opportunities

Group volunteer opportunities

Your group can support our work and the animals in our care by coordinating and participating in offsite group service projects (like making toys, collecting and donating items from our “wish list,” or holding a fundraiser). Learn more about group volunteering options .

Current volunteers

Log in to Digital Cheetah or Learning Lab.

Essay on Animal Shelter

Students are often asked to write an essay on Animal Shelter in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Animal Shelter

What is an animal shelter.

An animal shelter is a place where stray, lost, or abandoned animals are kept. They provide a temporary home for these animals. The workers at the shelter feed them, take care of their health, and try to find them a new, loving home.

The Importance of Animal Shelters

Animal shelters play a crucial role in our society. They protect animals that have no home and might be in danger. Shelters help control the population of stray animals. They also work to find these animals a caring family where they can live happily.

Adoption from Animal Shelters

Adopting a pet from an animal shelter can be a rewarding experience. It gives a new life to the animal and brings joy to the adopter. Adoption also helps the shelter to make room for more animals in need.

Volunteering at Animal Shelters

People can help animal shelters in many ways. One way is by volunteering. Volunteers help feed the animals, clean their areas, and sometimes even train them. This work is important and helps the shelter care for all the animals.

Donations to Animal Shelters

250 words essay on animal shelter.

An animal shelter is a place where stray, lost, or abandoned animals are kept. These places provide a temporary home for animals that don’t have one. They get food, water, a safe place to sleep, and lots of love from the people who work there.

Why are Animal Shelters Important?

Animal shelters are very important for many reasons. The main one is that they help protect animals that are in trouble. They rescue animals that are lost or have been left by their owners. Also, they help to control the number of stray animals on the streets. This is good for both animals and people.

What Happens in an Animal Shelter?

In an animal shelter, animals are taken care of by trained staff. They are given food, medical care, and a safe place to stay. The staff also tries to find new homes for these animals. This is called adoption. People who want to have a pet can come to the shelter and adopt an animal.

How Can We Help Animal Shelters?

We can help animal shelters in many ways. We can donate money or items like food and blankets. We can also volunteer our time to help take care of the animals. The most important way is by adopting a pet from a shelter instead of buying one. This way, we give a home to an animal that really needs it.

In conclusion, animal shelters are very important. They help animals in need and also help our communities. We can all do our part to support them and make sure they can continue their good work.

500 Words Essay on Animal Shelter

The purpose of animal shelters.

The main goal of an animal shelter is to provide a temporary home for animals who don’t have one. They help protect animals from dangers on the streets like accidents, harsh weather, or bad people. Shelters also help control the population of stray animals. They do this by neutering or spaying the animals, which means they can’t have babies. This is important because there are already too many homeless animals in the world.

One of the best things about animal shelters is that they let people adopt pets. This means taking a pet home to become part of your family. Shelters have many different types of animals, so you can choose the one that fits best with your family. Adopting a pet from a shelter is a great thing to do because it gives a home to an animal that really needs one. It also makes room in the shelter for another animal that needs help.

Another way to help animal shelters is by giving donations. This could be money, food, blankets, toys, or other things that the shelter needs. Donations help the shelter keep running and provide for the animals. Even a small donation can make a big difference.

Animal shelters play a very important role in our society. They provide a safe haven for homeless animals, help control the animal population, and offer an opportunity for people to adopt a new family member. By volunteering or making a donation, you can support these shelters and contribute to a great cause. Remember, every animal deserves a safe, loving home, and animal shelters are a big step in making that happen.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

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Our Summer Match Campaign is happening NOW and will DOUBLE your impact.  Your contribution will be doubled through September 6, creating twice the impact on saving animals in need.

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There are so many ways to get involved and volunteer. Let’s find the right spot for you!

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How It Works

Submit the payment and complete application.

Fees are $40 for ages 18 and up; $25 for ages 16-17 (covers cost of screening and T-shirt). Once you’ve paid, you’ll receive an automated email containing a link where you can complete the application. Be sure to check your junk/spam folder!

Complete the Background Screening (18+ only)

Once your application is received, you’ll receive instructions to initiate a background screening. Please follow all prompts to complete and submit this screening.

Attend Orientation

After your application and background screening (if applicable) have been reviewed, you’ll be contacted via email to register for our new volunteer orientation. Orientation is generally held twice a month. You’ll learn about the campus and what you can expect as a volunteer.

Choose Your Area of Care and Attend Training

Once you’ve completed orientation, you’ll be given instructions on how to register for training in one of the animal areas in which you want to volunteer. All new volunteers, except fosters, must volunteer in one of the following areas: Large Dogs, Small Dogs, Cattery, Small Animals, Wildlife, or Equine.

Start Volunteering

After training in your area of choice, you can begin to schedule volunteer shifts using our online portal.

Start When You're Ready

We need you and hope you'll join our team!

Frequently Asked Questions

Who do i contact if i have a question or concern, what are the requirements to volunteer, can i complete my court-ordered community service with you, what is the application fee for, is there a dress code, can i volunteer with a group, how often are volunteer opportunities available, what are the days and hours i can volunteer, can i be a volunteer trainer, can i sign up for a corporate group, do foster volunteers have to undergo background screening or in-person orientation.

• Complete online registration at HoustonSPCA.org
• Watch the training video and pass a short quiz.
• Make an appointment to pick up supplies and bring your foster home.

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How to help animals in shelters and rescues

Want to help animals in shelters? Here are a few ways you can help animal shelters and rescues that do so much for animals, people and your community

Animal shelters and rescues are amazing! Usually with limited resources and very little publicity, they help untold numbers of animals and people. Give back by choosing one or more of the following ways to show your appreciation for the groups that do so much for animals, people and your community.

1. Adopt a pet

If you’ve been thinking that it’s time to add a pet to your family, consider adopting from a local shelter or rescue group. Search for available cats and dogs at your local shelter or rescue . Be sure to find out from the group you are considering adopting from what their adoption process is like and, if it doesn’t feel right to you, move on to another local group.

Every animal shelter and rescue organization has bills to pay and your generous monetary donation will be gratefully accepted. Donations may be used to help cover the costs of daily operations, supplies, staff training, animal housing upgrades, community outreach programs, animal enrichment and much more.

3. Volunteer

Even if you can’t adopt a pet just now, you can help make life better for animals in your community by volunteering with your local shelter or rescue organization . Do you have experience as a carpenter or electrician? Are you a marketing or dog walking whiz? All of these skills are valuable! Or be open to learning something new that is needed, such as trap-neuter-return for unowned cats.

4. Say thanks

Take a minute to express your gratitude to the people who work at your local shelter or rescue groups . Did you adopt a pet from one of them? Did they provide affordable spay/neuter? Perhaps they helped reunite you with your lost pet or provided behavioral advice that made it possible for your pet to stay in your home. Give them a shout-out on social media, drop off lunch or cookies for the staff and/or mention to municipal leadership what a value they bring to your community.

5. Become a fan

Like and follow your local animal shelters and rescue groups on Facebook, then invite your friends and family to like and follow them too. Engage by sharing and commenting on posts.

6. Get crafty

Combine fabric, recyclables and imagination to bring much needed fun into the lives of local shelter and rescue pets. You can fashion cage curtains to help shelter cats get some privacy (and stay healthy) or play matchmaker by creating attention-grabbing "Adopt-Me" vests to spotlight available pets at adoption events held by shelters and rescues.

7. Make wishes come true

Shelters and rescue groups always need towels, toys and other supplies. Check their websites for wishlists; if they don’t have one, call them to find out what's in short supply and offer to create an online wishlist for them.

8. Become a foster

The value of fosters can't be overrated. They can be lifesavers for pets who can't adapt to shelter life, those who need to be nursed back to health and orphaned kittens who need someone to step in for their mom (or whose needs are beyond what busy shelter staff can often provide).

Foster homes are the backbone of many rescue groups—without a strong network of foster providers, rescue groups simply could not take in as many animals. Foster homes can also become adoption ambassadors to friends, family and colleagues who otherwise may not visit the shelter. If you already have pets of your own, fostering is also often very fun for the resident pet.

9. Help at your own home

Make the jobs of shelters and rescues easier: Outfit your cats and dogs with collars and proper ID (a microchip and ID tags) at all times. As soon as you bring them into your family, have all of your pets spayed or neutered . Keep your cats indoors , where you can keep them safe (though it's great to take them on walks if they are comfortable on a harness and leash or provide them a catio for safe outdoor enrichment) and keep dogs on leashes when off your property.

10. Help your shelter make positive changes

The work your local shelter does may be hindered by an outdated animal control ordinance or, for municipal shelters, an inadequate budget. You can help by rallying support from your elected officials and working with shelter and rescue leaders to make necessary changes . If you see or hear anything at your local shelter that concerns you, follow our guidelines for addressing that concern in the most effective way.