17th Annual
“Makin’ Strides for Strays” Walk-A-Thon
A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter
Naperville, IL
May 2, 2010
A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter is located in Naperville, IL. We are a private, “no-kill”, non-profit organization that provides temporary shelter and care to dogs and cats in search of their forever home. Finding homes for our voiceless animals is a priority for us.
Duration : 0:4:24
Aug 20, 2010 | 1 | Pet Shelter
Find the purrrfect addition to your family at A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter in Naperville, IL.
Duration : 0:0:47
Jul 17, 2010 | Comments are off | Pet Shelter
The Humane Society of the United States’ Animal Fighting and Cruelty campaign assisted Greenville County Sheriff’s Department on what is perhaps the largest operational cockfighting pit in that state.
Duration : 0:4:13
Jun 13, 2010 | Comments are off | Humane Society
HSUS’s Wildlife Care Center is gearing up for the impact of the oil spill in the Gulf coast. As the busiest wildlife hospital in the nation, the center deals with emergencies daily. Now it’s ready for what could be a major disaster.
Duration : 0:3:24
May 15, 2010 | 1 | Humane SocietyI really want to volunteer at my local Humane Society walking dogs and playing with cats and stuff–do I have to be a certain age, have certain licenses? I basically wanna know what the requirements are for volunteers that want to help by walking and playing with the pets and stuff like that. I am 14. Is that going to be a problem?
There is usually and age limit requirement that you have to meet. Many shelters also require you to go to an orientation and sometimes a few educational volunteer classes (like a 2 hour class) to prep you for the volunteer work. Some also make you sign a contract.
As far as the age limit goes, it all depends on the shelter or rescue. I am sure that plenty of people on here will tell you specific ages like 18 or 16, but its not that simple.
EACH organization has different rules, different policies. Some you have to be 18 years old, some 16, some 13, some younger, and some will let you volunteer with a parent or sign a contract so that they are not liable for what happens. They are all different, and the only way to find out is to check with each shelter to see what policy they have. By calling or visiting the organization’s website you should be able to find the age limit, AS well as your tasks (walking animals, playing with them, cleaning up…etc.).
To find shelters/rescues, follow these directions:
visit : http://www.petfinder.com/
Scroll down, and on the left it says “Find Animal Welfare Groups”.
You can put in your location/zip code and it will provide you with a list of all of the Animal Rescues and shelters in your area.
Go through the list, call them, visit them, or take a look at there websites to see what their age limit is.
Thats the best way of finding out who you can volunteer with.
http://www.volunteermatch.org/ is also a great website for finding shelters and organizations to volunteer with and it will show you when you search which shelters are teen friendly.
Also, I find shelters to have a more strict policy and age limit. Rescues, who work off of foster homes (homes that take in animals until they get adopted), are more lenient about the age limit.
It was difficult for me to find a shelter to volunteer with when I was your age, I had to look for a couple of months until I finally found a shelter that would let me volunteer(the age limit was 13 and over with parent supervision). It worked out great!
It was nice spending more time with my mom.
Volunteering at a shelter is a lot of fun, but some people sometimes have bad experiences and don’t want to volunteer because they have been to a bad, high kill shelter. Not all shelters are high kill and if you volunteer with one shelter and have a bad experience that doesn’t mean you should stop. Just keep looking for the animal organization that suits you because they are all different. Some will let you play with the animals, and some might want you to do the dirty work, like cleaning up poop, vomit, laundry, etc. Some might have great outreach, spay/neuter, and other programs that you can get involved with. Your experience just depends on the shelter/rescue.
Just remember to never give up on your search, keep trying, there are MANY MANY shelters and rescues out there and they ALL need your help.
Also, a GREAT website that could help you a lot is http://www.humaneteen.org/?q=forum
The Humane Teen (one of the Humane Society of the United State’s programs) website has great suggestion on how teens can help animals (volunteering, fundraising, clubs,..etc.). You can even get advice and help from other teens on the message board or the Humane Advisory Board members. I think that this website would help you so much! Check it out. 
Good luck!
May 13, 2010 | 2 | Humane Society
Julia Breaux Melancon, The HSUSs Louisiana state director, considers the wildlife in this incredible region.
Duration : 0:3:13
May 10, 2010 | 7 | Humane Society
Just like us, pets need love. Inside a shelter, healthy, loving pets wait a long time for a family. For some, a family never comes. For the lucky ones, going home with a new family can be the best day of their lives.
Duration : 0:2:10
May 10, 2010 | 6 | Pet Shelter
Meet the animals and staff at the Cambridge & District Humane Society.
Duration : 0:8:8
Apr 29, 2010 | Comments are off | Humane Society
The Humane Society of the United States was called in by the White County Sheriff’s Department to lead the rescue of 221 dogs and two cats from Gayla’s Poodle Palace of Sparta, Tenn. While all of these incredible survivors are obviously relieved to begin new, happier lives, one little poodle girl is dancing with joy.
Duration : 0:1:37
Apr 27, 2010 | 18 | Humane Society
Adopt a Pet and Save a Life.
Three million healthy and treatable dogs and cats are put down every year in shelters across America. These animals are loving, happy and loyal dogs and cats who ended up in shelters through no fault of their own.
Duration : 0:1:32
Apr 25, 2010 | 17 | Adopt a Pet