There are a variety of volunteer opportunities in our animal shelters and facilities. Some popular roles include: Animal Care Support: Cleaning cat and dog kennels, enrichment and walking dogs. Veterinary Services Support: Assist with surgery recovery, cleaning surgery kennels, and supporting medical team members as needed. Adoptions Support: Assist patrons interested in Humane Colorado adoptable pets. Harmony Equine Center: Support team members in caring for our equines through mucking stalls and grooming. Homes with Hearts Foster Program: Open your home to our most in-need pets. For more details on volunteer positions, responsibilities, and commitments, visit the volunteer opportunities overview.
For Humane Colorado shelters, we require weekly 3-hour shifts for a minimum of six months – though you can always complete more hours than that! The service requirement is based on our needs as an organization, the many resources we put into our volunteer training programs, and the desire to ensure that volunteer skills, especially those pertaining to safety, remain fresh. Last fiscal year, volunteers contributed about the same number of service hours as 86 full time employees – this number is reflective of how heavily we rely on our volunteer program and individuals willing to donate their time and talents to support our daily operations. Committed volunteers translated directly to better care for our animals.
Working with shelter animals is very different than working with pets in a home environment. A shelter can be an incredibly stressful environment for an animal. Which makes sense – they aren’t in a home yet! While we know our pets at home and they know us, shelter animals haven’t developed that trust and comfort with us yet. When we’re working with shelter pets, we always exercise more caution than you would with your own pets. Some folks are surprised by how physically demanding it can be to volunteer in a shelter. You might imagine petting pups and cuddling cats to your heart’s content, but it takes a lot of work to keep these animals comfortable, clean, and engaged during their time in the shelter. Almost all of our volunteer roles require standing, walking, bending, and generally being on your feet for three hours. Positions at Harmony Equine Center require volunteers to be comfortable doing physically intensive work, like mucking stalls, in all kinds of weather. We ask that you thoughtfully consider these aspects of what it looks like to volunteers with shelter animals prior to moving forward.
Onboarding steps vary by program, but here are some things you can expect: Step 1: Fill out the volunteer application and pay the $30 fee. The volunteer fee helps cover the cost of volunteer supplies, such as t-shirts, nametags, keycards, and training. Step 2: Complete an orientation. The orientation gives you the opportunity to learn more about our organization and program requirements so you can determine if our volunteer opportunities are right for you. Step 3: One-on-one phone interview with an experienced volunteer or staff member. In the interview, you’ll get a chance to learn about our available positions, schedule, and program interest. If you applied for the Homes with Hearts Foster program, you’ll discuss what types of animals you are interested in fostering. Step 4: A quick background check. Step 5: Attend required trainings to help ensure you are prepared to work safely in a shelter environment and have the necessary skills to be successful in your volunteer assignment. An annual virtual home inspection is required for all foster parents.
General Volunteer We offer more than 70 volunteer positions to help cats, dogs and small mammals at our shelters. These opportunities include everything from adoptions and animal care to dog walking and assisting with medications, and more.
Equine Volunteer Work with horses and other equines, mucking stalls and providing enrichment at the Harmony Equine Center.
San Luis Valley General Volunteer Volunteer at our San Luis Valley Animal Shelter – These opportunities include everything from adoptions and animal care to dog walking and assisting with medications, and more.
Youth Volunteer Programs offered at Humane Colorado for kids, teens, and adults in support of our goal to teach the importance of treating animals in a humane way.
Foster Opportunties Our Homes with Hearts foster care program lets animal lovers bring pets from our shelters into their homes on a temporary basis to prepare them for adoption.
Summer Teen Program The Summer Teen Program is a new opportunity for 16- and 17-year-old teens to support Humane Colorado while earning service hours as well as valuable experience.
Community Service The community service program is for individuals looking for short-term volunteer opportunities in the Denver metro area.
General volunteers must be at least 16-years old. Select assignments require volunteers to be at least 18 years old. Not old enough to volunteer? Younger children can participate our Humane Education programs.
We do not offer group opportunities to volunteer at our facilities. If you would like to learn more about how to partner with us, visit our corporate partnerships page.
