Helping the homeless animals in our community doesn’t have an age limit.
While we do have some requirements for volunteering at our shelter, we don’t believe that should stop any child from getting excited about helping out in their community.
For the most part, children do have to be at least 10 years old to volunteer with Nevada Humane Society, but there are some exceptions if a parent is willing to work alongside their son or daughter. (Get your crafting skills ready, parents!)
What exactly can a child do to help us out?
Stuffing Kongs
Idle paws lead to unwanted behavior.
Here at the shelter, we provide our dogs enrichment toys to keep them from going stir-crazy. Our volunteers help us to stuff the Kongs with lots of yummy treats, including peanut butter. Lots and lots of peanut butter.
This is a fun task for kids to do here or at home for their own pups!
Cat toys and litter boxes
Not surprisingly, we go through a lot of litter boxes.
While it’s not exactly the most fun that could be had at an animal shelter, helping us to create these boxes is vital. Our staff doesn’t have the time to keep the kittens fed, medicated and cleaned while also crafting our disposable pans – and we rely on volunteers to help us.
You may not realize this, but part of our disease prevention guidelines requires toys not be passed around from cat to cat. Because of this, we go through A LOT of toys, too. Helping us to craft fun items means our cats stay enriched while they are here at the shelter.
Fostering at Home
If you’ve got some free space in your home, fostering is a great way to introduce the idea of caring for a pet to your children. It doesn’t require any experience, and our foster coordinators will provide you one-on-one training!
There are so many animals in need of a safe, temporary space while they recover from an illness or injury or simply grow strong enough to be ready for adoption.
Our program offers multiple types of foster situations, ranging from animals who need to be bottle-fed to nursing moms to sick or stressed pets. You can fit the situation that fits your lifestyle.
Be Kind to All Animals
Not all animals are equally cute or cuddly, but they all deserve our love and care. Take time to educate your children on the importance of being a voice for the ones who can’t speak for themselves – and encourage them to give extra attention to the overlooked dogs and cats at the local shelters.
Often, puppies and kittens get the most attention, but the scruffy dogs and wiry, elderly cats desire human contact just as much as the others.
If you want more information about the volunteer opportunities at Nevada Humane Society, please reach out at 775-856-2000 or stop by one of our two locations!