Are you retired or do you work from home? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of animals? Join us in an opportunity to literally save tiny kittens from a life or death situation by becoming a "Bottle Baby Caretaker." Bottle feeding kittens requires lots of patience and dedication, but can be one of the most rewarding ways to contibute to Animal Haven during this season.

If we do not have people to help us bottle feed kittens, we cannot take them into our care since we are not a 24 hour facility. Kittens under 6 weeks of age generally do not eat solid food on their own so they must be bottle fed every few hours (around the clock), to learn more about the process click here.

Requirements for Bottle Baby Caretakers: You must be at least 18 years of age, the kittens must be cared for in your home and must be fed every 2-3 hours, around the clock.

Please contact Jennifer or Crystal if you would like to learn more about becoming a Bottle Kitten Caretaker!

Volunteers play a critical role at Animal Haven. We would never be able to provide the current level of programs and services to assist the animals and the community without you.

There are numerous programs and activities in need of your energy and talents as detailed on the Adult Volunteer Application. Prospective adult volunteers may also fill out an electronic application here. (Teen volunteers must download, print, and fill out a copy with parental consent signature, see below).

Adult Volunteers

Volunteer Requirements

You must be 18 years old to volunteer as an adult. Animal Haven does allow teen volunteers to assist their parents in various volunteer opportunities. Please review the application for further details. Please mail or bring in completed applications. All applicants are required to attend an orientation which covers the Animal Haven's policies, procedures, and philosophy. Some assignments may also require additional training.

Volunteer Orientation

We will contact you regarding orientations as soon as they are being organized. Applicants are invited to orientation and training sessions based on the volunteer opportunities selected on the application.

Minimum Time Requirements for Volunteers

We ask that you give a one-year volunteer commitment to us. Some programs have minimum hourly requirements which are indicated in the descriptions on the application.

Teen Volunteers

Being a Teen Volunteer is a great way to develop respect and compassion for living creatures. Children under 18 may volunteer for certain assignments, as specified on the Teen Volunteer Application, if they are accompanied by a parent. The parent must complete all volunteer requirements, including submission of an application and attendance at an orientation. Parent and child must also complete any additional required training.

Email us if you have specific questions about volunteering.

Below is a brief summary of the various positions we have available. If you have any special skills that are not included in this list, please let the volunteer coordinator know. All positions require that you be over 18 unless otherwise indicated.

Dogs

Dog Walker

The volunteer will walk dogs at our shelter. New volunteers are required to take a dog-handling class given by our dog trainer. The classes are held on Saturdays (the volunteer coordinator will let you know what time the classes are given). When the trainer feels the volunteer is ready, he/she can walk dogs alone (except teens). We require you to walk dogs for at least 30 minutes on your scheduled day. Dog walkers are needed 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. every day except for Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is 12:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Cats

Cat Socializer

The volunteer will pet and play with the cats and kittens. The volunteer will work with feral or shy cats/kittens to help them become more comfortable with people and give them a better chance of being adopted. Training will be provided. This position is available 7 days a week; 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. every day except for Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is 12:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Cattery Cleaner

The volunteer will be responsible for cleaning one room or part of a room. This is a demanding but rewarding position. It is required that the volunteer be at the shelter approximately 2-3 hours on his/her scheduled day. Training will be provided. This position is available 7 days a week.

Other On-site Volunteering

Front Desk Receptionist

This position requires excellent communication skills. The volunteer will answer the phone, make sure all volunteers are signed in and encourage people to sign up for our mailing list. Training will be provided. This position is available 7 days a week; 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. all days except Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:00 - 7:00 p.m. We require that you stay for at least 2 hours on your scheduled day.

Adoption Counselor (cats)

This position requires excellent communication skills and the ability to work with both people and animals. The volunteer will work with prospective adopters informing them of our strict adoption policies and helping them pick out an appropriate animal for them. Training will be provided. This position is available 7 days a week; 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. every day except for Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is 12:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Off-site Volunteering

Event Volunteer

This position is an excellent opportunity to be in the center of the action for adopting our cats and dogs to good homes. The volunteer will participate in our off-site adoption events where we utilize our adoption mobile van to go to different places in the Tri-State area. These events generally take place on the weekends. You must sign up with the Volunteer Coordinator for each event. Events are posted through our e-mail newsletter each week and on the bulletin board in the shelter office. The volunteer can either meet at the shelter or meet at the event location. There are a variety of different volunteer jobs to choose from at an event: dog handler, cat adoption counselor, information specialist. The volunteer will be given our off-site rules and guidelines sheet. This is an essential volunteer position since we have events almost every weekend. Training will be provided as needed.

Event Volunteer Leader

The volunteer will be in charge of supervising other volunteers at off-site adoption events. There usually will be two lead volunteers per event, one leader for supervising the cat volunteers and one leader for supervising the dog volunteers. Each lead volunteer will be responsible for ensuring all the animals are properly handled/taken care of, making sure other volunteers know what to do at the event, speaking to all potential adopters and writing comments on the application, collecting the adoption applications and handing the applications to an AH staff member. For example, if volunteer A is talking to a potential adopter and writes comments down on the application, lead volunteer must talk with volunteer A's potential adopter and write additional comments on application. Then, lead volunteer must collect all applications. Events generally take place on the weekends. Experience required at previous off-site events. Training will be provided as needed.

Special Project Volunteer

This position is an excellent opportunity for those who cannot volunteer on a weekly basis. Each month you can check our web page and newsletter for upcoming volunteer projects. These involve a variety of tasks, including working at our flea market, cleaning, painting or fixing up the shelter, picking up newspapers and anything else we can come up with. Also, upcoming fundraising events with which we need help with will be listed. If the volunteer is interested in working on a particular project, he/she can contact the volunteer coordinator to reserve a spot for him/her. Training will be provided as needed.

Volunteer Fundraiser/Event Planner

This position requires excellent people skills, initiative and creativity. These volunteers will propose and organize fundraising events or work with others in planning and organizing these events through committees. Training will be provided as needed.

Grant Writers

We need people with professional grant-writing experience who can help us identify foundation and corporate donors for our fundraising campaigns, as well as prepare formal grant applications.