Animal Shelter Volunteer - Cats, Dogs,Rabbits, Horses

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Healthcare for Homeless Animals (HHA) formerly Malibu Pet Companions funds medical care for animals housed at the Agoura Animal Shelter in Agoura Hills, CA., part of LA County Animal Care and Control.

To volunteer with our organization (our primary need is foster care for medically needy animals), volunteers must be a volunteer with LA County Animal Care and Control. Volunteer opportunities are also available separate from HHA with the shelter facility as a volunteer in the kennels. Volunteers may choose to work with dogs, cats, or bunnies. We are in desperate need of cat and bunny volunteers. We also on occasion intake birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, reptiles, horses, pigs, goats, and chickens, etc. We are currently seeking EXPERIENCED horse volunteers with 3 years of recent horse experience. Horse volunteers must be at least 21 years old.

Volunteer tasks include socialization of the animals and facilitating adoptions with potential guardians.

Horse care involves mucking the stables, feeding, and for very experienced volunteers grooming and movement of the horses in to the corral for exercise.

Dogs are walked, spend time in the play yards daily with volunteers, and our real room (a room set up like a living room so the animals can have a touch of "home" during their stay at the shelter). There are opportunities to spend quality time with the dogs, work on basic training for those that need it, groom them, transport them to vets for medical care, and foster them. Volunteers also clean kennel cages and the play yards.

Cats are either caged or reside in the Habitat if they enjoy the company of other cats where they are free to roam. There are opportunities to spend quality time with the cats, groom them, transport them to vets for medical care and foster them.Cleaning cages and the habitat are also part of the volunteer tasks.

Bunnies are caged but enjoy outside play time in a special bunny cage set up to suite their needs. Opportunities are available to spend quality time with the bunnies, give them play time, and attend to their needs through proper cage set up and cleaning.

As volunteers we provide whatever we can to keep the homeless animals well socialized as they await adoption and make each animal's stay while with us at the shelter as pleasant as possible. Foster opportunities through HHA and the shelter include mama cats and kittens, mama dogs and puppies, unweaned kittens and puppies that require bottle feeding, post surgical recovery, transition time in a home during treatment for those who can't be treated in a shelter environment, and behavioral rehab and training.

All new volunteers must take the orientation class. Adult volunteers must complets 5 weeks of training, an online test, and a hands on kennel evaluation. Youth volunteers ages 16 & 17 must complete 40 hours of non animal handling prior to the 5 weeks of training, online test, and hands on evaluation in the kennels.