Get Involved – Volunteer

Get Involved

Curious about how you can support our mission by volunteering at the shelter, taking a shelter pet home to foster them, or donating much-needed supplies? Read on to find out more.

We have many dedicated and compassionate volunteers who are at the shelter, tirelessly and lovingly caring for our shelter pets. Want to join us? Read more about our volunteer program needs!

Our foster families give our shelter pets a break each year, by taking them into their home. From tiny orphaned bottle baby kittens who need to be fed every two hours, to big rowdy dogs who just need to get out of the shelter for a bit, our fosters save lives every day! Want to become a foster? Click the link to learn more.

Are you interested in hosting a supply drive, or are you curious about what type of donations the shelter can use? Maybe you’d like to know what our shelter dogs’ favorite toys are, or what treats the shelter cats like the most? We’ve got a whole list ready!

Volunteer

We have many volunteers, and so much of the Friends of Orange County Animal Shelter’s  lifesaving work is because of their amazing efforts and commitment! Are you interested in joining our volunteer team? Read on for the requirements to volunteer and information about what types of positions are available in the shelter!

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME AN IN-HOUSE VOLUNTEER:

1. Must be 18 years old – sorry, no exceptions!
2. We do not have a commitment of how many hours you must serve a month.
3. Pass a background check.
4. Have access to an email account to receive pertinent email updates and communication.
5. Understand that some of the volunteer positions require more physical capabilities and will have additional requirements.
6. Commit to treat all animals and people with respect and kindness.

WHAT VOLUNTEERS DO:

Volunteers help in every aspect of the Orange County Animal Shelter operations, from providing excellent customer service for visitors, to providing direct care to the Shelter pets, to helping and supporting our staff.

If you are looking for a unique opportunity to serve others, work with animals, and at the same time make new friends and learn new skills, consider volunteering with us! We depend a great deal on our volunteers and their gift of time.

You, as a volunteer, can enjoy a genuine sense of satisfaction from helping others and take pride in being actively involved in meaningful service. Each year our volunteers contribute a significant amount of their time helping us provide high quality care to our visitors and animals in our care. We love our volunteers and couldn’t do all that we do without them!

CURRENT VOLUNTEER POSITIONS:

You can look through detailed descriptions of all our volunteer opportunities for new ways to support the Orange County Animal Shelter pets and visitors! Here is a general list of the types of volunteer roles that exist:

• Cat Room Assistant
• Clean Team – Dishes 
• Clean Team – Laundry 
• Customer Care Associate
• Dog Kennel Assistant
• Volunteer Van Driver-Events and PETSMART Adoptions (Saturday and Sundays)
• Fund Raising and Grant Writing

WE OFFER FLEXIBLE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES!

We do not require a specific amount of time you can volunteer (You can do as many hours as you like, and many of our current volunteers dedicate at least 10 hours a month!)

ESSENTIAL CAPABILITIES OF ALL FOCAS VOLUNTEERS:

 General capabilities:

• Average vision to move safely around the building, to be able to observe animal body language, and to be able to read notes on animals’ paperwork or computer memos as needed.
• Ability to effectively communicate verbally as well as in written form.
• A fairly high level of experience, familiarity, and/or desire to learn about cats and dogs.
• Must not have strong allergies to dogs or cats, (as it pertains to individual volunteer assignments) that can’t be managed by medication, or to chemicals used in grooming or cleaning.

Essential physical capabilities for animal care volunteers:

• Quick reflexes and ability to use both hands simultaneously (for example: open cage door while handling an animal).
• High level of manual dexterity to leash/harness animal, and to lock and unlock doors and gates in kennel areas for walking animals.
• Ability to travel unaided on unpaved, uneven, rugged, and sometimes muddy and slippery exercise yard and lawn areas (when walking dogs outdoors).
• Ability to bend and squat in order to leash/harness and/or pick up an animal and animal droppings as needed.
• Ability to stand/walk for significant periods of time as required by the volunteer assignment.
• Average sense of smell and touch in order to assess body conditions of animals and to note signs of illness and/or injury. (Report any finding to the shelter staff as soon as possible)
• Ability to hear if animal is making sounds indicating fear or pain.
• Ability to maneuver well in tight spaces and move quickly in order to prevent animals from escaping as required by the volunteer assignment. This requires average vision, hearing, steadiness of hands and body, quick reflexes, physical strength, and mental alertness.
  • Cats/Small Animals up to 30 lbs.
  • Dog volunteers must be able to control dogs up to 110 pounds who may be untrained/pull/jump/etc.
• Ability to tolerate strong and unpleasant odors, fleas, feces, and possible wounds or injuries that occur.
• Ability to tolerate a loud environment due to animal noises.
• Ability to judge an animal’s behavior and use the appropriate voice (soft, strong, or authoritative tone) in order to calm an animal’s response and/or to give commands.
• Must have good physical endurance along with the willingness and ability to do hard, physical, and often time’s dirty work as it pertains to volunteer assignments.
• Must be aware of the possibility of exposure to zoonotic diseases such as ringworm and mange, among others.

Essential mental capabilities:

• Ability to understand, remember, and follow exact instructions and procedures.
• Ability to work independently as required by the volunteer assignment.
• Possess reading, writing, and communication skills (example: understand words such as quarantine, isolation, and other common industry-related terms), and a mastery of the English language.
• Possess problem solving skills.
• Recognize potentially dangerous situations when working with the animals and ability to:
  • Remain calm with animals who show signs of stress.
  • Show good judgement by reacting sensitively, confident, and appropriately.
• Ability to effectively communicate with the public including providing customer service and education on topics as it pertains to the volunteer assignment.
• Ability to understand and accept the boundaries between the role of a volunteer and the role of a staff member.
• Possess a professional and positive attitude with a solution-oriented approach when facing challenges.
• Ability to understand the decision making-process of the staff as it pertains to animal welfare.

Essential emotional capabilities:

• Ability to cope with unexpected animal behavior without assistance.
• Ability to cope with a highly emotionally-charged environment with some animals that are homeless, abandoned and/or abused, as well as the reality that some of the animals in our care may be euthanized.
• Ability to understand both Friends of Orange County Animal Shelter and Orange County Animal Shelter’s policies and positions regarding animal welfare issues, though they are generally one in the same.
• Ability and willingness to appropriately and accurately represent all Friends of Orange County Animal Shelters  policies and procedures when interacting with the public or otherwise representing Friends of Orange County Animal Shelter.

Level of supervision:

• Once trained, must have the ability to work with minimal supervision; yet must also recognize limitations in knowledge and abilities, and ask for help when needed.
• Once trained, must have the ability to work independently as well as with other volunteers and/or staff.

On-boarding Process:

To become a volunteer through Friends of Orange County Animal Shelter  you will go through several steps. Each step will need to be successfully passed to continue through the process. This process is designed as a screening tool for the Shelter to ensure that you are a good fit and have the appropriate amount of time to commit, and the interest in the volunteer duties at the Shelter. The process is also designed so that you, the potential volunteer, can personally assess if you are interested in the duties of a volunteer within the Shelter and agree to abide by the policies and procedures of the Shelter. The onboarding process takes approximately 30-60 days to complete.

Currently our on-boarding process steps include:

• Complete the Volunteer Application.
• May have to complete a background check. (Details on this step are emailed following an approved application.)
• Attend an in-person Volunteer Information Session. (Details on this step are emailed following a successful background check).
• Attend an in-person mentor training session (or two if needed) in your designated service area. (Details on this step will be emailed following successful attendance of a Volunteer Orientation Session.)
• Begin volunteering! You may also request an additional shadowing/training session prior to starting your regular shift, if you would like!

If after reading the steps above, you would like to start the process to become a volunteer with Friends of  Orange County Animal Shelter,  please fill out the Volunteer Application.   Application can be submitted at any time.

Friends of Orange County Animal Shelter Volunteer Application

• Please fill out the application, scan and email back to us or mail to our PO Box.