Loudoun County Animal Shelter Volunteer Opportunities

Thank you for your interest in our Volunteer Program. We rely on the generosity of our volunteers to help us to provide outstanding care to all Loudoun County Animal Shelter animals. LCAS offers three ways to volunteer for interested individuals to gain experience working with animals, learn more about animal welfare issues, and work with others to improve the lives of animals in our community. 

• Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities
• Day of Service Projects
• At Home Service Projects

 Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities

Due to an outpouring of generosity in our community, the summer volunteer application cycle is closed as of May 2, 2013. We will accept applications again at the end of the summer in preparation for the fall cycle. There are many other ways to help the animals at the shelter such as our Foster Care Program, Pet Detective Volunteer Program, at home service projects, and others. For more information about these volunteer opportunities, please contact Stephanie Gordon through email or 703-771-5922. Thank you so much for your interest in helping the animals in our care!

Becoming a trained volunteer with our ongoing volunteer program is a big time commitment for our volunteers and for our staff. The animal shelter is an exciting and ever-changing place! In order for our volunteers to keep their skills current and to stay updated on any changes, we need all volunteers to commit to a weekly 2 hour shift. We also ask our volunteers to stay with the program for at least 6 months.

If becoming a trained volunteer sounds like the right opportunity for you, please review the following opportunities.  Not all opportunities are available at all times.  The volunteer coordinator will provide more information regarding available opportunities and volunteer shifts upon receipt of your volunteer application.

Ongoing Opportunities

As a new volunteer, you can share your time and talents to help our shelter animals.  Here are some positions held by volunteers in our Shelter.  Other positions may become available upon completion of the new volunteer training process.

• Feline Friends: Feline Friend Volunteers make a dramatic and positive impact on the mental and physical health of our shelter cats.  These volunteers spend quality time socializing, exercising, and enriching the environment of cats housed on our adoption floor.
• Canine Companions: Canine Companion Volunteers are an indispensable part of the lives of our shelter dogs.  These volunteers spend quality time socializing, exercising, and enriching the lives of our canine friends.  Canine volunteers will help the dogs to become more comfortable and social in the Shelter environment by rewarding positive behavior and adding creature comforts to their kennel stay.
• Small Animal Friends: These volunteers will cuddle, pet, play with, and give attention to adoptable small animals (i.e. gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, rats, guinea pigs) at the Loudoun County Animal Shelter.  Such activities will comfort the small animals as they wait for a new home.
• Special Event Team: These volunteers attend special events as well as offsite adoption events hosted or attended by the Loudoun County Animal Shelter.  Special Event Team members are a key component of successful adoptions on board our Mobile Adoption Vehicle.

Guidelines

• Must be at least 16 years old unless participating in the volunteer apprentice program.
• Volunteers may be accompanied by a volunteer apprentice.  Apprentices must be between the ages of 10 and 16.  Volunteers must be a parent of, or a pre-approved guardian of, the apprentice.  Apprentices must attend all appropriate training.
• Required time commitment of at least four volunteer shifts per month donating a minimum of 8 hours per month.
• The shelter does not accept temporary volunteers seeking to satisfy community service requirement for this opportunity.
• Not all individuals who apply are accepted into the volunteer program.

Application Process

For individuals who would like to volunteer but can’t make the weekly commitment, we have set up a program just for you called the Day of Service! Volunteers in this program do not need orientation or prior training because you will not be working directly with the animals. Registration is required though and we will not be able to accommodate drop in or last minute volunteering. Anyone between the ages of 10 and 15 years old who would like to attend a Day of Service project must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Upcoming Days of Service

The next Day of Service will be in summer 2013. More details will be coming soon!

Guidelines

• Must be at least 16 years old unless participating in the Volunteer Apprentice Program.
• Volunteers may be accompanied by a volunteer apprentice.  Apprentices must be between the ages of 10 and 16.  Volunteers must be a parent of, or a pre-approved guardian of, the apprentice.  Apprentices must attend all appropriate training.
• Registration is required but there is no prior training requirement.
• Volunteers in this program do not need orientation; however, you will not be working directly with the animals (due to training requirements).
• Space is limited and registration is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
• Volunteers who do not pre-register will not be allowed to volunteer on the day of the project.

At Home Projects to Fulfill Service Hours

We receive many requests from students and other indi­viduals who need to fulfill a certain number of volunteer hours and/or community service projects for school, faith based organizations, or social clubs.  It is only with the support of generous community members like your­selves that we are able to continue to meet the needs of the animals in our care, and appre­ciate your interest in fulfilling your hours through Loudoun County Animal Services!

These at home service projects are flexible, can be started right away; can count towards service hour require­ments, and work great for short-term and group projects. Volun­teers inter­ested in using these projects toward service hour require­ments can simply track their hours on the Tracking Sheet and contact the Volunteer Coor­di­nator at the conclusion of their project to arrange a time to sign-off on their hours.

To get started take a look at the list of project ideas and choose the one that you would like to complete.

• Service Projects and Tracking Sheet 

Guidelines

• There is no minimum age requirement for completing the at home service projects however, in order to earn community service hours each individual must be able to successfully complete each project independently.
• Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator before beginning your project for further instructions and to make sure the Animal Shelter can accept the project you would like to complete at this time.

For additional Volunteer Program information, please call 703-771-5922 or email Volunteer Coordinator Stephanie Gordon.