Hurray! It’s volunteer time!
Roll up your sleeves, and visit your local animal rescue to see how you can help. Volunteering is something that is beyond helpful to animal rescues. Rarely is an animal rescue funded well, and all volunteers are greatly appreciated greatly.
Great! I’m available and ready to help – but what type of volunteering work needs to be done?
Every animal rescue is different, and have individual unique setups and ways of doing things. Regardless, listed below are some common forms of assistance most animal rescues are going to need help with:
1) Cleaning the facilities, including, sweeping & mopping
2) Feeding the cats, dogs, or other animals
3) Changing water
4) Picking up supplies such as bedding or food
5) Changing the bedding and / or cat litter
6) Spending time with and playing with the animals
7) Catching & taking animals to the Veteranarian
82) Animal health care such as bathing, daily medications etc
9) Grooming, removal of fur mats
10) Trapping animals if they get loose
11) Building kennels, or enclosures for animals
12) Cleaning dishes for the animals
13) Housesitting, or running the rescue if owner needs to leave town briefly
14) Animal Laundry is an ongoing task to keep clean
15) Animal foster parents to house an animal until adopted
Not everyone is good at everything, and sometimes more professional types of assistance is needed such as:
16) Website updates for the rescue, or posting animals on adoption websites
17) Accounting for expenses
18) Maintaining & organizing records and files for animals
19) Maintenance needs such as electrical, plumbing etc for the animal facilities
20) Lawn mowing / maintenance is overlooked but a time consuming task on top of existing animal duties
21) Snow removal in winter for cat rescue is another help as it’s a major time driver for a rescue owner
Volunteering at a cat rescue, animal rescue, or other animal rescue is one of the most personally rewarding things you can do. Let’s face it though, often it’s not going to be glamourous or sometimes even fun work. A lot of what needs to be done is dirty, sweaty, or labor intensive help. Regardless, it is something that animals depend to have done for health, hygiene and sanitation concerns.
Being an animal volunteer is something the owners of the animal rescue will appreciate beyond measure.
Still not sure if animal rescue owners need your help?
Imagine this week in the life of an animal rescue owner…
Morning is here! You wake up at the crack of dawn every morning to feed animals that are hungry – often in multiple facilities, or need to be let out to go to the bathroom. Then, after spending time refilling animal food, water, and bathroom relief, it’s time to get ready for a long day of work. Without the owner working there is no money to keep the rescue afloat.
Next it’s off to work! Sometimes an animal may need to captured and taken to visit the vet for an appointment before or after work.
After work there’s more to be done! Additionally animal food, bedding and other supplies need to be purchased after work. Then after work, it’s time to come back to the rescue and feed animals, and let them have restroom relief again. Often things don’t go smoothly trying to keep the rescue running, but it needs to be done daily.
TGIF – or not? Often during the week just the basics are done since the owner needs to work to support the operation. Finally, once the weekend arrives it’s time for the owner to relax – right? Wrong… Usually a time consuming deep cleaning is needed for sweeping, and changing litter etc since things were so busy during the work week.
Finally… Things are clean and in good order again. Now the weekend is over with very little time for yourself.
Your exhausted, but it’s time to do it all over again next week!
I hope this illustration gives some insight as to just how thankless it can be to run an animal rescue.
Animal rescue owners NEED your help… BAD…
It seems there are just so few willing to help these big hearted animal rescue owners out. Please consider becoming a volunteer at one today.
The easiest way to find a local animal rescue is to ask your local veteranarian, or pet food store if they know of any small rescues. Often all of the big named or larger rescues & shelters get the helpers since they are known about. It’s especially difficult to run a rescue and nobody even knows to help you.
Please consider becoming a volunteer today – your help will be appreciated! Simply call a few local vets to find a rescue to volunteer at today!
-Randy / Animal Weekly
