Volunteering at an animal shelter is a great way to gain experience working with animals (and people!). Plus, it’s an opportunity to get to know your local community and maybe even make new friends among fellow animal lovers. It’s a really rewarding experience, so we strongly recommend it. But how do you start volunteering at a local animal shelter? Read this article to find out the answer!

Why Volunteer at an Animal Shelter?

Volunteering with animals at a shelter is a great idea for multiple reasons! You get to help the poor, abandoned pets, but also learn new skills and meet new people. Why should you volunteer? Here are our top reasons:

  • You can make a difference in your community—Local animal shelters are often understaffed and lack the resources to care for all their pets. By volunteering, you can help them with everyday tasks and maybe even find some of the abandoned animals a new home!
  • You can learn new skills—Volunteering at a local animal shelter is an excellent opportunity to learn pet first-aid or the basics of pet training. These are some handy skills, especially if you have (or plan to have) a pet of your own.
  • You get to meet new people—Helping your local shelter is also perfect if you want to meet new, like-minded people. After all, the helpers are all animal lovers, so you’re bound to click with them.
  • You can get some exercise—If your lifestyle isn’t that active, you can easily change it while making a difference. Walking dogs or helping in the shelter involves a lot of movement, so you’re bound to have some exercise this way.

volunteer at a local animal shelter

How to Volunteer at a Local Animal Shelter?

We’ve explained why volunteering at a local animal shelter is great, but how do you do this? Well, it’s pretty straightforward.

Find a Local Shelter

First, you need to find a local shelter that needs help, and most of them do. The best way to do this is to ask in your community. Alternatively, you can use social mapping apps like YouMap. The latter is a great option if you really want to make a difference—you can check out maps by other animal lovers and volunteers and support a shelter that needs additional help the most.

All you have to do is download the app on your phone, start searching for relevant maps, and voila—you’ve found a shelter where you can volunteer! And if you know exactly where you want to volunteer, you can still use this app to map out your (or your pets’) favorite walking routes. Later, you can share the map with other volunteers to ensure that your furry friends always have the time of their lives on their walks.

Visit/Call the Shelter

If you know where you want to volunteer, you just need to visit or call the shelter. They will give you all the necessary information and discuss what kind of help they need. This is also a great opportunity to ask extra questions. For instance, if you’re young or have a kid, you may ask what age one needs to be to volunteer at an animal shelter—many such establishments offer youth volunteering programs.

How Does Volunteering at an Animal Shelter Help the Community?

Most families want happy and sociable animals. Yet, for that to happen, these poor, homeless pets need to get attention and love first. Volunteering at a shelter and playing with them makes them happy and friendly. This increases their chances of being adopted significantly—you can decrease the number of homeless pets in your area!

The Takeaway

Volunteering at a local animal shelter is fun and lets you have a positive impact on the community. If you’re considering it, don’t hesitate any longer—find a shelter near you, contact it, and start helping the animals!

You might also read: How to Find Volunteer Opportunities in Your Community? 10 Ideas for Volunteering