Volunteer at the Shelter
Thank you for your interest in serving at one of our shelter locations!
This team of dedicated volunteers helps at our shelters with animal care tasks and guest service. If you can commit to one shift every other week for at least three months, we would love to have you join this team!
New volunteers help with non-animal handling activities in our Guest Relations and Animal Care departments. During this initial period, you will learn about animal sheltering and San Diego Humane Society services while supporting our essential daily work! After five shifts and two months of successful service on our team, volunteers 18 and older are eligible to apply to level up to an animal handling team.
Volunteer Activities:
Guest Guide
Be the first smiling face our visitors see when they arrive on campus. Provide a welcoming experience by greeting each guest and connecting them with the services they need. Community members visit us for many different reasons, such as adopting a new family member, bringing in a found stray, receiving free pet food and supplies, reclaiming a lost pet or having to surrender their pet. Whatever they need, our Guest Guides are there to assist them with compassion. Shifts are typically available 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday.
Animal Care – Projects
Support the animals in our care by helping with shelter and enrichment projects, such as laundry, dishes, treat prep and more! These tasks do not involve handling animals, which allows volunteers to get started and make an impact quickly with limited training. Helping with these daily tasks ensures the animals in our care stay healthy and comfortable while at the shelter. Shifts are typically available 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Monday-Sunday.
Animal Care – Kennel Cleaning
Assist staff before the shelter opens with cleaning kennels for dogs, cats, rabbits or guinea pigs. Shifts are typically available 7-10 a.m., Monday-Sunday.
Core Level Roles
After completing five shifts and two months of successful service, volunteers ages 18 and older become eligible to apply for the next level of volunteer activities, such as dog walking. These roles include online and hands-on training, carry additional responsibility, and require a commitment of four shifts per month. Recruitment for these teams opens periodically throughout the year based on need.
Please review these requirements to determine if our Volunteer team is a match for you:
Location: Please complete the application for the location where you would like to volunteer. Because each campus has its own unique set of procedures, the campus where you apply and complete orientation is the only campus you’ll be able to volunteer at without requesting an additional site from our Volunteer Engagement team.
Schedule: Initial volunteer shifts are available 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday. After completing your first two shifts in the shelter, additional volunteer activities open up during early mornings and on Mondays. The schedule is flexible, but shifts must be pre-booked online.
Commitment: Can commit to at least 6 months of service.
Age: 18+
Access to a computer or smartphone: You’ll receive all communications from us via email, and scheduling and training need to be completed online via the website or app.
New volunteer onboarding steps:
- Application: We recruit new volunteers throughout the year on an as-needed basis. Our online application is posted below during open recruitment periods.
- Online Learning: Complete one training course to learn more about San Diego Humane Society’s culture, services and expectations of the Volunteer program.
- Orientation: This small group session includes a behind-the-scenes tour, service projects and a conversation with our Volunteer Engagement staff to determine if our volunteer team is the right fit for you.
Training deadline: Applicants must complete their in-person Orientation within one month of applying and serve their first volunteer shift within one month of attending Orientation.
FAQs: You can review additional frequently asked questions here!
Recruitment Period and Application
Recruitment status for each campus is listed below. Please check back if your preferred campus' recruitment period is closed! For the next recruitment period at our San Diego Campus, we will only be accepting applications for volunteers who plan to join the Dog Walking Team within three months of starting. If you would like to receive a notification when applications are open, fill out this form.
San Diego Campus
Our applications are currently closed.