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Get Involved
For some people, coming to the Shelter to view our animals isn't enough - they want to give back to the community and help shelter animals through volunteerism at the Shelter.
Hundreds of Fayetteville residents have volunteered over the years at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter. They have helped in making our Shelter such a successful facility by meeting our goals of preventing cruelty to/suffering of all animals, teaching responsible pet care, finding forever homes for our adoptable animals, sheltering and healing animals in need and reducing pet overpopulation.
Active Participation
When you actively participate as a volunteer, you are part of a solution and you make a difference in the lives of our shelter animals. Opportunities are available for volunteers at the shelter, in the office and at special events. We need people to walk dogs, socialize cats and generally spread awareness about what we do and the great animals at the Shelter in need of caring forever homes. While we do accept volunteers of all ages, if you are under the age of 16 years old, you will need a parent or guardian with you at all times while volunteering. In addition, you must be at least 18 years of age to walk dogs.
It is easy to become an Animal Shelter volunteer! The first step is to attend New Volunteer Orientation.
Orientations
We host new volunteer orientations twice per month. The orientation lasts about an hour. We are limited to 15 attendees per orientation. On the first of each month we will post the link to sign up for that month’s orientations below. Once you have signed up you will receive an email through Eventbrite with a link to complete the volunteer application. Thank you for your interest in helping our shelter pets!
Orientation Sign Up Link:
September 7
Thursday, September 7: This orientation is full!
September 23
Saturday, September 23: This orientation is full!
2023 Orientation Schedule
- September 7 and 23
- October 5 and 21
- November 2 and 18
- December 9
Contact Us
Questions? Call the shelter at 479-444-3456.
Ways to Get Involved
Being an Adoption Advocate can take many forms, but the main purpose is to help a particular pet find a home.
Ways to Help
You can do this by posting the pet on social media sites, sharing the pet’s details with your friends, family and co-workers or even checking the pet out of the Shelter to attend an event, like an intramural sporting activity or company picnic. By advocating for a pet, you are giving them a voice and a better chance at finding a loving home much faster.
For more information, please contact the Shelter at 479-444-3456.
Quick Links
A well-groomed dog is far more adoptable than a dirty one. Keep in mind, like other activities, you will need to be trained to do this properly. Please attend one of our new volunteer orientation meetings to find out more! Contact us by phone at 479-444-3456 or email for the next scheduled volunteer orientation meeting.
For shelter cats, even 20 minutes outside of a cage with a human can be the best part of their day. A socialized cat is also much more easily adopted to a new home. To find out more, please come to one of our regularly scheduled volunteer orientation meetings. You can email us or call 479-444-3456 to find out when the next volunteer orientation meeting will be held.
The Fayetteville Animal Services Clinic offers a great volunteering opportunity for anyone that is currently enrolled in pre-veterinary studies through any accredited college or vocational institute. Please contact the Shelter office at 479-444-3456 to inquire about volunteering in our veterinary clinic.
Dog walking is a great way to help out the dogs at the shelter get not only exercise, but much needed human interaction and socialization. This makes the dogs at the shelter much more behaviorally desirable to potential adopters.
Once you become a dog walker and have active participation in the program, you can help in other programs such as taking the adoptable dogs to the Fayetteville Farmer's Market or other outside adoption events. You can even check out a dog through our Hounds Around Town program and take them for a hike or a walk on the trails!
Anyone interested in becoming a dog walker must attend one of our new volunteer orientations. At the orientation meeting you will be given the information necessary to get involved in this program. You must be at least 18 years of age to walk dogs. You can email us or call 479-444-3456 to find out when the next new orientation meeting will be held.
Foster care volunteers (also called "foster parents") provide temporary care for kittens, puppies, cats and dogs in their homes.
By offering your time, energy and home to an animal in need, you prepare the animal for adoption into a permanent, loving home.
We are always looking for foster homes, especially throughout the busy spring and summer seasons. The more foster parents we have, the more lives we can save. Cat foster homes are needed mainly for small kittens and nursing moms with litters of kittens. Dog foster homes are needed for dogs with medical needs or just to have a break from the shelter environment.
Time Commitment
The average time to foster depends on the needs of the animal and is based on factors like age, health and behavioral issues. Some may only require 2 weeks in foster care while some may require up to a month or more. The shelter provides all veterinary care and can also provide supplies like food, litter boxes, bowls, etc.!
Application
To be considered for fostering, please turn in a regular Adoption Application to the Shelter. When the application asks "What pet(s) you interested in?" please put "fostering." Thank you for helping our shelter pets!
Washing dishes in the food preparation room or doing the laundry gives Shelter staff more time to spend with the public and perform duties of the Animal Services Program for the community.
Please attend one of our regularly scheduled new volunteer orientation meetings if you are interested in helping with our daily chores.
You can email or call us to find out when the next new volunteer orientation meeting will be held.