Do you love animals and are looking for a fun way to get your volunteering hours? The Halifax Humane Society is currently accepting volunteer applications from students interested in becoming involved with their shelter animals.
The Halifax Humane Society is a private nonprofit shelter that focuses on protecting and fulfilling the needs of any animal that comes through doors. In accordance with their open-admissions policy, the shelter takes any animal into their care. Regardless of age, health, or behavior, the shelter offers animals a chance to find their forever home. The Halifax Humane Society has a yearly animal intake of nearly 6,000 animals per year, with an average intake of 480 animals per month. With these numbers, the shelter receives more traffic, becoming busier on a daily basis.
“Every area of the shelter consistently needs help,” said Kiana Gay, the volunteering manager at the Halifax Humane Society. “It could be dog walking. It could be socializing with the kitties. It could be critter care. [It could even be] just answering the phone at the greeter desk. [In] every aspect of the shelter, we could always use more help.”
Volunteering at the Halifax Humane Society consists of a variety of opportunities, ranging from directly interacting with and caring for animals to special adoption events at other locations. Students are able to explore different volunteering positions within the shelter and choose different areas fit for their personal skills.
Although college life may be hectic, the Halifax Humane Society makes volunteering flexible and tailorable to a student’s demanding schedule. Students can choose the number of hours to spend at the shelter, even as little as a couple of hours a month. Barry T. KuKes, the Halifax Humane Society Community Outreach Director, said in an interview, “Students who are unable to come to the shelter in-person have opportunities to volunteer from home [by] writing letters for donors or updating our system’s databases.”
“Even if they only have two hours a week to give, students can still make a difference in helping the homeless animals of our community,” said Casy Sargent, a five-year volunteer and mentor for dog walkers at the Halifax Humane Society. “There are so many things that I love about volunteering at Halifax Humane Society, but if I were to pick a favorite, I would say that it’s giving the dogs a chance to get out of their kennel each day.”
“They’re in their kennels for so long each day, and the thing they look forward to the most are those minutes they have out with the volunteers,” she explained. “Knowing that I’m giving that dog their daily dose of love and activity outside of the kennel is the most rewarding part of volunteering for me.”
To become a volunteer, go to www.halifaxhumanesociety.org and click the “Get Involved” button to learn more about the volunteering opportunities that the Halifax Humane Society offers or to complete a volunteer application.