Thank you for your interest in volunteering! Below you will find the basic requirements we ask of our volunteers as well as the steps to become a volunteer.
General Volunteers: General volunteers must be 16 years old. Some positions require you to be 18 years of age to volunteer. Volunteers must be able to make a commitment of two hours per week (same day and time weekly) for at least six months, except for foster parents. All volunteers that are 18+ must pass a background check.
Junior Volunteers: Must be between 8-15 years of age and accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Junior team volunteers must complete two applications: one for the junior volunteer and one for the adult. Junior volunteers will be asked to commit to 6 months of volunteering and 4 hours per month. **We are currently not accepting junior volunteers or high school volunteers due to being at capacity for these roles in our program. Please check back with us each month to see if/when we can begin accepting junior volunteers again.**
High School Volunteers: Student volunteers between 16-18 years old that need to complete community service/volunteer hours for graduation can participate in our volunteer program without a parent or legal guardian. High school volunteers will be asked to commit to 6 months of volunteering and 4 hours per month minimum.
Foster Volunteers: Foster parents must be 18 years or older. We ask foster parents to foster at least once every six months. Foster volunteers must attend our Volunteer Orientation and then stay an additional 30 minutes to attend the foster training. Foster parents must also pass a background check and a virtual home inspection.
Wild Tunes Volunteers: Denver Animal Shelter has partnered with Wild Tunes to bring calming music to shelter animals and provide an opportunity for musicians of all ages and any skill level to perform for our shelter pets. Sign up at WildTunes.org/volunteers to get started. Once confirmed, you’ll be able to sign up to join the Denver Animal Shelter Volunteer Program. After attending orientation, you will be able to sign up for shifts. Wild Tunes volunteers must commit to two shifts per month at Denver Animal Shelter.
Training: Our onboarding process takes on average 2-3 weeks. All volunteers are required to attend volunteer orientation, a quick interview with our program staff, and complete additional training for the role you sign up for.