Thanks for your interest in volunteering at Pasadena Humane. Below, you’ll find a comprehensive list of our volunteer opportunities, including the areas where we need the most help.
How do I sign up to volunteer? Click here for more information.
For volunteers under 15, click here.
Most Help Needed
Shelter Greeter
Volunteer as a docent, assisting and answering visitor questions at the shelter. This is a great opportunity to engage visitors and help them at the same time. Weekday and weekend shifts available. Open to volunteers 6 and older (anyone under 15 needs to be accompanied by a parent or guardian).
Ambassador
Ambassadors help guide shelter visitors around the kennels, answer adoption and animal-related questions, and ensure guests keep their hands out of the kennels during weekday Walk-In Adoptions and weekend Visiting Hours and events. This program accepts volunteers aged 14 (with a parent or guardian) and 15 + without a parent or guardian.
Kitten Foster Volunteer
Care for orphaned kittens until they’re ready to be placed for adoption! Many of the foster kittens are already eating solid food on their own. However, our greatest need is for foster parents who can care for bottle babies, as these most fragile kittens need round-the-clock feeding and care that we are unable to provide at the shelter. Visit our Foster page to sign up!
Administrative Support
For those who want to help behind the scenes, Administrative Support is the right program for you. Volunteers can assist with an array of tasks and projects to help our administrative staff handle paperwork, filing, form processing, and so much more. Administrative Support opportunities are open to volunteers 18 years of age and older. Weekday shifts available.
Training Class Helpers
Want to learn more about dog training? Our training specialists offer public training for Puppy Playschool, Puppy Manners, Adolescent Dog Workshops, and Basics 101 courses. Volunteers will assist our trainers to make sure classes run smoothly. Volunteers must be comfortable around dogs of all sizes and breeds. Open to volunteers ages 18 and older. Weekday and weekend shifts available.
Adoption Administrative Counselor
Work alongside our Adoption Counselors to help complete adoption counsels and be part of the process to get animals into loving homes. Focusing primarily on administrative tasks, volunteers will finalize adoptions, review adoption documents, and provide basic guidance to help ensure a successful adoption. Weekday and weekend shifts available.
Boredom Busters – Dog Enrichment
Help us provide daily protective (in-kennel) enrichment for the shelter’s dog residents. Daily enrichment provides the dogs with novel yet calming activities to help keep their stress levels low and minds active during their stay. Shifts are run every afternoon, Monday through Sunday. Available to volunteers 6 years of age and older (Ages 6-14 require a parent or guardian). Great opportunity for families to help.
Fluff N’ Fold Laundry Program
Keep our shelter clean, cozy, and inviting for our animal guests by joining the Fluff N’ Fold laundry program! Volunteers in this program help to create a warm and homey environment for shelter animals by maintaining a steady stream of clean laundry such as towels and bedding. Responsibilities include operating industrial washers and dryers as well as folding and organizing clean laundry. Weekday and weekend shifts available. Open to volunteers 15 years and older.
Working with Animals
Boredom Busters: Boredom Buster volunteers provide daily (in-kennel) enrichment for our resident dogs. Daily enrichment provides the dogs with a variety of activities to help keep their stress levels low and their minds active during their stay. Shifts are available every afternoon, Monday through Sunday. Open to volunteers 6-14 years of age and older (Ages 6-14 with the accompaniment of a parent or guardian and older). Great opportunity for families to help.
Reading Rovers: Reading Rover volunteers (ages 6 -14 with the accompaniment of a parent or guardian and up) provide a soothing and relaxing environment for our dog population to lower stress levels by reading aloud to them.
Dog Socialization & Training: Volunteers 15 years old and up take dogs out of their kennels to socialization areas within the shelter for their daily dose of exercise while providing a structured environment for training and teaching new skills. Volunteers will also be trained to give extra care and attention to the dogs in their kennel.
Dog Walking: Advanced volunteers take pre-selected dogs off-site to the park for a stroll to explore their surroundings. Shifts are available seven days a week and are for volunteers 18 years of age and older.
Cat Socialization and Enrichment: Volunteers 15 years and up work directly with our cat population in the Neely Cat Center to provide daily enrichment and socialization.
Rewarding Rovers: Rewarding Rovers volunteers (15 years old and up) provide clicker training as a form of positive reinforcement for dog training. Equipped with a clicker and treats, volunteers embark to teach and reinforce good behaviors like sit, down, and four–on–the–floor to our shelter dogs.
Photography & Videography: Photography and videography volunteers 18 years old and up lend their professional skills by capturing high quality imagery of pets for adoption, events, and special projects. Photos and videos are used to promote pets for adoption on the Pasadena Humane website, social media, and other channels.
Transport: Transport volunteers help drive companion animals and wildlife to partner shelter, rescue, and wildlife rehabilitation center locations across California. Available for volunteers 18 years of age and older, have a valid driver’s license, and insurance.
Cat Adoption Team (C.A.T.): C.A.T. volunteers (6 and older with the accompaniment of a parent or guardian) perform husbandry (cleaning and feeding) tasks, socialize with the resident cats, and facilitate adoption counsels with prospective adopters alongside other volunteers at Pet Food Express to help the cats at our offsite adoption location find forever homes.
Mobile Outreach Program: Mobile volunteers venture out on the Wiggle Waggle Wagon, our mobile adoption RV, to community and adoption events along with adoptable animals. Mobile volunteers will meet and greet prospective adopters and speak about the shelter’s programs and services all while handling the pre-selected shelter animals. Available to volunteers 18 years and older, primarily on Saturday and Sunday.
Support Community Programs:
Training Classes: Training Class volunteers, 15 years of age and older, assist our Animal Training staff members with class set–up, class time, and clean up. Classes run on weekday evenings and weekend mornings.
Animal Reunification Program: Animal Reunification Program volunteers, 6 and older, play an active role in helping the shelter reunite lost animals to their homes through our reunification efforts. Volunteers help in a variety of ways, including at-home, online, and in person.
Pet Food Bank: Pet Food Bank volunteers 15 and older help distribute food and other essential animal supplies at our once-a-month Food Bank to community members.
Community Outreach Events: Community Outreach volunteers (6 years of age and up) participate in a wide range of community events including our three signature fundraiser events as well as pop-up Tabling and free adoptions events.
Companion Animal Outreach Team: CAOT volunteers (18 years of age and older) and their certified therapy animals participate in a variety of educational and compassion-based programs in our community including schools, libraries, assisted living facilities, and on-campus events.
Foster Care:
Foster Care volunteers open their homes and their hearts a wide variety of animals: cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, rabbits, hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, birds, and even squirrels. Foster Volunteers (18 years of age and older) are provided supplies and training to keep the animals in their care safe and happy. Visit our foster page to learn more about becoming a foster volunteer and see which animals are most in need of foster.
On-Site Support:
Visiting Hours Ambassadors: Ambassadors help guide shelter visitors around the kennels, answer adoption and animal-related questions, and ensure guests keep their hands out of the kennels during Visiting Hours and events. This program accepts volunteers aged 14 (with a parent or guardian) and 15 + without a parent or guardian.
Tour Ambassadors: Tour Ambassador volunteers lead small groups of people on tours around the shelter to show off the campus, to see our animals, and discuss and answer questions about the shelter’s programs and services. Available to volunteers 18 years old and older.
Fluff N’ Fold Laundry: Our Fluff N’ Fold laundry volunteers help keep our shelter clean and cozy. Volunteers in this program help to create a warm and homey environment for shelter animals by maintaining a steady stream of clean laundry such as towels and bedding. Responsibilities include operating industrial washers and dryers as well as folding and organizing clean laundry. Weekday and weekend shifts available. Open to volunteers 15 years and older.
Shelter Greeter: Shelter Greeters play an important role as docents, assisting and answering visitors’ questions upon arrival at the shelter. Open to volunteers 6 and older (anyone under 15 needs to be accompanied by a parent or guardian).
SNiP Express: Meet and assist members of the public and their pets as they are brought to the shelter to check in for their SNiP appointments. Open weekday mornings for volunteers 18 years old and older.
Administrative Support:
Adoption Administrative Help: Work alongside our Adoption Counselors to help complete adoption counsels and be part of the process to get animals into loving homes. Focusing primarily on administrative tasks, volunteers will finalize adoptions, review adoption documents, and provide basic guidance to help ensure a successful adoption. Weekday and weekend shifts available for volunteers 18 years old and older.
Administrative Helper: For those who want to help behind the scenes, Administrative Support is the right program for you. Volunteers can assist with an array of tasks and projects to help our administrative staff handle paperwork, filing, form processing, and so much more. Administrative Support opportunities are open to volunteers 18 years of age and older. Weekday shifts available.
Wildlife Helpline: The Wildlife department receives thousands of calls each year on a variety of wildlife-related topics. Volunteers in this program can expand their knowledge of local wildlife topics and directly help the members of our community. Open to volunteers 18 years of age and older.
Wildlife Data Entry: Help our Wildlife Department track the thousands of animals that come into our care each year through data entry. Open to volunteers 18 years of age and older.
Corporate/Group Opportunities:
Engage your team and make an impact in your community. Pasadena Humane welcomes teams of up to 15 for different group volunteer opportunities. Please reach out to volunteer@pasadenahumane.org to learn more.
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