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VOLUNTEERING GUIDELINES

Thank you for volunteering at the Faxon Animal Care & Adoption Center. Your help is very necessary to us in our mission to protect and enhance the lives of the Graceanimals in our care. Because we are a non-profit organization, we must rely on the public for many necessary tasks in addition to the funding that is critical to our future.

Because volunteers are considered an extension of our staff, we have a few important rules that must be observed to make our operation run smoothly.

Some Important Rules:

Treat the animals in a kind and humane way.  Mistreatment, whether physical or in any other form, will not be tolerated and an immediate dismissal and removal of volunteer privileges may result.

New volunteers should not begin socializing until they have completed the initial training.  Training will continue as needed with participation by various staff members.  Only specified animals should be handled; volunteers should not engage in any activities other than those assigned to them, unless by request of a staff member. Direction of staff members must be followed.

Volunteers should check in with the volunteer assistant/front desk or the shelter manager before beginning volunteer time for the day.

Your volunteer time is scheduled; please be prompt. If you are unable to come in when scheduled, call in to leave a message. At the voice prompt, push 2 for general questions and speak with the front desk, or leave a voicemail. The animals and staff depend on your help and presence! You are allowed two no-call no-shows before volunteer privileges will be revoked.

Log your volunteer hours in the volunteer book at the front desk, sign in when entering the building and sign out when leaving. Please do not sign both in and out upon either arrival or departure.

Observe all the safety rules of our shelter, and handle only approved animals. Report any aggression to a staff member. If you are injured, clean the wound using supplies in our First Aid kit in the front lavatory. The Front Desk or a staff member should be notified to fill out the appropriate form.

Notify staff if any of our animals shows aggressive behavior (growling, snarling, or hissing).  Volunteers are never asked to handle such animals.

General Information:

The shelter is a smoke-free environment.  Smoking is not permitted for volunteers that are only here for one hour or are under the legal smoking age (18).  If you are one of the few extended hour volunteers, there is a designated smoking area. You will be shown where it is for you to take a break. Please ask a care giver or the shelter manager before going to break. Volunteers that are working with dogs are not allowed to smoke while with the dogs.

Attire:  Shirts should be inoffensive and pants should fit properly. All clothing should be appropriate for a working environment.

Please, no open-toed shoes, flip-flops, shorts, pants with straps or dangling earrings.  These all present a hazard to you. Both dogs and cats (especially kittens!) can easily scratch your legs if you are wearing shorts. Dangling earrings can get caught in a cat’s nails and ripped out or swallowed by dogs.  Pants with straps on them become play toys for both cats and dogs, and dogs will use them like they would a pull rope.

Friends or other guests of volunteers are welcome to visit the shelter as observers during regular business hours, but may not participate in the volunteer activities, and are not allowed in the rooms or out with the dogs while you are volunteering.  If someone you know is interested in volunteering, please have him/her contact the shelter. Please do not have them come with you to sit in the front office for the hour.

Abide by the policies and procedures of the League.  Refer all questions from the public to a staff member;  volunteers should not attempt to be spokesperson for the League (ie. answering medical questions about an animal or speaking in an overly negative fashion about an animal).

Please keep in mind that all volunteers need to be out of the building 15 minutes prior to closing to ensure the staff has time to close up and care for the animals before leaving for the day.

Again, thank you for making the commitment to help socialize our homeless animals. Your time and caring attention really does make a difference to a cat that has been here for a while or a new cat/dog that is scared or timid.

We welcome comments and suggestions to strengthen and improve our volunteer program.