Volunteer Opportunities
Looking for opportunities to volunteer at the new Friends of the Animals Community Spay & Neuter Clinic? Visit the Spay & Neuter Clinic’s volunteer page.
Looking for ways to volunteer with FOTAS?
As a volunteer, you are essential in our mission to improve the lives of animals in our care. Our most popular roles—fostering and dog walking—are key to preparing our pets for their forever homes.
By fostering, you offer temporary homes that provide love and comfort, helping dogs and cats become well-adjusted and ready for adoption.
As a dog walker at the Jackson County Animal Shelter, you’ll give dogs the exercise and training they need to stay healthy and happy while they await their new families.
In addition to these impactful roles, we also need support in various other areas. Whether you’re engaging in enrichment activities, facilitating playgroups, or assisting with administrative needs, your involvement helps us provide comprehensive care and support to every animal.
Explore the volunteer opportunities below and discover how you can make a meaningful impact.
Ready to join us?
Fill out an application today and become a valued member of our dedicated team!
Care for cats in a home setting, helping them adjust and prepare for adoption.
As a Cat Foster Volunteer, you will provide a safe and nurturing home for cats in need of foster care. Your responsibilities include feeding, socializing, and caring for cats, helping them adjust to life outside the shelter and preparing them for adoption.
Visit the Cat Foster webpage for full details on this rewarding activity.
Provide temporary homes and care for dogs until they find permanent adoptive families.
As a Dog Foster Volunteer, you will provide a temporary home for dogs, helping them transition from the shelter to a permanent home. This role involves offering love, care, and basic training to foster dogs, ensuring they are well-adjusted and ready for adoption.
Visit the Dog Foster webpage for details on this rewarding adventure.
Provide exercise and training to shelter dogs, helping prepare them for adoption.
Support dogs at the shelter by providing training and one-on-one time with them. Volunteers in this role will receive training on how to handle and care for the dogs at the shelter. We require a commitment of 2 hours per week for this role.
Physical Requirements – Please Read Before Applying
Dog walking is a physically demanding, safety-sensitive role. To ensure the safety of our volunteers, staff, animals, and the public, individuals applying for this role must be able to perform the essential functions listed below, with or without reasonable accommodation.
This role requires the ability to:
· Walk 20–60 minutes per shift on uneven surfaces (concrete, gravel, grass, ramps)
· Maintain balance in wet, muddy, or slippery conditions
· Hold and control a leash attached to dogs weighing up to 70–100 lbs
· Maintain sufficient upper-body strength and grip to manage pulling, lunging, or sudden movement
· Bend, squat, and reach to attach leashes, harnesses, and secure kennel doors
· React quickly to unexpected stimuli (other dogs, loud noises, people, vehicles)
· Work safely in outdoor weather conditions (heat, cold, rain)
· Tolerate high noise levels, animal dander, and strong odors
Important Safety Notes:
· Dog walking cannot be performed while using unapproved mobility aids or assistive devices
· Volunteers must be able to safely control the dog at all times
· Not all dogs pull, but volunteers must be capable of handling those that do
Not Sure This Role Is the Right Fit?
We offer many other volunteer opportunities that may be a better match, including:
· Office and administrative support
· Foster care
· Event and outreach roles
· Spay & Neuter Clinic support
If you need an accommodation or would like help identifying a role that fits your abilities, please contact us before applying.
Support administrative tasks to ensure smooth operations of the organization.
As an Office Volunteer, you will support our administrative operations by performing tasks such as data entry, answering phones, and collecting donations. This role is an excellent opportunity for young people to gain office experience and for experienced or retired individuals to apply their skills to help animals in need.
Volunteer Application
Sister Organization Volunteer Opportunities
The Street Dog Project
Consider donating to and/or joining the Street Dog Project outreach team to contribute up to 4 hours/week passing out dog food, harnesses and leashes to homeless dog owners (and cat owners) in order to establish rapport and encourage them to get their pets spayed/neutered.
Taking a compassionate approach to help those in the homeless community decide to spay or neuter their dogs is good for the entire community and helps to reduce the overpopulation problem.
Visit the Rogue Valley Street Dog Project website for program and volunteer details.
Working Cats Volunteer Opportunities
Working Cats is a Feral Cats Advocacy program that seeks to find adoption placements for healthy adult cats that are not suitable for a traditional adoption because they have not been socialized to humans. These cats provide a service to the community as pest/rodent control and deterrent. Previously deemed ‘unadoptable,’ now these cats can live out their lives outdoors. All they need is a safe sheltered space with regular access to food and water.
Visit the Feral Cats Advocacy Working Cats website for volunteer and adoption details.
