Volunteer at the Shelter
Learn about different ways you can volunteer at the Surrey Animal Resource Centre.
Thank you for your interest in volunteering for the Surrey Animal Resource Centre! Our volunteer program is currently closed for intake and not accepting new applications at this time. Follow us on Facebook for updates on when the program will reopen.
Volunteers work side by side with staff to accomplish our mission, by providing quality care for the animals and supporting people and pets within our community. Whether it is assisting with basic care for our animals or supporting one of our many programs, we hope there is an opportunity that is a good fit for you.
Age requirements
Volunteers aged 14 years – 17 years old are permitted to volunteer in the cat and small animal volunteer programs with a parent or guardian present at all times. The parent or guardian is responsible for completing required training along with the minor.
Types of volunteers
- Animal Care Volunteers for the Enrichment Program are a part of caring for animals during their stay at the shelter. In order to meet their welfare needs and improve their adoptability, Enrichment Volunteers provide essential care for animals by keeping their environment clean and comfortable, providing outlets to de-stress, and allowing them to engage in behaviours that promote well-being.
- Foster Volunteers provide care for animals whose medical or behavioral conditions would improve more quickly in a home setting rather than at Surrey Animal Resource Centre. The shelter provides the supplies needed to care for the animal while in their care.
- Event Volunteers help with the running of events in support of the shelter, such as Santa Pix, Scent-Topia, Paw Play in the Park, and more.
How to become a volunteer
After applying online you will complete the following steps:
Attend a general information session
Start the onboarding process, learn about the volunteer opportunities, and decide how to get involved.
Complete two references
Have two different people complete the reference forms and upload them to your online profile. Don’t forget to fill out your name!
Submit a police information check
Take the police information check to your city’s police department and then submit to City of Surrey's Human Resources team. Don’t forget to keep the cover letter attached!
Attend an orientation & an interview
Sign up to attend an orientation for the areas you would like to volunteer in: Cats, Dogs, Small Animals, Events, or Kitten Foster Care.
Orientations can be attended while completing the reference forms and police information check.
Attend buddy training sessions
Once you’ve completed your references, police information check, and attended orientation, you can sign up for buddy training.
The first buddy training is called Shelter Introduction. After this session, you would sign up for one in the area you attended orientation for: Cats, Dogs, or Small Animals.
Complete self-assessment
Once you’re done training, you’ll need to assess your skills to see if you think you’re ready to volunteer. You’ll complete this form in buddy training.
Sign up for shifts
Check the opportunities tab on www.myvolunteerpage.com for shifts that you’re qualified to sign up for!
Foster volunteers
Many of the animals that we provide care for each year need additional care before they can be made available for adoption. We are able to provide that care through our Foster Program with the help of our volunteers that open up their loving homes.
When you choose to foster a homeless pet, you’re taking home an animal that would otherwise stay at the shelter. By becoming their temporary home, you can provide them with a safe environment until they find their forever home. In a foster home, animals feel the love and support of their foster pet parents and can overcome fears, recover from trauma, and fully express their personalities—all critical factors in increasing adoption rates.
Foster volunteers are provided with pet supplies, including food, for their foster pets.
Types of fosters
- Moms & Kittens
- Pregnant Cats
- Kittens – over the age of 4 weeks
- Long term adult cats
- Rabbits / Small Animals
Eligibility
- Minimum of 19 years of age
- Access to a vehicle to transport animals to the shelter or vet appointments
- Minimum of 2 hours a day to spend with foster animals
- Daily monitoring of each individual animal
- Attend a foster training session
- Able to commit for 2–9 weeks
- Ability to “animal proof” the foster space
Specific foster requirements
Foster kittens
- Separate room to house mom and kittens.
Foster rabbits
- Enough space inside your home to have a large x- pen.
- If you have other pets in the home, a separate room will be needed to house the rabbit.
- Able to provide fresh greens daily from the approved list.