Volunteer
Current Volunteers Click Here!Join our family of over 400 volunteers and make a difference in the lives of New Mexico’s pets. Whether you prefer working with computers or cameras, pets or people, chances are we have a way for you to get involved! See our many opportunities below.
Volunteer Requirements
- Volunteers for our adult program must be at least 18 years old. (Options are available for volunteers younger than 18; see our Junior Ambassador Volunteers and Children’s Volunteer Opportunities for further details).
- All volunteers must have internet access and a valid email address.
- Each of our volunteers receives extensive training, so we ask that all volunteers commit to spending eight hours a month for at least six months with us. If you cannot commit to a long-term volunteer opportunity, short term opportunities are available.
- Be aware that many volunteer positions require bending, lifting, standing, walking or squatting. In addition, all volunteers must be able to communicate clearly and understand and comply with written and spoken instructions.
- To ensure the safety of our pets, volunteers and staff members we perform a standard nationwide criminal background check on all potential volunteers. Prior felony convictions may prevent you from volunteering with us.
Adult Volunteers (18+)
Animal Humane offers a number of ways for adult volunteers (18+) to assist us in nearly every aspect of our organization. The list below is just a small sample of how you can help:
- Walk dogs or socialize cats
- Receive donations at our Thrift Shop
- Assist our veterinary staff in our Donor-subsidized Veterinary Clinic
- Join our educators as they speak to school groups
- Answer phones and greet potential adopters
You will learn more about the many other ways that volunteers can get involved at our New Volunteer Welcome Session.
Ready to start?
Email us at Volunteer@AnimalHumaneNM.org.
Junior Ambassadors (16-17)
We are pleased to offer young adults, age 16 and 17, long-term volunteer opportunities (four hours monthly for at least six months) with our organization. Junior Ambassadors may volunteer in a number of different capacities, from answering phones and ringing up sales to assisting at special events. Please note that only adult (18+) volunteers may work directly with our pets.
Volunteer Requirements
- Junior Ambassadors must be at least 16 years old and may volunteer independently once they have attended a New Volunteer Welcome Session with a parent or guardian. (Children under 16 must volunteer with a parent; see our Children’s Volunteer Opportunities).
- All Junior Ambassadors are required to attend a New Volunteer Welcome Session, accompanied by a parent or guardian. After this initial Welcome Session, Junior Ambassadors will be able to volunteer on their own. To begin the process of signing up for a Welcome Session, email us at Volunteer@AnimalHumaneNM.org to let us know you are interested. We will follow up with orientation steps.
- All volunteers must have internet access and a valid email address.
- Be aware that many volunteer positions require bending, lifting, standing, walking or squatting. In addition, all volunteers must be able to communicate clearly and understand and comply with written and spoken instructions.
- If you need to complete a service project for school, please get in touch with our Volunteer Team. Do not begin the registration process until you have determined that completing the FULL volunteer process is the best option for you.
How It Works
Getting Started
Please send an email to Volunteer@AnimalHumaneNM.org to let us know you are interested in joining our Page Pals Program.
Once we receive your email, the following steps will need to be completed:
Step 1: We will email you a link to complete our Volunteer Application. A parent or guardian must complete the application.
Step 2: Once we receive the completed application, we will send an invitation to complete a background check.
Step 3: Once the background check is completed, we will email you links to two short videos on cat behavior. Both parent & child are required to watch the videos.
Step 4: After completing the videos, we will schedule an in-person mentoring session for you and your child(ren) at our Main Campus.
For other questions, please email our Volunteer Team.
Children’s Volunteer Opportunities (6-15)
Page Pals is open to youth ages 6 to 15 with parental supervision. Our Page Pals volunteers provide enrichment and reduce stress for cats, while at the same time strengthening reading skills, by reading out loud to our pets in both our Real Life Rooms and Cat Housing. Human interaction is one of the most important ways we keep our pets happy and healthy and you and your child can be an important part of this work.
Be sure to read and complete ALL steps in the Getting Started section to the left before signing up for your Page Pals orientation!