Become a Volunteer

Behind Every Shelter Animal is an Army of Caring Volunteers

Thank you for your interest in volunteering! Volunteers allow us to provide great care and varied enrichment to our shelter animals. Without the time, effort, and expertise of each volunteer, we would not be able to run our shelters. Recognizing the valuable role of volunteers, we are committed to providing thorough, hands-on training with ongoing support to every volunteer. The information below provides everything you’ll need to know to get started.

Volunteer Opportunities

Animal Handling

  • Feline Animal Care – assist with daily care of our cats and kittens, including feeding and cleaning;                                  shifts available from 8-10am or 3-5pm Monday – Sunday
  • Canine Animal Care – assist with daily care of our dogs and puppies, including feeding and cleaning;                              shifts available from 8-10am or 3-5pm Monday – Sunday
  • Jog-a-Dog – help our dogs get additional exercise by taking them on 1-2 mile jogs (18 and up);                                          shifts available in Oakland Saturdays & Sundays from 9:30-11:30am & in Dublin Monday – Sunday from 9:30-11am; 4:00-4:45pm Mondays & Tuesdays, and 4:15-5:45pm Wednesday – Friday
  • Customer Care – greet clients and help to match adoptable animals with their forever families (18 and up);                      2-hour shifts available Wednesday – Sunday between the hours of 11am and 6pm

Non-Animal Handling

  • Shelter Care – help with sweeping, mopping, dishes, laundry, and other shelter tasks;                                                      shifts available from 10am-12pm or 1-3pm Monday – Sunday
  • Facilities Assistant – support with general shelter maintenance, including painting and minor repairs (18 and up);          flexible shifts available Monday – Sunday
  • Volunteer Ambassador – table at community outreach events representing the East Bay SPCA;                                      shift length varies from 2-4 hours with many shifts on weekends, holidays, and evenings
  • Administrative Assistant – assist our development team with event support and data entry (18 and up);                              flexible shifts available Monday – Friday

New volunteers can begin with one or more of the volunteer roles listed above. After learning the foundations of volunteering at our shelter and maintaining a regular shift, volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in additional trainings to further their animal handling, leadership, and/or customer service skills.

Who Can Volunteer

  • Adults aged 18 and older may volunteer independently.
  • Volunteers aged 16-17 may volunteer independently but must submit a waiver signed by a parent or guardian before beginning to volunteer.
  • Children ages 10-15 are welcome to volunteer as part of an adult/child team, under the supervision of a trained parent or guardian. A volunteer team is one child per adult.
  • Youth can also volunteer independently through one of our many Humane Education Programs.

How To Become a Volunteer

  1. Review our East Bay SPCA Overview & Volunteer FAQ to ensure the organization is a good fit for you.
  2. Read through our list of current volunteer opportunities and the corresponding position description to determine which volunteer position(s) you are interested in. 
  3. Complete our online volunteer application and indicate in the application which volunteer position(s) you are applying for. Acceptance is based on your availability and interests, as well as our current needs.
  4. The volunteer services team will follow up via email within 2-4 weeks with upcoming New Volunteer Orientation dates and next steps. Orientations are 3-hours in length and typically held every 4-6 weeks, on an as needed basis.
  5.  Attend a New Volunteer Orientation. 
  6. Complete volunteer position specific training.

Current Needs & Availability

Current Needs

Animal Care Volunteers

Our greatest need at the shelter is for weekday morning Animal Care Volunteers. Animal Care volunteers are eligible for our Feline or Canine Companion & Enrichment shift if they maintain their regular Animal Care schedule and complete the corresponding Feline or Canine Companion & Enrichment training. 

  • Canine or Feline Animal Care: Provide essential care to our animals to keep them happy and healthy. Tasks include feeding dogs and cats, sanitizing and cleaning kennels, and assisting with dishes and laundry. Animal care shifts are scheduled every day of the week from 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM or 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. We understand these times may not work for all volunteers, but they work really well for our animals, which is why we’ve structured our schedule this way!
  • Canine Companion & Enrichment: Provide physical exercise and mental stimulation to our shelter dogs by teaching basic skills, taking dogs for walks, and playtime!
  • Feline Companion & Enrichment: Provide attention, socialization, and exercise to our shelter cats through petting and playtime!

Volunteer Ambassadors

Volunteer ambassadors are needed to represent the organization at events, such as farmers’ markets and street fairs to increase public awareness of the East Bay SPCA’s mission, programs, and value to the local community. Have fun with fellow volunteers, while raising awareness throughout the East Bay about who we are and the many programs and services we provide!

Availability

We are accepting applications for all listed volunteer opportunities. Currently, we have limited animal care shifts available in Dublin and very limited weekend animal care shift availability in Dublin. There are many more ways to help, check out our other volunteer opportunities if you are only available on the weekends.

Please note, all volunteer activities including orientations are currently suspended during the shelter in place directive. We are unable to on-board new volunteers at this time. We appreciate your interest in volunteering and welcome your support once we return to our regular operations!

 APPLY TO VOLUNTEER

Don’t see what you are looking for? If you have specialized skill(s) that you’d like to share with our organization, please fill out our volunteer application and indicate where you’d like to help!

Have Additional Questions?

Contact the Volunteer Services Department at volunteer@eastbayspca.org.

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