Volunteer FAQs

Can people under the age of 18 volunteer?

Yes! Minors 12 and over can volunteer at the shelter. However, they do have to volunteer with someone over the age of 18. The adult has to be the one doing the handling of the dogs, cats, etc.

Do I have to have previous animal handling experience or skills before volunteering at the shelter?

The short answer: No! The skills and experience you need to volunteer can be taught here. That’s why we set you up with mentors and have different tiers for our volunteers.

Is there a time commitment?

No, but we do ask that you commit to at least 8 hours a month because of how quickly things change around here.

Where do you need volunteers?

We need volunteers everywhere! We mostly need consistency so anywhere you can show up on a regular basis is where you’re most needed.

Who do I contact for questions, concerns, etc?

You can reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator at SCCASVolunteerCoordinator@santacruzcountyca.gov or (831) 454-7209 for additional information.

I want to foster animals for the shelter - how do I do that?

You can sign up to foster on this site- please check out our Foster Families Program Foster Family Program | Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (scanimalshelter.org). For additional questions you can email Jillian.Ganley@santacruzcountyca.gov.

I have community service hours for court I need to do - how can I do those at the shelter?

Community service hours for court related reasons is a different program – please contact Rudy Manriquez at Rodolfo.Manriquez@santacruzcountyca.gov or 831-454-7262. If you need community service hours for school or another program like Eagle Scouts, you can get them here by volunteering with animals or helping us with enrichment or at-home activities like braiding tug toys out of old t-shirts, towels, or jeans, or conducting a pet food or treats drive!

I want to work with multiple animals - can I work with more than 1 species?

The short answer is: yes! We do ask that you start off with just one to get a hang of the shelter and its policies/procedures and once you’re ready to go we’ll set you up with the other animals you’d like to work with.

I showed up to do Tier 1 dog volunteering and there were no dogs for me to take out, what can I do?

There’s always plenty to do at the shelter! Enrichment is extremely important for the dogs so setting that up is always greatly appreciated. There’s also laundry that needs to be done and dishes! The animals love their toys and treats but can’t get them if there’s nothing clean for us to pass out to them.

I started volunteering at the shelter and want to handle more dogs - how do I move up to Tier 2?

There are a few ways to become a Tier 2 dog volunteer. First – you have to volunteer for at least 20 hours. Then you do a Tier 2 shadowing session, followed by a mentoring session. If it you have demonstrated the dog handling skills necessary to work with Tier 2 dogs, then you will be approved to move up to Tier 2 and access Tier 2 shifts.