volunteering
16 years or older
 We couldn't do it without you |
Exclusively for OHS Volunteers:
log on to Volunteer Web Pages
Volunteers have made our job possible for the past 138 years. More than 1,000 people lend their time, energy, and talents to keep this shelter operating.
Volunteers Must Be
- Sixteen (16) years old or older
(If you are 12 - 15 years old, or part of a corporate group, the Youth and Community Group Volunteer Program can provide a wonderful volunteer experience.) - Able to provide 12 hours of service per month
- Dog Walking volunteers must commit to one scheduled shift per week
- Able to commit to scheduled volunteer times
- Able to squat, bend, twist, lift, or stand for long periods when working directly with the animals
- Possess strong customer service skills as all volunteer positions work directly with the public, staff, and other volunteers
- Attend the volunteer orientation held on the last Sunday morning of every month (November is the weekend before Thanksgiving and there is no orientation in December)
- You may not use this program to fulfill court mandated hours. Please go to the court-mandated community service page to find out how to fulfill those hours.
- If you have a prior felony conviction you may also be declined depending on the crime.
To Volunteer
To become a volunteer, you must first fill out the Volunteer Application and Waiver (MS Word Document) and mail it (PO Box 11364) or drop it off at OHS (1067 NE Columbia Blvd.). If you are a minor, your parent or guardian must also complete a Youth Transportation Contract.
After receiving your application, one of the volunteer coordinators will contact you to schedule your volunteer orientation. If you are under 18 years old, also please fill out and send the youth transportation contract. If you have any questions, please email Kim Hudson, Volunteer Coordinator.
Volunteer Opportunities
- In-Shelter Care of Animals (Cats, Dogs, Birds, Rabbits, Rodents)
- Animal Assisted Interactions
- Dog Walking
- Feel The Love Desk
- Foster Care
- “Pet Pals” Training
- Lobby Host
- Customer Care/Front Desk
- Retail Store Assistant (Best Friends' Corner)
- Humane Education
- Adoption Outreach
- Special Events
- Maintenance/grounds
In-Shelter Care of Animals (Cats, Dogs, Birds, Rabbits, Rodents)
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| Socializing cats |
When you socialize and care for the animals, you help to make their stay here more enjoyable. In-shelter care includes taking dogs out to the play yards, cleaning the kennels in the cattery and dog areas, working in the cattery and in the small animal room. For example, you may be grooming the animals (bathing, brushing, clipping nails, etc.), and performing other duties to make the animals happier and more appealing to adopters.
This is also your opportunity to work directly with OHS customers on a one-on-one basis. You will help the adoption assistants by answering questions about the animals; show a variety of animals to customers; help match customers to the most appropriate animal for their specific situation; and make the customers’ visit to the shelter a pleasant experience. Mentor and animal safety/handling classes are also required (available monthly at OHS).
This is your chance to bring a bit of joy and happiness into the lives of those living in retirement facilities. After completion of an Animal Assisted Interaction workshop and test (check our monthly calendar for dates), you may take your own dog, cat, or other animal to a retirement facility for regularly scheduled visitations. Additional training required.
Guaranteed to keep you and the dogs heart healthy and happy! Every dog deserves a nice walk outside everyday. OHS volunteers take the dogs out for strolls around the property twice a day. This is also a great time to reinforce good manners and teach your canine walking partner some skills - like sit, stay, heel, etc. You can also join the OHS power walker or runner group and take dogs out for some serious exercise on Saturday mornings. Dog safety and handling training is required and volunteers must also commit to one scheduled shift per week.
The Weekend Dog Showing Desk (Feel the Love! Desk) needs more volunteers for the weekends. We are in need of volunteers who love being around people and love answering questions about our wonderful dogs and the shelter. Volunteering your time at 'The Feel the Love Desk' is more a customer service position, and is not physically strenuous. If you have wanted to help out the dogs, but find them too much to walk, then this would be a perfect place to help out.
When an animal arrives at OHS who is not quite ready for adoption, OHS relies on the love and homes of our foster care volunteers. These volunteers open their homes to kittens needing time to grow, pregnant or nursing cats, dogs who need a little extra attention, or a companion animal recovering from an illness or injury. In 2005, over 1,638 animals were given a second chance all thanks to the time and love given by their foster families. Many foster families assist with finding new homes for their fosterling. Those animals are included on this website's pet list. For more information contact the OHS Foster Care Program (email, 503-416-5025).
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| Pet Pals training |
Our “Pet Pals” program gives you the opportunity to work one-on-one with a dog to teach it the basics (sit, stay, lie down, etc.) until it finds a new home. Our instructors are well-respected behavior specialists and use positive reinforcement methods and T-Touch, which you will learn. This training may take up to six weeks, but it is well worth the time spent. After you have spent some time with the dog you will be amazed by how eager he/she will be to please it’s prospective parents.
We also have a Pet Pals for cats.
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| Greeting Customers |
What better way to promote some of our wonderful dogs than to have them mingle with the crowd, right in the front lobby? As lobby host, you will not only greet incoming customers with a big smile, but you will also have the opportunity to show off one of our dogs who is looking for a home. You will help relieve the front desk by directing customers to the appropriate areas, and also answer any questions about your chosen dog, which you are promoting for adoption.
The front desk is the first place our customers encounter and it is where each potential adopter will form a first impression of OHS. This location is often a very busy, with people working through the adoption process, needing directions to get to different areas of the shelter, and asking questions about various animals. You will be able to use your customer service skills to make each customer feel comfortable, welcome, and valued. This is one of the all-time best roles to learn the most about our shelter.
Retail Store Assistant (Best Friends' Corner)
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| Helping Customers |
Our retail area is the last place the customer visits before leaving the shelter with a new pet. As a retail assistant you will help the customer figure out which supplies they will need, take in the adoption fees which finalizes the adoption paperwork, and act as the customers last positive contact with the shelter. This is a wonderful chance to interact with the happy adopters and send a farewell wish to our shelter alum.
One way to greatly reduce pet overpopulation is by educating children. With this program you will go into classrooms to assist OHS education staff members teach the children about responsible care of animals and pet ownership.
Each weekend OHS has animals available for adoption at various off-site locations. As an adoption outreach volunteer you will spend time educating the public about the shelter (its policies and procedures), answering questions about the available animals, showing off the animals, and finalizing adoption contracts to place them in a new home directly from that location. Additional training required.
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| Fun at Special Events |
OHS hosts a number of special events and fund-raisers throughout the year. These include Santa Paws, Doggie Dash, Pug Crawl, Telethon, and many others. While working at an event you may set up OHS’s area, staff an information booth, answer questions about the shelter, judge a doggie/owner look-a-like contest, help Santa keep his glasses on straight, direct traffic through the event, and much more. Special events are always full of fun surprises - they are great friend and fund raisers.
The shelter has over 11 acres of grounds and buildings, including an award winning rose garden. There is always something that needs to be done - gardening, minor building repairs, painting, cleaning up, etc. Your “handy” skills are always needed somewhere at OHS.
