The Humane Society of Carroll County offers a wide range of volunteer opportunities for individuals ages 18 and older who want to support animals, staff, and the community. Whether you prefer hands-on animal care, behind-the-scenes support, or community outreach, there are many ways to get involved.
The majority of our volunteer opportunities are available to individuals who have completed our 1-hour volunteer orientation. Occasionally, and usually for our major events, we have volunteer opportunities available to the general public and orientation is not required. Registration is required to be able to view all volunteer opportunities, but descriptions appear below.
For many of these opportunities, any additional guidance or training is provided during your first volunteer shift. Other opportunities, where noted, require additional training sessions after orientation is completed.
To register for any of these opportunities, please register and attend orientation.
Volunteer Opportunities
• Greeter
Welcome visitors, provide directions, assist with donations, and help distribute pet pantry items. General volunteer orientation and an additional 1-hour training session is required. Available for ages 18+.
• Reading to Cats, Reading to Dogs, Happy Paws Helper
These shifts focus on enriching the lives of the animals in our care! Our Reading to Cats and Dogs shifts allow the animals in our care to get used to the presence of humans and engage their senses. Our Happy Paws helper volunteer opportunity helps our canine department prepare enrichment opportunities for the dogs in-shelter, engaging their senses! Get started by signing up for a new volunteer orientation session.
• Laundry Transport Volunteer
Transport shelter linens to an offsite laundromat and return them clean and ready for use. Laundry costs are covered. You must provide your own transportation. This shift is popular for Direct Support Professional team opportunities. This shift is available to those who have completed our new volunteer orientation. Direct Support Professionals are encouraged to attend as well.
• Cat Enrichment Volunteer
Provide positive interaction, gentle play, and companionship to cats to support their well-being and adoptability. A hands-on training session is required to begin signing up for this weekly shift. Once orientation is complete, look for Cat Enrichment Training in VolunteerHub.
• Cat & Small Critter Cleaning Volunteer
Help maintain clean, safe spaces by cleaning kennels, changing bedding, and refreshing food and water. Training is provided on your first two shifts. These supervised training shifts are available on limited days, but one two supervised shifts are completed, shifts are available daily Mon-Sat. You may sign up for training shifts after completing volunteer orientation.
• Cat Knits
Knit or crochet in the Community Cat Room while offering calm, consistent human presence to cats. Orientation is not required. You can sign up for these shifts on a separate page, outside of our regular volunteer sign-up: https://vhub.at/catknits
• HSCC Shelter Helper
Assist with operational tasks such as organizing supplies, light cleaning, and administrative support. This shift is available daily and one of the best ways to help extend our team’s capacity for care. From sorting donated goods, to helping with simple tasks helps our staff focus on caring for the animals! Register for new volunteer orientation to sign-up for this role.
• Data Entry & Admin Support
Support HSCC behind the scenes by entering and updating records, assisting with basic administrative tasks, and helping keep information accurate and organized. This shift is available 4-6pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Some blackout dates apply. New Volunteer Orientation is required.
• Outdoor Maintenance Volunteer
Help keep shelter grounds clean, safe, and welcoming. This shift is available daily Monday through Saturday to those who have completed new volunteer orientation.
• Adoption & Event Poster Distribution
This family-friendly volunteer opportunity can be done on your own schedule! Simply sign up so that we have materials ready for you. Deliver adoption and event posters throughout the community to help raise awareness of adoptable animals and upcoming events. Individuals 16+ may register in VolunteerHub and report their own hours. New Volunteer Orientation required.
• Event Set-Up & Tear-Down Volunteer
HSCC is out and about in the community regularly! Assist with preparing for and breaking down events and adoption programs. New Volunteer Orientation is required for ongoing events.
• Event Ambassador & Information Volunteer
Be part of the volunteer force that expands our community outreach! We get invited to so many community events – mostly on weekends – and can only attend the ones we can recruit volunteers to assist with! Training provided – we will make sure you are comfortable. Social butterflies should apply! To get started, complete a new volunteer orientation.
• Event Planning or Committee Volunteer
Support the planning and coordination of HSCC events, outreach, and fundraising efforts. Start your journey be signing up for New Volunteer Orientation.
• PetSmart Cat Care Volunteer
Provide daily care and social interaction for cats housed at participating PetSmart locations. PetSmart volunteers are invited to complete HSCC’s new volunteer orientation but are not currently required to do so, and can instead sign-up directly on our PetSmart Volunteer page.
• PetSmart Animal Response Volunteer
Assist with on-call support for PetSmart locations when transport or animal care needs arise. Sign-up for new volunteer orientation to be added to our list!
• Cat Adoption Matchmaker
Open to our experienced feline volunteers, or to those who have volunteered in this capacity before, you will be able to take our cat adoption matchmaking training to extend our adoption capabilities at both offsite events and at the shelter. Get started by signing up for new volunteer orientation.
• Dog Walking, Dog Training, Matchmaking & Offsite Event Dog Handler Opportunities
Our volunteer dog walkers play an important role in the lives of the dogs in our care by providing essential walks during the day. Interested volunteers should be comfortable walking an 80lb dog with poor leash manners in the heat, cold, wind or rain. Two dog walking training sessions are required to sign-up for our dog walking shifts. Once you gain experience, you will then have the opportunity to join our “Train the Trainer” program where our staff trainer will provide coaching on how to train our shelter dogs, improving their chances for a successful adoption. Our dog walkers also have the opportunity to escort dogs off-property to our adoption events. For those who know our dogs the best, we offer matchmaking training to allow our volunteers to interact with potential adopters during our high-traffic hours or at offsite adoption events. To begin volunteering to help our dogs, please sign up for new volunteer orientation!
We also welcome volunteers in the following specialty roles:
Vet Tech to assist with Cat Foster Support
Foster Administration Support
Graphic Design
Photography/ Videography
Grantwriting
Summer Kids Camp Counselor (Background check required)
Please attend a new volunteer orientation and let us know of your specialty skillset!
Volunteers play a critical role in helping HSCC care for animals, support adopters, and serve the community. Every role contributes directly to our lifesaving mission, and we are grateful for the time and dedication of those who choose to get involved.
