Healdsburg Animal Shelter (HAS) recognizes and values the essential role that volunteers play in the organization. Volunteers are a critical part of the department's success. We depend on these unpaid employees to fulfill a variety of needs both inside and outside the shelter. We consider HAS to be a community shelter and that only through the services and support of volunteers in our community will we be able to reach our goals and fulfill our mission statement.

It is the policy of HAS to encourage and actively seek volunteers to work in conjunction with shelter staff on needs for the organization. Individuals and/or groups offering services will be oriented, trained and given opportunities to work within their area of interest.

Volunteer Positions

Our volunteer program has a number of different positions available to enable people to help our furry friends in a wide variety of ways. We have positions for those who wish to work "hands on" with the animals in our care, as well as positions for those who would work with the public. We ask for a commitment of at least 2 hours a week (8 hours/month minimum) for at least 6 months depending on the job. Our age guideline for youth is; children, ages 9-15, may volunteer with a parent or guardian partner. We ask all potential volunteers to attend a Volunteer General Orientation.

Please RSVP as space is limited. You can also reach the volunteer coordinator, Jamie Winters, by e-mail.
 

Animal Transport Volunteer

Be an Animal Transport Volunteer and get our animals to where they need to go!  Drop-off and pick-up our animals at local vets for surgeries, vaccines and health checks or do long-distance animal transfers to other shelters or rescues.

Cat Cuddler

Work hands on with our cats by socializing and de-stressing them. Manage our cat rooms and make sure everything is looking fresh and clean while providing our cats and kittens the socialization and stimulation they need to succeed.

Client Service Volunteer

Be the face of the shelter. Greet and assist the public as they come in and help our wonderful staff out with essential tasks that is needed by the shelter. Some tasks include: maintaining the lost & found records, answering phones, assist the public, dispatch for animal control, issue new or renew dog licenses, prepare microchip forms and various other administrative tasks as requested.

Dog Walker

Work hands on with our dogs in a commanding role. You will be giving our dogs the daily exersize they desperately need while reinforcing good behavior along the way. Exercise, socialize, and train the dogs to help relieve stress and make them more adoptable.

Event Volunteer

Assist the shelter staff with fundraising and other community events with tasks such as: selling tickets, handling animals at an off-site location, interacting with the public as an ambassador for our shelter, help run booths, and assist in the set-up and take-down of booths. There is no time-commitment for this job position. You will be on-call because the times, dates, and locations vary.

Foster Care Volunteer

Provide in-home care to special needs animals such as nursing kittens or puppies, animals recovering from injuries / surgeries, or animals who need some socializing outside of the shelter environment. Foster Care Volunteers receive animal care supplies and can determine the types of animals they care for.

Shelter Maintenance Volunteer

Assist the shelter staff in keeping our shelter neat, clean and organized for the public and for our animals. Help by doing laundry, washing dishes, gardening, painting, organizing storage, general cleaning and various other tasks as needed.

Website / Advertising Volunteer

Help our animals get adopted by assisting in the production of website updates by taking pictures of our adoptable animals and/or stray animals. Advertise our animals on websites such as adoptapet.com and petfinder.com and create posters which can be placed around town advertising our animals and our shelter. There are tons of wonderful / loving homes out there and all of these tasks are essential to getting these wonderful owners in our doors to fall in love with our animals.