Volunteer Policies
Volunteering at Vancouver Animal Services
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Vancouver Animal Shelter. Our volunteers help provide daily care, enrichment, and support for the animals in our facility.
Before you complete an application, please read below to understand more about the shelter to ensure that we are the right fit for you.
Important things to consider:
- Volunteers must be 19+, attend required orientation and training, and commit to at least one shift per week for a minimum of one year to ensure consistent support for the animals.
- All new volunteers start as Shelter Helpers to learn our space, routines, and safety practices before progressing to dog‑handling roles.
- We’re looking for reliable, compassionate volunteers who are comfortable working with large‑breed dogs, including those with behavioral challenges, and who are willing to spend time outdoors with them rain or shine.
- We do not have cats. Stray and surrendered cats are handled by the BC SPCA and VOKRA. We mainly have dogs as well as rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, birds and occasionally reptiles.
We review all applications on a scheduled basis, typically in March and September. If your application is successful, we will contact you to arrange a phone screening interview to learn more about you and tell you more about our program.
We receive hundreds of applications every year and are unable to provide opportunities for everyone that is interested. Thank you for your support and understanding.
