Volunteer Links

Check dirty laundry baskets in the grooming room (don’t go in if the red “in use” sign is on the door) and Cat Parlor; check outdoor exercise/play yards, the hamper just inside the play yard door, and other areas for dirty laundry and toys.

Pick up any leaves, trash that has blown over from Kwik Shop, etc. In nice weather, dump and refill plastic dog pools and water dishes throughout the day as the water gets dirty. Dump the poop bucket out in the dumpster. Please pick up any poop left in the play yards. All dirty toys need to be taken to the laundry room. Make sure all gates are closed to protect them from wind damage. See the Volunteer Coordinator about refilling empty waste bag stations.

(Parking lot, island between HHHS and Kwik Shop, areas with rocks and plants, triangular flower bed, etc.). Pull weeds, pick up leaves and trash, put rocks back where they belong, etc. Let the Volunteer Coordinator know if you’re interested in becoming part of our grounds keeping crew. We have work gloves and trash grabbers available you can use!

Wearing gloves, remove all hair from brushes (Insider’s tip: Use the awesome vacuum cleaner located on the wall of the grooming room! Works like a charm!), then disinfect. Spray each brush individually with the grooming room cleaner spray bottle (bleach and water mixture or Rescue). Let the disinfectant sit for several minutes, then rinse. Lay out a towel (located in a tub in the grooming room) and place wet brushes on it to dry. Once dry, organize like brushes in the drawers to the right of the sink.

You may notice a light yellow film forms on the walls in A after several days of our Animal Care Techs spray cleaning. Using warm water, dish soap, and rags, clean this film off of the walls. See the Volunteer Coordinator or Margaret for supplies.

This involves walking along the front of the dog kennels and rewarding good behavior. If a dog is sitting quietly, say “Good Quiet,” and drop in a treat. If they are barking and/or jumping, wait until they are calm, then reward them. It’s great to sit and read for a few minutes at a time in A between “Good Quiet” rounds to get dogs used to peoples’ presence. You can also try this on the back side of the kennels!

by completing Volunteer Concern Forms (located on volunteer room name badge bookshelf, in Cat Parlor drawer, large socialization room drawers, A drawer, and in the Volunteer Coordinator’s mailbox—if any of these areas are missing forms, get some from the Volunteer Coordinator and distribute) and dropping them in the box under the VC’s mailbox (located on the wall directly outside of that office). Report all animal emergencies immediately.

Sweep and mop volunteer room, organize treats/toys/etc. in volunteer room, organize volunteer drawers in A and Cat Parlor, etc.

Send them to the Communications Coordinator through HHHS Facebook messenger for the website or social media (again, please don’t pet/open kennels in A or condos in Cat Parlor). You may also post these videos or pictures in the HHHS Team Facebook group.

Printed brochures and kennel signs are often found in the volunteer room when help is needed). If there are no printed brochures, find an administrative team member to ask if more brochures/kennel signs are needed.

If you see a staff member, kindly ask if there is anything you can do to help them. Common activities may include doing animal dishes, sanitizing items, spot cleaning areas of the shelter, deep cleaning empty kennels, moving donations, etc.

These are usually found in the volunteer room fridge/freezer. Place them in Ziploc bags in the fridge with the date you made them on the bag. Break large dog treats (jerky, bacon strips, large milk bones) into small pieces and place them in Ziploc bags on the treat shelf.

Supplies (paper, markers, stickers, etc.) can be found in the volunteer room or on the table. We can never express enough how appreciative we are when people choose to adopt and save a life!

Smudges make animals less presentable to potential adopters. Using spray bottles of vinegar/water mix (spray bottles can be found in the volunteer room) and newspaper, clean the outer and inner sides of the glass (whatever is dirty) in A dog kennels. Always close dogs on the backside of their kennels before opening the front door to clean the inner side of the glass. Remember to open the separator when you’re done! You may also clean the outside of Octagon glass and any other glass doors or windows that appear to be dirty in the adoption areas. Please do not use vinegar on the Cat Parlor plastic windows; they require special cleaner so they don’t get foggy and are cleaned by staff daily.

If there are empty toilet paper tubes in the volunteer room, use scissors to cut these into rings, create treat-distributing toys (Google it!), or develop some other cat enrichment item. Please do not put more than five treats in each cat treat-distributing toy. If you look up any of your own ides to make new toys/enrichment for the animals, please run it by the Volunteer Coordinator!

Doing laundry requires extra training – if a trained volunteer is in working in the laundry room, you can offer to assist them (folding, stocking, sorting, etc.).

You will need instruction the first time you do this; let the Volunteer Coordinator know if you would like to learn!

Walk through adoption areas and make sure kennel paperwork looks nice (not torn, crumpled, wet, etc.). Clean out any plastic sleeves that look dirty (treat crumbs, left-behind signs, multiple pens, etc.). Make a list of any that should be reprinted/updated and give to Marrissa or the Adoption Counselors. Make sure the laminated sterile/unsterile sheet is behind the papers (this signals to staff which kennels need to be clean after a pet has been adopted).