Opportunities From: Humane Society of Charlotte

For many shelter dogs, getting the opportunity to play and communicate with other dogs can be incredibly beneficial and enriching. Playgroups are also used to help determine dog skills. Regular species interaction has been shown to increase adoptability. It also brings additional peace of mind for adoption counselors with recommending the best match to adopters. Having additional volunteers trained in facilitating playgroups the easier it is to ensure a safe and happy playgroup. Our goal is to create a core group of volunteers to help our team run playgroups more frequently throughout the week.

Duties include: 

Volunteers must demonstrate the following to complete training:

Ability to safely interact and deescalate a dog-to-dog or dog-to-human negative interaction. Volunteers will be trained to safely break up dog-dog fights/scuffles when they occur.  

Please report to the Front Lobby at the beginning of the shift to check in with the Customer Service Team, they will let our Behavior team member know you're here. Please wear long pants and closed toed shoes during training.  

**Must be a Qualified Dog Walker **

Take our walk approved dogs for a walk! After you've completed the 2 Dog Walking Training shifts to become a Qualified Dog Walker, we welcome you to come in to walk some of our dogs on our property. If weather is too warm or rainy, then play yard enrichment will be implemented. 

Please familiarize yourself with the dog walking procedures and these important reminders prior to coming for your shift. 

 *Must be a Qualified Dog Walker*

**Please show up at 7:45 out of respect for the trainer and your fellow trainees as this training will start promptly at 8:00 AM. This training requires the full amount of time to go over the vast amount of material. If you arrive later than 8:00 AM, you may be asked to reschedule your training.**

Train to become a qualified dog walker! Qualified dog walkers can walk dogs, take them on Adventure Tails, and sign up for other animal-centric volunteer opportunities! 

This is shift #1 of the 2 training shifts required to become a qualified dog walker.  

During shift #1, a lead dog walker will give you a run-down on how dog walking works in the new facility. They will show you where things are and demonstrate the proper procedure for leashing and walking. Leads will “walk” you through the process from start to finish and answer any questions you may have.  

Before coming in for Shift #1, you MUST watch this 5 min dog behavior video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siy0eog48ys  

Our lead dog walkers know you’re coming and will meet you in the adoption center lobby!  

*It is advised that you wear weather appropriate clothing with boots, waterproof shoes, or shoes you don’t mind getting wet or muddy. You will be outside for the majority of the training. 

*After you have successfully completed training shift #1, either add the “Approved for Dog Walking Training Shift #2” qualification to your profile OR email the VPM (volunteer@humanecharlotte.org) to do so for you. When your qualification has been approved, you can register for training shift #2.  

Note: If a new dog walker is not comfortable or a Lead Dog walker is not comfortable with the trainee being approved, ongoing sessions may be required.   

**Please show up at 7:45 out of respect for the trainer and your fellow trainees as this training will start promptly at 8:00 AM. This training requires the full amount of time to go over the vast amount of material. If you arrive later than 8:00 AM, you may be asked to reschedule your training.**

Train to become a qualified dog walker! Qualified dog walkers can walk dogs, take them on Adventure Tails, and sign up for other animal-centric volunteer opportunities!  

This is shift #2 of the 2 training shifts required to become a qualified dog walker. 

During shift #2, you’ll be able to practice what you learned in shift #1 and take out a few dogs with the help of a Lead or a staff member!  

Prior to your shift please read through the dog walking standard operating procedures. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD. 

If you haven't already watched the behavior video, please do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siy0eog48ys  

*It is advised that you wear boots, waterproof shoes, or shoes you don’t mind getting wet or muddy.

*After you have successfully completed training shift #2, either add the “Qualified Dog Walker” qualification to your profile OR email the VPM

(volunteer@humanecharlotte.org) to do so for you. When your qualification has been approved, you will be able to sign up for dog walking shifts, Adventure Tails (recommend 3 walking shifts prior), and dog playgroup.  

For reference: Adventure Tails protocols 

Note: If a new dog walker is not comfortable or a Lead Dog walker/staff member is not comfortable with the trainee being approved, ongoing sessions may be required. 

Take our walk approved dogs for a walk! The afternoon dog walking shifts will be short potty breaks for our dogs (10-15 minutes). This shorter walk allows for dogs to be nearby for potential adopters who may be interested in meeting them.

You must be a qualified dog walker meaning you have completed the 2 Dog Walking Training shifts. Once completed we welcome you to walk the dogs on our property. 

Please familiarize yourself with the dog walking procedures and these important reminders prior to coming for your shift. 

Love Animals AND kids, want to help educate our youth in animal welfare and more?! Then this is the volunteer opportunity for you!

Join us for a Pet Pal Patch Program here at HSC! We are hosting different ages and troops depending on the day. The scouts will learn about animal body language (Safety around Animals) or taking care of a pet (Pet Care 101). We also take the group on a tour of the facility.

You'd be helping with the program as well as helping tour the students. 

We are looking for two volunteers to table at the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers game on June 10th! You will be expected to arrive an hour before the game at 6:00 PM. One volunteer will need to pick up the outreach box the week of the event. 

Note: This opportunity now occurs on Sundays. 

Directly delivering pet food and supplies to homes for those in need in our Charlotte community. Deliveries occur every Sunday starting at 9:30am, and depending on how many stops on the route can last a couple of hours. These deliveries are done individually, but we prefer them to be done in pairs. In order to be as safe as possible, we do ask that volunteers drive their own vehicle during these deliveries. Volunteers will be given a detailed route and addresses at pickup.

You will meet at the shelter at a set time (9:30am or 10:15am) and load up your vehicles with pet food and supplies needed for each stop. From there we go out and deliver the food to anywhere from 5-9 homes (depending on how close they are together). Once the route is complete there is no need to return to the shelter.

*Volunteers may bring non-ripped empty plastic grocery bags along with any unwanted re-usable bags to this opportunity as the food bank uses them often. 

 *Due to coverage needs, there may be an additional delivery shift without a route. Volunteers who do not have a route available may be asked to assist with organizing, donation counting, etc. We appreciate your flexibility with shift coverage and overall needs.*

**Volunteers must also have a vehicle with space for (sometimes large) multiple deliveries, and be able to lift 50+ pounds repetitively.**

Help keep the Pet Food Bank Storage Building organized and ready for action!

- Move and organize up to 55lbs of pet food (assistance can be provided if needed)

- Prep plastic bags or ziplock bags with dog and cat food/ treats.

- Organize donated collars/leashes/harnesses by size and type. -

- Separate and organize pet beds, carriers, pee pads, grooming supplies, etc. so they are on shelves in logical, easy-to-access locations.

-Organizing is needed based on supply, this position will assist in the shelter laundry room if organizing is completed.

-Please note this position occurs mostly outside, please be prepared for various weather conditions.

Our Pet Help Center offers compassion and support in a time of crisis. Help our staff connect with people in need of pet food assistance as well as request for financial assistance from the community.  This is a virtual opportunity to listen to voicemails and transcribe them to an Excel spreadsheet. The shift time is scheduled for mornings Monday through Saturday, but transcribing can be completed anytime during the day of your shift.

 **Directions on how to log in and return the transcribed voicemails are found HERE. 

This position will assist the trainer with public dog training classes. Duties include: greeting participants in a friendly and enthusiastic manner, supporting the Dog Trainer, and helping to ensure the safety of the people and dogs in the class. These classes will occur multiple times throughout the week, including weekends, mornings, and evenings.

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Please be aware that if you register for a Dog Training Assistant (DTA) shift and do not attend ("no-show"), your DTA qualification will be removed immediately.

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This position is currently not accepting new volunteers. Please contact training@humanecharlotte.org with any questions or concerns.

This role helps to maintain our retail and cat café along side one of our Customer Service Representatives.  We want to make sure visitors are taken care of efficiently, and volunteers will help us do just that!

Duties Include:

Looking for volunteers who are eager to welcome people, and provide them with the support/information they are looking for. Must be able to work on your feet for most of the shift. A training shift is first required before you can do this opportunity.

This shift is done at the same time as the volunteer shift. You will be trained by a lead volunteer to show you how to use the retail software to help check people out. The full description of this role is below. 

This role helps to maintain our retail and cat café along side one of our Customer Service Representatives.  We want to make sure visitors are taken care of efficiently, and volunteers will help us do just that!

Duties Include:

Looking for volunteers who are eager to welcome people, and provide them with the support/information they are looking for. Must be able to work on your feet for most of the shift. Training is provided on-site and no prior experience is necessary!

General description of the duties/work: This position is for volunteers interested in enriching the lives of our shelter animals during their stay at HSC! Enrichment is a crucial element in maintaining the welfare of both dogs and cats and provides different activities for them to engage in throughout the day. In this training session we will go over the importance of enrichment, learn different forms of enrichment available at HSC, observe and discuss basic animal behavior and body language, and review the procedures for distributing various enrichment items.

Please review these documents:

1. Shelter Enrichment Guide

2. Cat Enrichment Schedule

3. Dog Enrichment Schedule

Location: Volunteers can meet their trainer in the front lobby.

Qualifications: Must not have any allergies towards peanut butter.

Description:

HSC’s Shelter Dog Training program is dedicated to teaching shelter dogs foundational training skills to improve their quality of life, lower their length of stay, and give owners a head start on their training journey. ​To do this, we’ve been conducting monthly dog training classes with shelter dogs as the students, staff members as the handlers, and the Behavior Team as the instructors. We are now opening up this program to volunteers to increase the benefits we are seeing with our shelter pups!

This training shift will take place in the Admin conference room (Door to the right of the Donor Wall in Adoption Lobby - Ask front desk if unable to find. Door will be propped open for you!) and is a 1.5-hour long presentation on the history and foundations of Dog Behavior and Dog Training to help prepare you for our Shelter Dog Training Classes.

We’ll be discovering how dogs think, learn, and interact with the world around them, and how we can utilize this information to influence and modify dog behavior using a reward-based training system.

Training Expectations:

-Must be a Qualified Dog Walker

-will not be taking dogs out for this training shift

-participants do not need to bring anything

-after the shift is complete, participants will be able to sign up for the Shelter Dog Training classes on the volunteer portal.

HSC’s Shelter Dog Training program is dedicated to teaching shelter dogs foundational training skills to improve their quality of life, lower their length of stay, and give owners a head start on their training journey. ​To do this, we’ll be conducting weekly dog training classes with shelter dogs as the students, volunteers as the handlers, and the Behavior and Training Team as the instructors.

This shift we will be taking out our shelter dogs for a hands-on training class! The content of the classes will change depending on a variety of factors such as our current shelter population and their personalities/behavior concerns so be prepared for anything! Generally, classes will consist of teaching dogs basic communication skills (such as Come), working on minor behavior concerns (jumping on people for attention), or potentially some confidence boosting exercises!

Training supplies such as treat pouches, treats, clickers, etc. will be provided but you are welcome to bring your own.

Location: 

Meet in adoption lobby

Training Expectations:

-Must be a Qualified Dog Walker

-Must have completed the Shelter Dog Training Prep Class

-will be taking out dogs for this shift

Help our Customer Service team from the comfort of your home virtually! This role helps to clarify, log, and maintain efficient responses to patrons calling into the shelter.  With your help, we can transcribe and transfer messages faster to the correct department and provide better overall customer service.

When completed you will be asked to email the log to customer service immediately upon completion. 

Duties: Volunteers will call into our voicemail system from home and transcribe the voicemail information into an excel document to then share with the Customer Service Team via email.

**Please click HERE to read the directions for this position. If you have any questions please email: customerservice@humanecharlotte.org **

Help our Customer Service team from the comfort of your home virtually! This role helps to clarify, log, and maintain efficient responses to patrons calling into the shelter.  With your help, we can transcribe and transfer messages faster to the correct department and provide better overall customer service.

Duties: Volunteers will call into our voicemail system from home and transcribe the voicemail information into an excel document to then share with the Customer Service Team via email.

**Please click HERE to read the directions for this position. If you have any questions please email: customerservice@humanecharlotte.org **

Help our Customer Service team from the comfort of your home virtually! This role helps to clarify, log, and maintain efficient responses to patrons calling into the shelter.  With your help, we can transcribe and transfer messages faster to the correct department and provide better overall customer service.

Duties: Volunteers will log into our voicemail system from home and transcribe the voicemail information into an excel document to then share with the Customer Service Team via email.

**Please click HERE to read the directions for this position. If you have any questions please email: customerservice@humanecharlotte.org **

Does organizing and cleaning something you enjoy, does it spark joy? Then this is the role for you!

The Shelter Organizer role ensures HSC’s daily operations are running smoothly and allows us to make the greatest impact on the animals in our care. This position will work with the Animal Care Team on laundry and laundry room organizing (Shelter laundry room is found near cat intake room). This position reports to the adoption lobby when arriving! 

This role is fluid in nature and one of the most helpful to our team and animals. This is a 'back of the house' role that includes laundry duties and cleaning. 

Help Make Our Summer Camp a Success!

Join us in creating an amazing experience for children ages 5–15! Campers enjoy a safe, engaging environment where they can learn about animals, animal welfare, kindness, and empathy—all while having a ton of fun! This opportunity will require one additional training prior to the start of camp.

As a volunteer, you’ll:

Assist with camper check-in and check-out

Help guide activities and lessons

Support setup and clean-up

Assist staff with camper behavior management as needed

We have up to 20 campers each week, with 2 CITs for 6 of the 9 weeks.

Camp details:

Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Questions? Contact Tim Stumpff at tstumpff@humanecharlotte.org

Help make summer camp amazing by bringing your Animal Ambassador to meet campers!

Must be a qualified Animal Ambassador Handler

Animal Ambassador opportunities are every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Please register once per week so campers can meet a variety of ambassadors

Camp details:

Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Questions? Contact tstumpff@humanecharlotte.org

Our surrendering program offers compassion and support in a time of crisis. Help our Pet Help Center connect with people in need of rehoming assistance for their pet as well as request for financial assistance from the community.  This is a virtual opportunity to listen to voicemails and transcribe them to an Excel spreadsheet. The shift time is scheduled for mornings Monday through Saturday, but transcribing can be completed anytime during the day of your shift.

 **Click HERE for directions on how to complete this role! Please email surrenders@humanecharlotte.org  if you have any questions or need assistance. 

During this Orientation, we will review our main Policies and Procedures at HSC, what we expect of you as a volunteer, details of opportunities & training, and conclude the orientation with a tour of our facility! To sign up for an Orientation, you must have watched the virtual info session, passed the quiz with a score of 100%, and been contacted by the Volunteer Program Manager. 

Where: This Orientation is held in our Education Center, located at 1348 Parker Drive. 

What to expect: We will provide a detailed presentation about volunteering at HSC and will conclude with a tour of the facility. When you are volunteering with HSC, we ask that you wear our Volunteer t-shirt and name badge, which will be available for purchase during Orientation for $20, cash or credit accepted. *** If you are 16 or 17 years old, you MUST bring a parent or guardian with you to orientation.  

Additional note: Some of our Volunteer Opportunities require additional training to become qualified before being able to volunteer for specific opportunities. All Volunteer Opportunities and training procedures will be covered during the Orientation presentation. 

Love animals AND kids, want to help educate our youth in animal welfare and more?! Than this is the volunteer opportunity for you! 

Help the Youth Programs Manager in facilitating school visits, shelter tours, field trips, scout presentations and other education related programs. Attend events with your HSC evaluated Animal Ambassador to engage children of all ages in a variety of topics relating to animal welfare. This role will vary depending on the content of the topic being taught and the location of the programming (shelter setting, school setting, etc.) 

To become a Qualified YP Animal Ambassador Handler you must successfully complete the following steps: 

The evaluation team will come to an agreement on if the applicant is accepted to be an AAH and will notify the applicant of their decision within 72 hours Background checking may be required

Below is a general overview of HSC’s Youth Animal Ambassador Evaluation Process. This process should take an estimated 20-30 minutes.

At any point, the animal cannot show signs of aggression, fearfulness, extreme stress or anxiety or else they are considered unqualified for the position. Aversive equipment such as shock collars (a.k.a. e-collars); pinch/prong collars; and choke collars are not permitted at any time.

In addition, the use of inhumane and forceful training methods, including but not limited to shocking, hitting, alpha rolling (pinning a dog down using force), and hanging from the collar are absolutely not permitted.

 The handler may have a treat pouch and give the dog treats during the process; however, the handler cannot use treats to lure or distract the dog in any way. Treats can only be given after a part has been completed and must be out of sight at all times. Any sound producing items (such as clickers or beepers) are prohibited.

Head halters, slip leads and retractable leashes are prohibited. Harnesses are allowed as long as they do not restrict the dog’s movement in any way.

The animal must be at least 6 months old, up to date on all vaccinations, house-trained and have known history of socialization with people. There are no breed, gender, or age limit restrictions. Any animal with a bite history is not eligible for the program; however, exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis dependent on the reported injuries, details of the incident, and steps made to prevent future incidents.

If the animal does not pass the evaluation process, they are permitted to try again after a period of two-four weeks, depending on the reason(s) the animal was not qualified.

Evaluation is completed at The Humane Society of Charlotte by The Behavior and Training Team. Parts of the tests are done both indoors and outdoors, weather permitting. The handler is not permitted to have a helper during the evaluation and must complete it on their own. During some parts of the evaluation, the evaluator will require the assistance of a helper/helpers. These helpers can be HSC staff members and/or HSC volunteers.