OC Animal Care is extremely fortunate to have hundreds of dedicated volunteers that assist our shelter on a daily basis.
Volunteers assist by:
- Hosting donation drives
- Socializing and grooming available animals
- Leading shelter tours
- Educating the public about responsible pet ownership
- Attending community events
- Participating in special shelter events
Our volunteers play an integral role in placing animals and promoting shelter adoption. We couldn’t do everything that we do without their support! We truly appreciate their choice to join our team in helping more animals find their forever homes!
If you'd like to volunteer, please take a moment to review our shelter volunteer requirements and the Volunteer Acceptance Process below.
Age Requirement To volunteer on-site at OC Animal Care, you must be at least 18 years old. If you are under the age of 18 and are interested in learning how you can get involved, please visit the community service projects section of the website. | Time Commitment OC Animal Care requests that you commit to a minimum of 8 hours per month for at least 3 consecutive months. This commitment ensures that the program will operate smoothly and that the maximum benefit is provided to the animals. | Recruitment OC Animal Care requires that all potential volunteers go through an extensive orientation, selection, and training process. This process ensures that OC Animal Care is selecting volunteers that best fit the needs of the program and understand the unique environment in which they will work. The recruitment process may take up to two months. Applicants will be selected based on the current needs of OC Animal Care. |
Volunteer Acceptance Process - Email VolunteerOCAC@occr.ocgov.com with your interest.
- Complete a required background check and sign policies.
- Volunteers will be notified of acceptance via email and invited to attend an in-person New Volunteer Orientation.
- Complete the online training course.
- After receiving good standing status, volunteers may begin onsite training.
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Specialized Volunteer Requirements
Those interested in volunteering who may have special needs (or a job coach/shadow), must inform the Volunteer Program Coordinator prior to Orientation. Though we do our best to accommodate those with special needs or handicaps, our unique volunteering opportunities require certain abilities to maintain the safety of our animals, staff, public and other volunteers. Special volunteer requirements must be discussed with the volunteer program coordinator on a case-by-case basis prior to Orientation.
We can provide special orientations for those who cannot ambulate up a flight of stairs. Please email VolunteerOCAC@occr.ocgov.com if you have special mobility needs. Please be aware that some parts of the shelter are not conducive to wheelchair access, and this may limit the areas you are able to volunteer in safely.
*OC Animal Care is unable to accommodate court ordered volunteer service at this time. For possible assistance, please visit our More Volunteer/Intern Opportunities page.
