Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Animal Rescue League.
See below for links to apply to be a Foster or a Volunteer at the ARL!
Here at the ARL, we can house up to 50+ dogs at a time in our care! We provide food, water, clean linens, toys, and enrichment for our dogs on a daily basis, as well as cleaning up after any mess they make along the way. While we love caring for our dogs, this process can take a long time, especially when our kennels are at full capacity. One of the biggest ways people can help support the dogs in our care until they find their forever homes is assisting with kennel cleaning!
Essential Functions:
Scooping poop
Handing out food
Sweeping up fur, enrichment, or destroyed toys
Changing soiled linens
Scrubbing out dirty kennels
Squeegeeing excess water from kennels
Resetting up kennels with fresh linens and toys
Handing out daily enrichment
Repeating the cleaning process for the outside section of the dog kennels
Environment:
Exposure to loud noises, odors, animal waste, and cleaning chemicals
Exposure to outdoor elements such as heat, wind, rain, snow/ice, and bugs
Exposure to slippery walkways during rinsing
Possible exposure to peanut butter in some of our enrichment items
Possible exposure to dogs being walked to and from their kennels
Possible exposure to dogs that may be agitated and may attempt to jump, bite or scratch
Requirements:
Minimum age of 18 years
Ability to follow instructions given by a staff member and with minimum supervision
Ability to be on your feet for long periods of time without sitting down
Ability to do repetitive movements such as bending, lifting, and scrubbing
Willingness to learn about dogs and how to properly/humanely interact with them
Concern for the welfare of dogs and support of ARL’s policies and mission
Training & Support:
Complete Volunteer Orientation
Shadow with an ARL Staff member and/or qualified volunteer
Dress Code:
Volunteer T-shirt (optional)
Volunteer Nametag (not optional)
Long Pants
Close Toed Shoes (preferably non-slip)
One of the best ways to help reduce stress and frustration in the dogs that we have here at the ARL is dog walking! Even though the dogs in our care are walked at least once per day by staff members, there is no such thing as too many walks. Staff members like to spend 10-15min per dog while walking, but when our kennel space begins to fill up, some of these walks have to be cut short to ensure every dog gets out. Volunteer dog walkers help us staff members immensely by providing extra or longer walks for our dogs when these situations arise. If you’re interested in helping enrich the dogs here at the ARL, consider becoming a Dog Walker!
Essential Functions:
Walking dogs and/or utilize our play yards or bungalow for exercise and socialization
Enriching the kennel environment by providing approved toys and treats
Giving feedback to staff members about dogs they interact with
Using walkies to communicate with other walkers where they’re located and with what dog
Identifying any medical or behavior concerns to fellow staff members
Interacting with other volunteers or members of the public in a helpful and courteous manner
Environment:
Exposure to loud noises, odors, and animal waste
Exposure to the outdoor elements such as heat, wind, rain, snow/ice, and bugs
Exposure to dogs being walked to and from their kennels
Possible exposure to dogs that may be agitated and may attempt to bite or scratch
Possible exposure to peanut butter in some of our enrichment items
Requirements:
Minimum age of 18 years
Must carry a walkie talkie at all times and know how to use it
Ability to communicate with staff members if they have questions or concerns
Ability to recognize one’s own strength and capabilities when it comes to walking some of our dogs
Ability to work together with other dog walkers to keep ourselves and our animals safe when walking dogs around the shelter
Willingness to learn about dogs and how to properly/humanely interact with them
Concern for the welfare of dogs and support ARL’s policies and mission
Training & Support:
Complete Volunteer Orientation
Complete Dog Walking Training
Shadow with an ARL Staff member and/or qualified volunteer
Dress Code:
Volunteer T-shirt (optional)
Volunteer Nametag (not optional)
Long Pants
Close Toed Shoes
We offer 3 different Cat Care positions:
Cats in the shelter, Working cats (located in our barn), and cats housed off-site when available.
Here at the ARL, we care for many cats and have many different housing opportunities both here within the shelter as well as some off-site locations. Regardless of where they may be, every day we provide our cats fresh food, water, litter, linens, and toys as well as clean up after any mess they may have made. Since we house so many cats in various areas and locations, the best way people can help support our cat population is assisting with Cat Care!
Essential Functions:
Shifting cats into their feral dens or carriers
Changing soiled linens
Changing litter boxes
Wiping down the walls/shelves in cages
Resetting a cage with fresh linen and toys
Handing out fresh food and water
Environment:
Exposure to loud noises, odors, animal waste, and cleaning chemicals
Possible exposure to cats who may become overstimulated and may scratch or bite
Requirements:
Minimum age of 18 years
Ability to follow instructions given by a staff member and with minimum supervision
Ability to be on your feet for long periods of time without sitting down
Ability to do repetitive movements such as bending, lifting, and scrubbing
Comfortable shifting cats in/out of their dens or to different sections of their cage
Physically capable of handling cats of various temperaments
Willingness to learn about cats and how to properly/humanely interact with them
Concern for the welfare of cats and support ARL’s policies and mission
Training & Support:
Complete Volunteer Orientation
Shadow with an ARL Staff member and/or qualified volunteer
Dress Code:
Volunteer T-shirt (optional)
Volunteer Nametag (not optional)
Long Pants
Closed Toed Shoes
While we are best known for caring for many cats and dogs here at the ARL, they are not the only animals that come through our doors. Our “smallies” room is dedicated to a wide variety of critters that may come through our doors, including rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, ferrets, to the occasional birds, turtles, lizards, snakes, and even fish! Due to the variety of housed in our smallies room, tasks can look different from day to day. If you have a soft spot for the animals that reside in our smallies room, consider volunteering to help with Smallies Care!
Essential Functions:
Working around/shifting animals into carriers
Changing soiled linens
Wiping down the walls/shelves in cages
Water changes for aquariums*
Changing litter boxes
Handing out fresh food, water, and enrichment
Washing dishes
Environment:
Exposure to animal waste, odors, hay, and cleaning chemicals
Possible exposure to animals who may be overstimulated and may scratch or bite
Requirements:
Minimum age of 18 years
Ability to follow instructions given by a staff member
Ability to be on your feet for long periods of time without sitting down
Ability to do repetitive movements such as bending, lifting, and scrubbing
Must be able to work in spaces with exposure to different types of hay
Willingness to learn about all the different smallies we take care of and how to properly/humanely interact with them
Concern for the welfare of small animals and support ARL’s policies and mission
Training & Support:
Complete Volunteer Orientation
Shadow with an ARL Staff member and/or qualified volunteer
Dress Code:
Volunteer T-shirt (optional)
Volunteer Nametag (not optional)
Long Pants
Closed Toe Shoes
Essential functions
Requirements
Training & Support
Dress Code
Environment
Essential Functions
* Bilingual volunteers encouraged to apply *
Requirements
Training & Support
Time Commitment
Dress Code
Here at the ARL, we rely heavily on donations from our surrounding communities given to help support the animals we care for. From food to linens to laundry detergent, many different items can end up in our donation shed and we can always use the extra help sorting through and disturbing all the items that wind up in our donation shed. While this volunteer opportunity may not interact as much with our animals, helping maintain the donation shed plays a key part in how the shelter operates and directly benefits the animals in our care.
Essential Functions:
Sort through our donation bins and organizing items with like items
Bagging and labeling piles of linen such as blankets, towels, and sheets
Separating toys based on Cats or Dogs
Move any treat or food related items to their proper storage sheds
Organizing dog clothing, leashes, and collars based on size/type
Keeping the donation area clean and organized
Communicating with staff when unsure of where items go or if we take certain things
Interacting with other volunteers or members of the public in a helpful and courteous manner
Environment:
Possible exposure to the outdoor elements such as heat, wind, rain, snow/ice, and bugs
Possible interactions with dogs being walked by
Requirements:
Minimum age of 16 years
Ability to be on your feet for long periods of time without sitting down
Ability to do repetitive movements such as bending and lifting
Ability to work independently with minimum supervision
Training & Support:
Complete Volunteer Orientation
Shadow with an ARL Staff member and/or qualified volunteer
Dress Code:
Volunteer T-shirt (optional)
Volunteer Nametag (not optional)
Long Pants
Closed Toe Shoes
Adoption Counseling take place primarily at the shelter but occasionally off-site at events.
Essential Functions
Requirements
Training & Support
Dress Code
Essential Functions:
Essential functions
Our foster care givers 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.
Check out the Foster web page for the most up to date information about fostering.
Foster - Animal Rescue League of Berks County (berksarl.org)
Essential functions:
Essential Functions
Requirements
Training & Support
Dress Code
Essential Functions
Requirements
• Extroverted personality that has excellent customer relation skills
• Neat appearance, friendly personality, enjoys working with diverse personalities
• Willingness to learn about ARL policies and procedures
• Concern for the welfare of animals and support ARL policies and missions
• Self-motivated, mature and dependable
• Minimum age of 18 years
Please click the link to complete an application to foster animals for The Animal Rescue League of Berks County! FOSTER
Our fosters provide much-needed temporary homes for animals who require extra love and support. That can include animals such as orphaned kittens, nursing mothers, recovering surgery patients, or animals that are not doing well in the shelter environment. This is a very rewarding and lifesaving experience.
Please click the link to complete an application to volunteer for The Animal Rescue League of Berks County! VOLUNTEER
Helping our pets, our staff and our community, volunteers are an essential part of the caregiving work that we do at the ARL. Through generous contributions of their time and talent, our volunteers allow our pets to receive daily exercise and enrichment, assist our staff with their daily duties, and act as ambassadors for the organization throughout our community at events and fundraisers. Whether you have an hour or two on a weekend to give, or a few hours each day, we welcome you!
Trap Neuter Return (TNR) Volunteer
Position Description
TNR volunteers will work close with staff as they trap cats in targeted locations and transport them to and from the ARL facility for the cats spay/neuter. They may also be required to care for the trapped cats pre-and post- surgery at the ARL facility when colony caregivers do not have suitable areas for this purpose. Volunteers for this position must be able to provide excellent customer service as they interact with colony caregivers and the public during the trapping procedure. This position requires excellent interpersonal skills and a vital understand of the ARL’s polices and procedures.
Supervisor
Community Cat Coordinator or designated individual.
Essential Work Functions
Requirements
Training & Support
Dress Code
VISION: A world where people are empowered to respect and care for all animals with love and kindness.
MISSION: We protect animals, provide a safe haven, and promote innovative programs and services to help both people and animals in need throughout Berks County.
