Volunteer
The work our organization accomplishes every year would be impossible without the generous help of our volunteers and donors. The Greenville Humane Society has many ways that you can help the animals.
Volunteer Orientation
All volunteers are required to attend a volunteer orientation that occurs every third Monday of each month. The day and time of your volunteer schedule will be determined by availability of the time and day you prefer. Slots are typically 2 hours once a week. Once you receive your volunteer time slot, it will remain yours. If you are volunteering for school service hours (Beta Club, NHS or school required hours) please note that you will need to be responsible for tracking your own hours. If you are interested in attending one of our orientations, please pre-register by contacting Paula Church. The minimum age requirement to volunteer is 13 years.
*If you are looking for a group community service project for your school, company or organization, please contact Paula Church.
Volunteer Job Descriptions
• Puppy Patrol
The “Playpen” (puppy/kitten room) is one of the major attractions for our visitors and thus it is essential that it maintains a clean, neat appearance at all times. In addition, it requires a lot of dishwashing, laundry and opening newspapers to keep our puppies and kittens in the healthy environment necessary for their care. Puppy Patrol Volunteers assist our adoptions staff in performing these tasks to ensure the health of our pets. The minimum age requirement is 13 years and you are required to attend an orientation.
• Adult Dog Walker
According to a JAAWS Study, (Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science), behavior problems are the most common reason given for relinquishing a dog (or cat) to a shelter. The purpose of our Volunteer Adult Dog Walking Program is to teach volunteers how to interact with the dogs to improve their chances of adoption, to reduce stress levels, to give our adoptions staff more information for potential adopters on each dog and to teach basic manners to help dogs transition to their new homes with less stress for both the dogs and their new owners. Your objective is to give our adult dogs exercise, socialization and training during their stay. Our volunteer dog walkers are trained by Sue Conklin a.k.a. “The Puppy Nanny”. You will learn valuable training skills that will not only benefit our pets but your pets at home as well. The minimum age requirement is 16 years and you must attend an orientation.
• Pet Therapy
In recent years, experts have found Pet Therapy to be an important aid in providing enrichment for residents of nursing homes, mental health facilities, rehabilitation centers and homes for the handicapped. Not only does it promote socialization and improvement in self-esteem, it also provides entertainment and acceptance. As a volunteer in our Pet Therapy program, your visitation will provide the care and unconditional love that only a puppy can give to a resident in need of comfort. We need volunteers that are committed to a long term relationship with their residents. Most visits take place Monday through Fridays between the hours of 9am – 3 pm however we occasionally have opportunities Saturday mornings. The minimum age requirement is 18. We do allow younger children to assist a parent with Pet Therapy.