Foster with us!
Our foster care program helps support some of the shelter’s most vulnerable pets by giving them a safe home environment for extra care and attention. Fostering is an incredibly rewarding opportunity and can change the life of an animal forever – and your foster pet may just change your life too! Fostering a pet is a great way for families to volunteer together. Some of our most common foster needs are:
- Underage pets / nursing mothers and babies
- Pets who are in need in need of medical care or recovering from a medical procedure
- Adult dogs or cats in need of additional behavior assessments in a home environment, or training to help them be their best selves
- Pets who have been at the shelter for a while waiting patiently for their new homes, and need a break to decompress in a calm environment
- Senior or special needs pets that will best thrive in a home
If you’d like to become a fabulous foster for animals at Riverdale Animal Shelter until they can be placed into their forever homes, please submit a foster application to our Foster team. If you'd like to learn more and have questions about the program, please email [email protected]. If you’re not able to foster at this time, but would still like to get involved with our foster program, you can donate much needed supplies, which can be found on our Amazon Wish List. Your donations help keep foster families stocked with essential supplies so shelter pets may receive extra special care during their stay. Thank you for helping support our foster program!
Volunteer with us!
Thank you for your interest in joining our community. We love our volunteers! They play an important role in our shelter’s success, and we couldn’t do what we do without them.
Our volunteers:
- Brighten and improve the lives of animals and people in Adams County.
- Support staff with keeping our shelter clean and operating smoothly.
- Assist in areas that help our pets stay happy and healthy during their stay with us.
- Help us enrich, socialize, and feed our animals while they await their forever home.
- Assist with our monthly low-cost vaccination clinics and other community events.
During your volunteer time here, you may also:
• Explore the field of animal welfare.
• Connect with people who have similar interests.
• Develop new skills and experience.
• Be smothered in dog kisses and cat cuddles!
Perhaps the most important benefit of joining our volunteer team is your involvement in improving the lives of the pets and people that come through our doors, and the fulfillment that brings.
How to join our volunteer team:
We are an inclusive mission-driven organization. We are looking for dedicated, compassionate, volunteers who are:
- At least 16 years of age
- Able to serve a minimum, consecutive six-month commitment of at least eight hours a month
- Undergo a background check
- Dependable access to a working email
- Complete the online volunteer orientation process
- Attend a volunteer info session and hands-on training (as needed)
- Complete your first two volunteer shifts in an essential role during your first month
- After your first month, attend animal training to gain access to animal handling volunteer roles
- Possess essential capabilities to safely and effectively serve as a volunteer
- Adhere to and support our shelter’s philosophy
If you meet all the above qualifying criteria without exception, we would love for you to come volunteer with us.
Ready to apply? Click here to get started!
We appreciate your interest in volunteering with us! Still have a few questions? Email the Volunteer Coordinator.
Current Volunteer Login
Fulfill Student Community Service hours with us!
We are excited to introduce our Student Community Service program to the Adams County area. This program is a great fit for individuals who are at least 16 years old and need to fulfill hours for school or work requirements. We are NOT accepting court ordered community service at this time.
Our Student Community Service program plugs volunteers into essential operational duties, the main one being providing clean and happy homes for our pets! If you have any physical limitations or health concerns, please include that when filling out your application so we can assess if we have tasks available to accommodate your needs.
Requirements:
- Must be at least 16 years old and have permission from your legal guardian to volunteer.
- you will need to pass a free background check before you begin.
- We are not able to accept court ordered Community Service hours, or volunteers seeking less than 20 hours.
Next Steps:
- If you would like to continue, please fill out and submit an application.
- You will be contacted via email within 7 business days regarding the status of your application.
If our program seems like a good fit and you’re ready to have a big impact on the success of our shelter, apply here.
Please contact the Volunteer Department with any questions. Thank you!
