Volunteers Welcome!

All volunteers must:

• Be at least 16 years of age to volunteer. Sorry - we cannot make an exception to this policy. 
• If under 18 years of age, a legal parent or guardian must accompany them to volunteer orientation/first volunteer shift.
• Must complete a background check screening.
• Log in and out while at Harris County Pets each time you volunteer.  
• Your very first volunteer shift will be as a Kennel Assistant.  We will show you how to properly handle the animals and what areas of our facility volunteers are allowed access to. 

• Confidentiality Statement
• Volunteer/Intern Expectations
• Photography Consent Form/Model Release
• Release & Indemnification Agreement
• Volunteer/Intern Participation Agreement
• Vaccination Requirements
• Volunteer Liability Release
• Social Media Policy
  

FIRST SHIFT AS A VOLUNTEER.  Kennel Assistants assists the kennel staff with the entire cleaning process: assembling cleaning supplies, moving animals, cleaning/sanitizing animal kennels, and providing animals with food and water.  

Volunteers can also help our shelter staff with a variety of other tasks such as:

Kennel Assistants are one of the only groups of volunteers allowed in the building during morning hours when we are not open to the public.  Kennel Assistants are vital to the healthy and safety of our animals. 

We are always in need of dog walkers! Taking a dog out to our playground helps decrease the dog's stress levels, improves behavioral, mental and emotional health and increases socialization.  All of these factors help increase a dog's chance of adoption!

Training is provided by a kennel staff member who will go over safely removing dogs from kennels, tips on walking a dog and knowing which dogs are eligible to be walked.

Dog walkers are welcome when we are open to the public. 

If you love animals and want to engage with the community outside of our facility to spread the word about responsible pet ownership and animal safety, please join us at our events!  As part of our community outreach and education efforts, Harris County Pets conducts vaccination clinics and spay/neuter events and attends health fairs and festivals year round. Our upcoming events are posted on the home page of our web site.

Volunteers are the lifeline of our mobile adoption events. Mobile adoption volunteers walk/feed/water pets at the event and assist the public with adoptions.Shifts are available in blocks of 3-4 hours, and volunteers may either meet at Harris County Pets or at the event location. A staff member or volunteer team leader will always be present to answer any questions and assist with volunteer duties.

We know adopting a new pet is exciting and want to make sure adopters find the perfect pet for their lifestyle!  Adoption Counselors are key to helping us introduce the public to the adoptable animals at our shelter. If you like working with people while also being in contact with animals, this position may be good for you!  Counselors walk adopters through our adoption process and share information about responsible pet ownership.

Some questions our adoption counselors cover include: “are you looking for a puppy or an older pet,” “how many hours will you be away from home during the day,” “does your landlord have breed/weight restrictions?”

Training is provided.

A picture is worth a thousand words and an adoption is priceless! Volunteers are needed on our PROMO TEAM to capture pictures and video of our adorable animals. Photos and videos are used to help find pets a home/foster/rescue through our social media pages and media outlets.

You can assist by taking photos, assisting a photographer with animal handling or recording videos of our adoptable pets! Training is provided prior to your first shift to ensure understanding of needs and requirements.

If you’re a cat lover, the Kitty Committee might be the purr-fect fit for you!  We have adoptable cats residing at various Petco and Pet Supermarket stores. These volunteers are responsible for visiting our cats, straightening their cages, providing clean litter, checking food/water and giving them plenty of attention!

This is a flexible position since you can sign up to care for the cats anytime the store is open! Volunteers are able to see what days are covered through a shared calendar and send updates regarding a pet’s health, behavior changes or adoptions! Training is provided on-site at your preferred location.

1. Fill out the volunteer application
2. Watch our online orientation and complete the background check paperwork.  This information and instructions will be sent to you via email once you complete the online volunteer application. Please be sure to read this email completely as it contains important information regarding your next step in volunteering. 

We ask that a volunteer commits to at least 10 hours per month of service. 

Additionally, we require all volunteers to adhere to the volunteer policies agreed upon via the online application. 

Volunteers must wear a volunteer ID badge (provided by Harris County Pets) or a green volunteer shirt (awarded after 10 hours of logged volunteer service.)

We allow an individual to work off court mandated community service hours here at Harris County Pets for certain offenses  Community service members have different requirements and guidelines than regular volunteers. Please contact Gabby Medina at gabriela.medina@phs.hctx.net if you need to fulfill community service hours. 

We have many opportunities for volunteering as a group!  If you are seeking a group volunteering opportunity, please contact Gabby Medina at vphvolunteer@phs.hctx.net

Everyone is encouraged to apply. Results are discussed on a case by case basis.