How to Volunteer
Volunteers are a critical part of the Oakland Animal Services team. They work closely with the public to provide customer service, adoption counseling and socialize animals. We are part of the Oakland Police Department and we provide a wide variety of services to a large and diverse clientele. Volunteers must have a good communication skills, an ability to work well with others and in a very fast paced environment. This program is not right for everyone, so the process described below will help us determine if you are the right match for the program.
Please note that we will not accept any summer-only volunteers except for those officially registered for our internship program. Click here for details.
- Attend an OPEN HOUSE (approx. 1 hour). At this “Open House,” you will learn about Oakland Animal Services and go on a tour of the facility. You will also learn about the many different ways of helping OAS, including volunteering.
- Complete an online volunteer application. You will receive the link to the application when you attend the OPEN HOUSE. Volunteers must be 18 or over to volunteer.
- If you are selected to move forward in the application process, you will be given the dates and times to attend a “Working with the Public Workshop” (approximately 1 hour). This workshop will be an introduction to common scenarios that volunteers encounter when they are at the shelter. This will also be an opportunity for us to determine if you are a good match for the volunteer program.
- If you are selected to train as a volunteer, you will be enrolled in our online training program on OAS and dog, cats or rabbits. This training takes approximately 1.5 hours. You must pass the quizzes with a score of 85% or better.
- Work with a volunteer mentor to progressively add skills needed to volunteer in the chosen animal specialty. Trainings with mentors are one hour sessions at the shelter and you will need to take two to four sessions before you are ready to volunteer alone.
- Meet with the Volunteer Program Manager to set up to officially join the volunteer program so you can volunteer independently.
For Questions: Questions about volunteering or problems with this system, email us at oasvolunteerquestions@gmail.com.
