Volunteer to Save Homeless Pets | Best Friends

With thousands of dogs and cats in shelters across the country hoping for their very own families, one of the most valuable gifts you can give is your time. Your kindness makes all the difference in the lives of homeless pets—whether you volunteer locally at one of our Best Friends locations around the country, at our flagship Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, give rides to pets across the country, or help animals from your home through one of our national opportunities.

Why Volunteering Matters

Every day, Best Friends supporters make our lifesaving work possible when they volunteer, foster, advocate, learn, and work to end the killing in shelters. Best Friends Animal Society believes that kindness towards animals creates a better world for all of us. To this end, Best Friends works with shelters, rescue groups and members nationwide on a variety of grassroots programs designed to bring about a time when there are No More Homeless Pets.

Volunteer programs are instrumental components to saving more animals in every community. Well-run volunteer programs can exponentially increase the community’s involvement with shelters, enhance the shelter’s workforce, and increase its capacity for care of animals. Organizations all over the country, from large brick-and-mortar agencies to small nonprofits, have successfully implemented robust volunteer programs that dramatically increase their lifesaving capacity.

Multiple Ways to Make a Lifesaving Difference

There are so many ways you can make a lifesaving difference for dogs and cats by volunteering. You can volunteer at one of the Best Friends locations around the country or at a Best Friends Network Partner near you. You can also foster a pet, care for community cats, or advocate for pets, shelters, and rescue groups where you live.

Volunteer at Best Friends Locations

You can volunteer directly at our physical locations, including our flagship Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, or at one of our local centers in cities across the country such as Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and other major metropolitan areas. These hands-on opportunities allow you to work directly with animals in need, providing them with essential care and socialization.

Foster a Pet in Your Home

Many community members who love animals are willing to open their homes temporarily to pets in need. Fostering is a volunteer-based program that increases a shelter’s capacity, reduces stress for the animals, promotes their health and often increases adoptions, all while reducing the costs of care. By becoming a foster volunteer, you provide a temporary safe haven for animals awaiting permanent placement, which greatly improves their chances of adoption and overall well-being.

Transport Homeless Pets to Safety

Transfers and transports are often a key source of positive outcomes for animals. As a volunteer, you can easily play a significant role in helping animals reach locations where their chances for adoption are higher. Whether it’s driving animals to adoption events, partner facilities, or rescue organizations, transport volunteers directly contribute to positive outcomes while often reducing organizational costs.

Advocate for Pets in Your Community

It’s a lot of work to build community awareness, develop partnerships, solicit donations, and change public policies and laws. As community members, volunteers are often some of the best individuals to assist with these endeavors. You can help share our mission at outreach events, pop-up adoption events, and participate in advocacy campaigns to improve animal welfare in your area.

Care for Community Cats

Community cat care is another vital volunteer opportunity. Through various community-based initiatives, you can help care for free-roaming cats in your neighborhood, ensuring they receive food, water, shelter, and medical attention when needed.

Remote and Home-Based Opportunities

If you prefer to help from home, Best Friends offers remote volunteer opportunities through our National Operations Volunteers & Ambassadors (NOVA) program. As a remote volunteer, you’ll be working from a location of your choice to save the lives of dogs and cats. These opportunities might include social media support, marketing assistance, administrative tasks, and other behind-the-scenes work that keeps our organization running efficiently.

Hands-On Volunteer Opportunities

At Best Friends locations, volunteers are invited to participate in regular animal care routines and special projects that directly benefit the animals in our care.

Animal Care Assistance

Providing optimal care for the shelter population is often a daunting task for staff because there is so much to do on a daily basis. Volunteers can easily fill the gaps in operations for all species of animals by helping with:

• Cleaning animal areas and facilities
• Feeding and providing water to animals
• Grooming and basic medical care assistance
• Walking dogs and exercising animals
• Providing enrichment activities and socialization

Using volunteers for animal care not only allows us to enhance the level of care, it does so at a nominal cost, all while deepening community support and engagement.

Adoption Assistance

Matchmaking is an art, but with the right training, volunteers can easily assist with adoptions, whether it’s by providing feedback on or insights about the animals or counseling prospective adopters. Having volunteers in this role can save time and money, and it directly contributes to increasing the number of positive outcomes for the animals in an agency’s care.

Veterinary Support

Volunteers can assist our veterinary team with various tasks, helping ensure that animals receive the medical attention and care they need to thrive.

Volunteer Shift Information at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

If you’re interested in volunteering at our flagship sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, here’s what you need to know about scheduling and shift times:

Daily Volunteer Shifts

There are two volunteer shifts every day of the year at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary:

• Morning Shift: 8:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• Afternoon Shift: 1:15 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Sanctuary operates on Mountain Time. Volunteer shifts should be scheduled as far in advance as possible, as each animal area has a maximum number of volunteers that can be accommodated during each shift.

Scheduling Your Volunteer Time

You have the ease and flexibility of creating your entire volunteer schedule online. To get started, visit volunteers.bestfriends.org where you can browse available shifts and sign up for the times that work best for you.

Age Requirements and Supervision

Different animal areas have their own minimum age requirements for safety considerations:

• Cat World: 8 years old and up
• Bunny House: 8 years old and up

Minors under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at all times while volunteering. One adult can supervise up to two minors.

Getting Started as a Volunteer

Requirements

Volunteers must meet certain basic requirements to participate in our programs:

• Be at least 18 years old (or 8+ with adult supervision depending on the volunteer role)
• Complete a volunteer account registration
• Complete necessary training before showing up to your first shift
• Adhere to health and safety guidelines outlined by the organization

How to Sign Up

To get started with volunteering, you have several options:

• Visit volunteers.bestfriends.org to create your account and browse available opportunities
• Contact the Sanctuary volunteer department at volunteers@bestfriends.org
• Call 435-319-0622 to speak with a volunteer coordinator
• For local center inquiries, email bfvolweb@bestfriends.org and a team member will contact you
• In Los Angeles, reach out to volunteerLA@bestfriends.org

Volunteer Opportunities in Your Community

Finding Volunteer Opportunities Near You

Wherever you live, there are countless ways to volunteer and make a lifesaving difference for dogs and cats in your community. Thousands of Best Friends Network Partners all over the country are eager to have your help. You can volunteer with Best Friends directly or with one of our Network Partners in your area, each offering unique opportunities tailored to your interests and abilities.

Multiple Pathways to Help

Whether you want to work hands-on with animals, provide transportation, foster pets, advocate for policy changes, or help behind the scenes, there’s a volunteer opportunity that matches your skills and passion. Our diverse range of volunteer roles ensures that everyone can find a meaningful way to contribute to our mission of saving homeless pets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can volunteer?

Anyone with a passion for animal welfare can volunteer! Minors under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Each animal area has its own minimum age requirements for safety reasons. For example, Cat World and Bunny House require volunteers to be at least 8 years old.

What volunteer opportunities are available?

Best Friends offers numerous volunteer opportunities including regular animal care routines (feeding, cleaning, grooming, walking), socializing with animals, special projects in maintenance, fostering, transport, advocacy, remote work, and community outreach. Spending time socializing with animals is an important part of volunteer work, as it helps make them more adoptable and eases their transition to a forever home.

How far in advance should I sign up for volunteer shifts?

Volunteer shifts should be scheduled as far in advance as possible. Each animal area has a maximum number of volunteers that can be accommodated during each shift, so early scheduling ensures you get your preferred times.

What are the daily volunteer shifts at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary?

There are two volunteer shifts every day of the year: 8:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time. You can create your entire volunteer schedule online for maximum flexibility.

How do I schedule volunteer time?

You can create and manage your entire volunteer schedule online by visiting volunteers.bestfriends.org. This user-friendly system gives you the flexibility to choose shifts that work best for your schedule.

What training do volunteers receive?

All volunteers must complete necessary training before their first shift. This training ensures that you understand proper animal care procedures, safety protocols, and organizational guidelines to provide the best possible care for the animals.

Do I need any special qualifications to volunteer?

No special qualifications are required, just a genuine passion for helping animals! Best Friends provides all the training you need. Whether you’re experienced with animal care or brand new to volunteering, we have opportunities suitable for your skill level.

Can I volunteer remotely?

Yes! Best Friends offers remote volunteer opportunities through our National Operations Volunteers & Ambassadors (NOVA) program. You can help from home by assisting with tasks such as social media, marketing, administrative work, and other behind-the-scenes support.

What if I have questions or need accommodation?

If you have any questions or need special accommodations, don’t hesitate to reach out to our volunteer team. You can email bfvolweb@bestfriends.org, and someone from the team will contact you to discuss your needs and help you find the perfect volunteer opportunity.

Make a Difference Today

With millions of animals in shelters around the country hoping for families of their very own, your time and dedication can create real change in the lives of homeless pets. Whether you choose to volunteer at one of our locations, foster an animal in your home, transport pets to safety, advocate for policy change, or help remotely, every contribution matters. Best Friends is committed to working with passionate people like you to save homeless pets through adoption, volunteering, fostering, and advocacy. Join us as a volunteer today and help us save them all.

Similar Articles

Breathing Challenges in Flat-Faced Dogs

Diabetes in Dogs Guide

Nighttime Safety for Outdoor Cats

Managing Resource Guarding in Dogs

Cat Kneading Explained

Adding a Second Dog: Key Decisions

Author

Sneha TeteBeauty & Lifestyle Writer

 

Sneha is a relationships and lifestyle writer with a strong foundation in applied linguistics and certified training in relationship coaching. She brings over five years of writing experience to fluffyaffair,  crafting thoughtful, research-driven content that empowers readers to build healthier relationships, boost emotional well-being, and embrace holistic living.

Read full bio of Sneha Tete