Hickory Creek Animal Services
Volunteer & Community
Service Orientation
2012
First and Foremost, THANK YOU for
volunteering your time to help the animals
here at the Hickory Creek Animal Shelter!!!
Release Forms
• Please read over the Volunteer Release form, sign
and have a parent or guardian read and sign them
if you are under 18 years of age.
• Ages 10-15 must have a parent/guardian with
them to volunteer.
• Community Service workers must fill the
Participant Release Form with a Shelter Employee.
• These MUST be signed and turned in BEFORE you
begin volunteering at the Hickory Creek Animal
Shelter. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Please be sure to print legibly
and fill in the date of your
orientation.
Participation Guidelines Form
• Please READ the ENTIRE list, especially the list of ‘Do
Not Do’s.
• You MUST adhere to these guidelines for your own
safety and that of the animals residing at the Hickory
Creek Animal Shelter.
• Keep our Phone Number and Hours handy.
• We are on call 24/7 and only respond to emergency’s
after hours.
• Shelter Hours: Monday – Sunday 8:00am-4:30pm
(940) 465-7444 Cell
Please keep this
manual for your
records.
Scheduling
• Scheduling is your responsibility. You MUST schedule
yourself BEFORE you come to the shelter.
• The schedule is on the ASO’S desk calendar. You may
call in advance and schedule by talking to the ASO.
• Your time may be cancelled if the ASO is called out
into the field on a call.
• There is normally only enough things to do for 2
volunteers to be at the shelter at once.
• We occasionally offer volunteer hours away from the
shelter. Ex: adoption events, community events
If you have scheduled yourself
and cannot come in to work,
PLEASE CALL to let us know.
Hours You Can Work
• Volunteers may work:
Monday through Sunday 8:00am until 4:30pm
Holidays: CLOSED
• Volunteers must understand that when the ASO is called
out into the field, they may need to reschedule their time to
volunteer.
• Everyone is to work a maximum of 6 HOURS unless allowed
by a staff member.
You can work for as little as a half
an hour or as much as six hours a
day. We appreciate any help that
you may provide!
Signing In
• FIRST, sign in at the desk (by the available dog
runs) in the shelter as soon as you arrive. Be
PATIENT and wait for a staff member for
instructions.
• Everyone’s hours are tracked in the volunteer log
book. If you don’t sign in, you will NOT get credit.
• If you have a sheet your tracking for yourself
make sure to have it signed when you come in.
ALL Volunteers and Community
Service workers MUST sign in and
sign out whenever volunteering.
Expected Behavior
• Be respectful towards the Animal Services Officers,
other volunteers and community service workers, and
most important, shelter visitors.
• Stay busy. If you cannot find anything to do, please ask.
There are always special projects that need attention.
• Please DO NOT RUN OR MAKE LOUD NOISES!! This is a
place of business. You may excite the animals or
visitors unnecessarily.
• Keep CELL PHONE use to a minimum. If you must make
a call, go outside or in the work room.
• Please do not interrupt Animal Services Officers when
they are speaking with patrons about the animals.
Patrons ALWAYS come first.
Don’t forget to have FUN! Enjoy
yourself and know that you are
providing a wonderful service AND
helping animals at the same time!
Expected Behavior Continued…
• No smoking in or around the shelter. If you are
OVER 18 and smoke, please refrain while here at
the shelter.
• Do not touch any equipment, chemicals, or
medicines unless instructed to do so.
• The hose in the dogs runs is NOT to be used by
anyone other than the shelter staff. If a run
requires cleaning, please alert shelter staff.
• Please make the ASO aware of any incidents that
occur in the shelter .
Make sure to wear comfortable
clothing that you are not afraid
to get dirty!
Expected Attire
• Wear clothing that you don’t
mind getting damaged. We use
chemicals, so expect spots!
• Absolutely NO open-toed shoes.
Boots and tennis shoes are the
norm.
• Wearing shorts is not encouraged
and is at your own risk.
• Do not wear torn or offensive
clothing, we will ask you to
change.
Stray and Rabies Quarantine
Animals
• These animals are located in the Isolation Rooms
and are NOT available for adoption. DO NOT enter
their cages.
• Strays are held for 4 days to give their owners a
chance to claim them, then they are put up for
adoption and advertised. These animals do not go
outside until after the 72 hour hold is up and they
have been cleared by our shelter vet.
• Rabies Quarantine animals usually have owners
and will not be available for adoption.
Just because an animal is in
quarantine does not mean that it has
rabies, it is simply under observation
to make sure that it did not transmit
rabies at the time of the bite.
The Work Room
• This room is located in the back of the shelter
where we store supplies, bathe dogs, and wash
laundry.
• DO NOT TOUCH the dishwasher, supplies in the
metal cabinet, or medications without permission
from the ASO.
• Dog ISO is also located in this room, so please ask
permission before entering. Volunteers are NOT
allowed to handle any animal in ISO or
Quarantine.
• It is important not to handle any nursing animals
because disease can be spread easily, this is true
for kittens and puppies.
Please keep this room clean!
Sweep and mop as needed.
Common duties include, but are
not limited to:
•
•
•
•
•
Dog walking, feeding, socialization
Cat socialization, feeding, changing litter boxes
Assisting the ASO as asked to do so
CLEANING, CLEANING, CLEANING!!!
See ASO for weekly/monthly shelter & office
checklists. Please sign & date when task
completed.
Remember, the cleaner the shelter is, the
healthier the animals are and the more
likely people are to want to take them
home! You will NEVER have to ask
permission to CLEAN!!
Exercising the Dogs
• You may take out any dog that is available for
adoption into the back or front fenced in areas.
• Use only ‘slip leads’ to walk the dogs to & from these
areas. Please do not attach leashes to the dog’s
collars. Some dogs are very good at slipping out of
their collars.
• Return dogs to the same kennel they were taken
from.
• DO NOT let any dog out in the back yard without
closing the guillotine doors, so that all the other dogs
remain inside.
SIT!
Try to teach the dog a new
command during your walk. The
better behaved they are, the more
likely they are to find a family of
their own!
STAY!
Exercising the Dogs continued…
• Please do not allow the dogs to chew on the leashes.
Many dogs can chew right through the leash in just a
few seconds and run away.
• Please pick up any ‘packages’ that the dogs may
leave behind.
• DO NOT allow the dogs to interact with each other
outside their kennels. NO EXCEPTIONS! This is for
everyone’s safety.
• Please do not leave the shelter grounds or fenced in
yards, with the animal, for any reason.
• DO NOT leave any toys or blankets inside the dog
runs or on the grassy yard areas.
Please DO NOT exercise a dog
who is too powerful for you!
Feeding the Animals
• The animals get fed once a day by the ASO on duty.
Usually between 8:00am and 10:00am. Puppies,
pregnant and nursing females, thin or malnourished,
and senior animals need to be fed puppy/kitten food.
Please ask the ASO to see if they have already been fed
for the day.
• Cats are fed once a day, usually in the morning, and
only ½ cup per cat.
• Food bowls for dogs should be picked up and washed
within an hour after feeding.
• Please DO NOT give any cats treats. Their stomachs
can’t handle the treats which make them sick.
• Treats are ok for dogs, but please in moderation only,
as to not make them sick.
Never feed dogs in the outside part
of their run (where they urinate and
defecate - GROSS!). Please sweep
up any dog food that may have
spilled.
Cleaning Available Cat Room
•
Step 1: All cat supplies are kept on the first wheeled cart in
work room.
•
Step 2: Empty all dirty litter and feces into the poo pan to dump
into the outside garbage can.
•
Step 3: Clean out water bowls and replace with fresh water.
•
Step 4: Dust off chairs and cat walkways with kennel kare.
•
Step 5: Sweep both rooms and pick up dirt using dustpan.
•
Step 6: Windex cat room windows, inside and out.
NEVER wash litter boxes in
the same water as food
bowls!!! Refill the sink with
fresh water as needed.
Bathing/Brushing Dogs and Cats
• You may brush or bathe any of the dogs available for
adoption. If you are really brave, you can bathe the
cats too. Puppies and kittens less than 2 months old
do NOT get bathed.
• Brushes and shampoo are kept in the Work Room on
the shelves. If you cannot find any, ask the ASO.
• DO NOT use flea products!
• You may bathe dogs in the Work Room Bath Sink
You may use the hose with nozzle hanging on the
wall. Please make sure that the water is not too hot
and completely turned off when finished.
Please make sure that the
animals are dried off well and
wash the towels that you use.
CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELVES
PLEASE!!
Doing Laundry
• The laundry room is in the rear of the shelter.
• If there are dirty towels, blankets, etc. please feel free
to do a load of laundry!
• Please shake ALL towels and blankets out in the trash
BEFORE you put them in the washing machine.
• Use only ½ a scoop of laundry powder per load.
• If you take anything out of the DRYER you must fold it
and place it on the shelf before you do something else.
• Cat beds may be placed on top of the dryer to air dry.
Please DO NOT overload the
washing machine and make sure
that the items are actually DRY
before you fold them and put
them on the shelves.
Again, THANK YOU for
volunteering your time to help
the animals and staff here at
the Hickory Creek Animal
Shelter! You are appreciated!