Volunteering at DuPage County Animal Services

DuPage County Animal Services welcomes volunteers who support our mission and desire to make a contribution to the welfare of animals in our community. Volunteers at Animal Services play a crucial role in helping to care for the animals, as well as provide enrichment, training, and socialization for the animals in our care. 

Group volunteer opportunities - Animal Services is not able to accommodate groups for one-time volunteer opportunities.

The majority of volunteer opportunities are Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:00-4:30. 

Please review the requirements and open positions. Information on upcoming orientations can be found below the position listings. 

Requirements:

• Volunteers must 18 years old to volunteer on their own.
• Children must be a minimum of 10 years old. Any children between the ages of 10-17 must volunteer with a parent or legal guardian.
• Volunteers commit to a weekly time-slot.
• Adult volunteers commit to 6 months of volunteering.
• Children between the ages of 10-17 commit to 3 months of volunteering.
• Volunteers must complete all required training prior to volunteering. 

Open Volunteer Positions

Orange Paw Dog Volunteer

Experienced Medium-Large Dog Handling Volunteers help staff increase adoptability and sociability, reduce anxiety, work through moderate behavior issues, implement moderate behavior modification, and provide calming enrichment activities. Staff may not have formally evaluated Orange Paw dogs yet, but have determined the dogs do not have any severe behavior issues or safety concerns. Orange Paw Volunteers should be comfortable handling large dogs. 

• Recruitment will open again in January 2023
• Must be 18 and over
• Flexible Schedule
• Orange Paw Dog Volunteers are required to have one of the following credentials: Certified Professional Dog Trainer Knowledge Assessed (CPDTKA), Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPACTP), Canine Training Center (CTC) or Animal Behavior College (ABCDT) OR 2+yrs of volunteer experience in an open admission shelter. 

Cat Pawsitive Training 

• Mon - Fri - 11am - 1pm. Frequency 3 times per week, for short sessions
• Must be 18 and over
• Experienced Cat Volunteers help prepare cats for adoptable homes by using basic positive reinforcement clicker training to teach basic behaviors, combat stress and provide enrichment. This is not a socializing position, but rather one that focuses on specific exercises and positive reinforcement training 
• We are currently looking for two volunteers. Please contact Dina directly at dina.schubert@dupageco.org 

Volunteer Orientation and Onboarding

If you are available for one of the above positions, please email the appropriate volunteer coordinator by clicking one of the following links: 

Canine Volunteer Coordinator

General Volunteer Coordinator

DCAS continues to welcome new foster volunteers. For more information on becoming a foster volunteer, please visit our foster care webpage.