Spokane Humane Society volunteers are integral to our work. They function in many capacities, from taking dogs on walks, socializing with the cats, transporting animals, taking animals into their homes for foster care and much more!
Volunteer Requirements
- Volunteers must be 17 years of age or older
- Volunteers who are 17 may volunteer without a parent/guardian as long as a parent/guardian signs the liability form giving them permission to do so. They cannot handle animals until they are 18 years of age.
- Volunteers apply via spokanehumanesociety.org
- Create an account with My Impact and download the My Impact app on your phone.
- Complete and sign paperwork provided via Better Impact
- Background check (no cost to volunteer)
- SHS Liability Waiver
- Volunteer Handbook acceptance and signature
- Schedule a one-on-one meeting with volunteer coordinator via in person at Spokane Humane Society, email sarahb@spokanehumanesociety.org to do so.
- After meeting in person, discussing what to expect, and what we expect from you, we'll schedule a one-on-one orientation!
Foster Parent Requirements
- Primary caretaker of the foster pet(s) must be 18 years of age or older
- Live within 60 minutes of the shelter
- Submit an application
- Submit a liability waiver
- Consent to a background check
- Complete Online Foster Orientation
Email: volunteer@spokanehumanesociety.org
Office: (509) 979-9314
I would like to volunteer
Volunteer Opportunities
Feline Friends
Longing for social interaction after quarantine but not the biggest fan of people?
Volunteer to socialize with shelter cats! Spokane Humane Society is recruiting new volunteers to cuddle our shelter cats.
We have opportunities to spend time with our cats every day of the week starting at 11:00 am and continuing every hour until 5:00 pm which allows you to choose what times fit your schedule best. We only ask for a 1 hour a week minimum commitment which equals just 4 hours of your time every month. In just 1 hour, you can give 4 separate cats 15 minutes of your time and greatly improve both their quality of life in the shelter and their chances of finding their forever home. For you, 15 minutes might not seem like a lot, but for a shelter cat, it means everything.
If you’d like to spend your weekends hanging out with the snuggliest boys and girls around, please apply here: http://bttr.im/65mo1 (or if you’re on a mobile device, you can sign up here: http://bttr.im/f3jfu). Once you’ve submitted your application, just follow the link to sign up for orientation!
Canine Crew
Looking for a way to shed those extra pandemic pounds you put on during quarantine?
Volunteer to walk shelter dogs! Spokane Humane Society is recruiting new volunteers to walk our shelter dogs.
We have opportunities to walk dogs every day of the week starting at 9:00 am and continuing every hour until 5:00 pm which allows you to choose what times fit your schedule best. We only ask for a 1 hour a week minimum commitment which equals just 4 hours of your time every month. In just 1 hour, you can give 4 separate dogs 15 minutes of your time and greatly improve both their quality of life in the shelter and their chances of finding their forever home. For you, 15 minutes might not seem like a lot, but for a shelter dog, it means everything.
If you’d like to spend your weekends hanging out with the best boys and girls around, please apply here: http://bttr.im/65mo1 (or if you’re on a mobile device, you can sign up here: http://bttr.im/f3jfu). Once you’ve submitted your application, just follow the link to sign up for orientation!
Animal Foster Care
Are you an expert at giving love and attention to animals?
Our foster parents provide much-needed temporary homes for animals who require extra love and support before becoming available for adoption.
This can include animals such as orphaned kittens, nursing mothers, recovering surgery patients, and pets who need help correcting their behavior.
Dishes and Laundry
We always appreciate anybody who is willing to help with dishes and laundry!
While not necessarily glamorous work, dishes and laundry are a huge need of our shelter! If you have animals of your own, then you know how much laundry and dirty dishes they can make in just a few days. Multiply that by about 20 and you have the laundry and dishes we generate daily.
Fundraising
Have a knack for raising money?
If so, we can always use the additional help from our lovely volunteers during our fundraising events! Since the Spokane Humane Society is a non-profit, we rely on donations in order to continue caring for our animals. Fundraising is vital to our ability to keep taking in as many animals as we do each year.
Gardening
If you aren't afraid to do a little digging, we can always use volunteers who enjoy making our grounds look amazing! We have a few patches of gardens and lots of grass and sidewalks that can use weeding or care. We also have flowers and plants that can use special attention as well!
Grant Writing
Grant writing is the process of seeking out and applying for grants of money that we could potentially qualify for. Since the Spokane Humane Society is a non-profit, we rely on donations to keep our doors open. Grants are a fantastic way to get money for the things we need. Often grants can only be used for specific things. For example, a grant might stipulate that we can only use the money from the grant towards the cost of spaying and neuturing our animals. However, that means we have more money for the medical costs of another animal! It's a win-win scenario.
Handyman
If you know your way around a toolshed, we can always use the extra help in spiffing up the building! To save as much money for the animals as possible, we focus on maintaining our building as best we can to avoid incurring the costs of having to replace or buy new items. For that reason, we often have things that we've put together from the supplies we have at hand that can use the screws tightened every now and again!
Photography
Our animals are all models if you have the right mindset. Good pictures that showcase the personality of our animals help them get adopted quicker! After all, eyes are the window to the soul.
Events
The Spokane Humane Society partakes in many off-site events such as outreach or adoption events. This is a great opportunity to talk to the public about what we do to improve the lives of the animals in our care. The events we attend are always lots of fun. If you are interested in joining the fun, please select this category!
Transport
Transport volunteers are the behind-the-scenes heroes who make sure animals get where they need to go—whether it’s from a shelter to a foster home, to the vet, or to an adoption event. They’re the ones loading up crates, checking directions, and making sure every ride is as stress-free as possible for the animals on board.
It’s not always glamorous—there’s fur, there’s barking, and sometimes there’s traffic—but it’s incredibly important. These volunteers help save lives just by showing up with a reliable vehicle, a calm attitude, and a big heart.
Foster
Our foster parents provide much-needed temporary homes for animals who require extra love and support before becoming available for adoption.
This can include animals such as orphaned kittens, nursing mothers, recovering surgery patients, and pets who need help correcting their behavior.
If you would like to become a foster parent, please complete Online Foster Orientation.
For more information on our Foster program, please read through the Foster Handbook.
FurrBall
FurrBall
| Activity | Shifts | Start | End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Procurement | 1 | |||
| Tree Decorator | 1 | |||
Misc.
From helping with laundry and dishes to bathing dogs to transporting dogs to helping with events; anything that doesn't fit in another category, goes here!
| Activity | Shifts | Start | End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dishes and Laundry - Shelter | 2448 | 4/3/2026 | 2/1/2027 | |
The Mission of the Spokane Humane Society...
...is to enrich the lives of animals and their companions through Support, Education, Advocacy and Love (SEAL).
