Lawrence Humane Society volunteers give their hearts and their time to provide love and support to the animals in our care. Our volunteers are integral to our mission, and are involved in all areas of the shelter. As a member of our volunteer family, you’ll help save and enrich the animal’s lives, improve animal welfare in our community, discover new skills, and enjoy plenty of wagging tails, purring hearts, and wet kisses along the way.
Anyone aged 7 to 15 is considered a junior volunteer, and must have a parent or guardian accompany them during all trainings and shifts. One adult volunteer may supervise up to two junior volunteers at a time. For safety reasons, junior volunteer may be restricted to certain tasks.
We are flexible and are so thankful you’d spend your free time helping the pets of Lawrence Humane! While we don’t have a firm requirement, we do recommend that volunteers complete a minimum of 3 hours of service each month to stay up-to-date and in-the-know with current shelter practices and protocols.
New volunteers must complete a minimum of 4 “essential shelter help” hours before moving to the next level of volunteering.
Please note if you are inactive for more than a year, your account will be deactivated, and you will be asked to complete retraining if you would like to resume volunteering.
We have numerous volunteer opportunities both in-shelter and from home.
- Animal Interactions – Help our animals stay healthy and happy with dog walking, cat socializing, animal enrichment and training, personality testing, assisting in the spay/neuter clinic, taking animal photos for the website, transporting animals and more!
- Customer Service – Assist our staff in adoptions, admissions and the retail store by providing friendly, efficient customer service to all members of the public.
- Behavior – Assist our behavior team with playgroups or working on specific behaviors on animals.
There’s a lot that goes into a volunteer program, including staff salaries, paying for the volunteer database, volunteer t-shirts, etc. The $15 t-shirt and application fee helps us offset these costs and allows more money to go directly to the care of our animals!
We are open 365 days of the year, including holidays. While we need volunteers every day, we are especially grateful for support in the early mornings for cleaning and on the weekends. Volunteers are generally needed each day from 9am to 6pm.
Once a volunteer sign-up form has been submitted, you will receive an email from our volunteer coordinator with next steps.
The email will outline the details of how to sign up for volunteer orientation. Volunteer orientations are held in the multi-purpose room at Lawrence Humane. Once a volunteer has completed orientation and submitted all required documentation, then the volunteer can schedule an orientation and a first volunteer shift. Everyone’s first volunteer shift will include a tour by our volunteer coordinator, where she will show you how to complete basic shelter help and familiarize you with the shelter!
Volunteer orientation is about 30 minutes long and includes a short presentation that explains our volunteer program and a bit about our history!
Have other questions? Email, Ashley, our volunteer coordinator at aricekeen@lawrencehumane.org!
- A minimum of four hours of Essential Shelter Help must be completed before volunteers are allowed to work directly with animals
- There are volunteer shifts every day from 9am to 6pm
- Volunteer waivers must be signed and turned in on your first shift
- A $15 volunteer fee will be paid at the beginning of your first shift
- Please sign up for shifts in advance
- Clock in and out for all shifts
- Must wear volunteer t-shirt, long pants, and closed-toe shoes at all times while volunteering at the shelter
Easy and meaningful ways to support Lawrence Humane as a group:
- Organize a donation drive! We have a kit to help you get started and are ALWAYS in need of treats, pet food, towels, and more.
- Start your very own fundraising campaign for Lawrence Humane! It’s easy to customize for whatever reason you’re raising money – you’ll get your very own custom link for encouraging friends and family to give to a cause that means so much to you! You can start your own campaign by clicking here.
- Sign up for a Mass Street Mutts adventure! Depending on the size of your group, you can take a dog out for a day as one group or split into small groups and take out more than one dog.
We love to welcome folks into our building and do our best to accommodate as many volunteer projects as possible. If none of the above suggestions are quite what you’re looking for, you can submit a request for a tour or group service day at Lawrence Humane. To provide the most meaningful experience for your group and the needs of the shelter, we consider a variety of factors whether to approve a group service request such as staff availability and strategic goals. Applications must be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the date you are hoping to schedule.
Give a shelter dog an adventure they deserve while bringing joy to your day! Take ’em out for a walk or hike, grab a pup cup, have them spready some joy around the office, or snuggle up on the couch! Make a difference in the life of a shelter dog while enjoying some furry companionship.
