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Since 1952, volunteers have been the backbone of Pet Haven and allowed us to keep our administrative costs down so public donations can go directly to animal care. When we did a conservative evaluation of the time our administrative volunteers give in a year it tallied just over $300,000!! That truly allows us to give more to the pets in crisis that come to us. Our volunteers are so valuable to us and Pet Haven is a family.
We provide training and support to a community of amazing volunteers who are committed to making Minnesota a better place for animals.
There are many ways to be involved, and we thank you ahead of time for your interest. You can find out more about available volunteer opportunities by clicking on the links below. And if you have a skill or interest you think Pet Haven can't live without, we'd love to hear from you! Join our family today!
Foster Application
The Surrender Phone Line Volunteers manage the dog or cat surrender voicemails; returns calls as appopriate and passes along concerns or questions to the appropriate people!
Time commitment: 2-3 hours per week
The Post Adoption Support Volunteer follows up with adopters to encourage happy tails success stories, provide support and resources to keep adopted animals in their new homes and notifies Pet Haven Division Managers if an adopter needs more support
Time commitment: 4 hours per week
The Dog Adoption Coordinator is responsible for responding to adoption applicants and tracking foster dogs throughout the application process. The Adoption Coordinator works closely with Intake Coordinators, Vet Coordinator, and Records Coordinator to ensure that procedures are followed, and communicated to, fosters.
Time commitment: 5-7 hours per week
The Foster Coordinator screens new foster applications and organizes onboarding for applicants with a Home Visit volunteer.
Time commitment: 3-5 hours per week
The dog foster onboarding and training volunteer is responsible for the virtual training and orientation of new dog fosters.
Members of the Assessment Team are responsible for assessing the eligibility of dogs coming into care and for dogs in need of dog to dog assessments within care.
Time commitment; 2-4 hours per week (two reserved for assessments, 2 for administrative duties)
The Training Coordinator is responsible for managing training plans for dogs in care, providing training and behavior support to fosters, and supporting the Training and Behavior Manager in the operations of the Dog Division.
This role requires the applicant to be able to articulate their experience as it relates to dog training and behavior. Should be basically familiar with reactivity, fear, and appropriate dog introductions.
Estimated time commitment: 3-5 hours per week
The Owner Surrender Case Managers are responsible for the reviewal process of surrender applications and networking of approved cases to our foster network. Once placement is found, they complete intake.
Estimated time commitment: 4-6 hours per week
The Pawsitivity Squad is responsible for helping run fundraising, adoption, and community events as needed! Additional opportunities to help plan events are available!
Estimated time commitment: As needed, 1-2 events per month
Front Desk Volunteers are the first faces everyone sees when they walk into our building! These volunteers are responsible for greeting each guest, helping answer questions, direct fosters to what they need, and assist with some administrative tasks.
Time commitment: Willing to commit approximately 4-8 hours/month
These volunteers help keep our office space clean. With heavy foot traffic, it is necessary! Sweeping, mopping, dusting, and disinfecting surfaces etc., are all needed!
Time commitment: 1-3 hours at a time, varies
This volunteer is responsible for greeting and checking in fosters on surgery days, verify patient information, note any foster concerns, and bring fosters to prep area.
One full 8 hour day per clinic, 1-2 clinics per month
This volunteer is responsible for cleaning surgical instruments, prepping surgery packs, walking dogs waiting for surgery, and clean kennels if needed during the surgery day.
This volunteer is responsible for monitoring animals under anesthesia, prepping animals for surgery, administer vaccinations, micochips, and other services as needed, and monitor animals recovering from surgery.
Time commitment: One full 8 hour day per clinic, 1-2 clinics per month
This volunteer is responsible for communicating with community members who are interested in vet care for their animal. This volunteer will advise community members on options for subsidized vetiranary care, community resources, and work with individuals on scheduling when appropriate.
Time commitment: up to five hours a week
Volunteer Veterinarian
A volunteer DVM would be responsible for examining animals pre-op and monitoring animals post-op. Additionally, they will provide wellness exams and vaccinations for community clinics.
For questions regarding our Animal Care Surgery Team volunteer positions, please email surgery@pethavenmn.org
Providing foster care for a dog or a cat can be a very rewarding experience, but it has its share of responsibilities and challenges as well. Dogs and Cats come to Pet Haven through our Shelter Partners and from Crisis Owner Surrenders. While we try to gain as much information as we can on the health, behavior, and personality of each animal we bring in, there are often many unknowns. Fosters need to be willing to work within the animal's timelines and needs, giving the animal the space to adjust to their new home and all the changes they have been through. This requires compassion, kindness, patience, and persistence. Experience with animals is helpful but not a requirement. Fostering can be an excellent way to determine if you are cut out for pet ownership, or if it is feasible to add another pet to your household.
Please tell us about yourself and if you would like to foster a cat or dog by filling out a foster application!
Do you have a physical shelter space?
Yes. We do have a physical space where you can volunteer, but we generally do not house pets on-site. Our model is Foster-based. All of our animals live in private foster homes. We believe in couches, not kennels, for our Pet Haven Pets! If you're looking for a volunteer position directly interfacing with our foster animals, consider becoming a Foster or a Foster Friend!
How old do I have to be to volunteer?
Positions require volunteers to be 18. Those under 18 can volunteer as a Foster Friend if accompanied by an adult.
Can I volunteer from home?
You bet! We have administrative and remote positions that allow you to help from the comfort of your sofa!
How do I find out more?
Once you submit your volunteer application, you'll hear back from our Volunteer Coordinator to discuss how you can get involved.
How do you communicate with volunteers?
Pet Haven has a dedicated Volunteer Facebook page created just for volunteers to keep up with what’s going on. Once you submit your volunteer application, we’ll add you to the group. You’ll also receive our monthly E-Volunteer Newsletters and our quarterly Pawgress Report!
