Volunteers truly embody our “People. Pets. Community.” philosophy and make our world go ‘round here at the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, but the program wasn’t always what it is now. The Volunteer Program has always been a great asset to our Shelter operations, but with a gap in retention and engagement, it was time for some improvements.

My goal when taking over this program was to make sure that volunteers felt welcomed, like a part of the team, and genuinely involved. I wanted them to know where they fit in and for our volunteers to feel like they are truly making a difference in the Shelter and their community. When a volunteer feels confident, supported, and empowered, we know that will translate to the animals in our care. Every volunteer receives hands-on training with an experienced staff member and is encouraged to find their own paths here at the Shelter; whether that path is walking some pups, socializing kittens, cleaning kennels, or all of the above! We even have our Doggy Day Out program where volunteers can take a dog out for a day on the town, a nice walk, or a simple cuddle session on the couch.

These last couple of months have been huge, with new volunteer opportunities opening such as helping with adoption meetings, assisting the front desk, and working with dogs in our enrichment plus program. From January to February 2022, 11 volunteers accumulated a total of 686 hours of work. This January and February though 26 volunteers accumulated over 800 hours of work!

In addition to our regular volunteers, we have had some amazing groups come in to help us. On February 24th, almost all of our animal care team called in sick, leaving the Team Lead alone to complete the daily rounds for every animal in the Shelter. Instead of having to close our doors for the day, a huge group of volunteers from Walmart’s Associate Learning and Leadership team came to our rescue. They cleaned kennels and socialized with some pups and, thanks to their hard work and selflessness, we were able to stay open for the day.

Growing our program and creating a consistent base of well-trained, involved volunteers is a huge goal of mine. The more volunteers we have, the more programs we can offer, and the better we can serve our community and all the pets who cross our Shelter’s path. We are always looking for more community members who are ready to jump in and work with our staff to support our Shelter pets, so if you or anyone you know is looking to volunteer, the Cheyenne Animal Shelter is the place to be!

You can get started volunteering by filling out the application on our website and signing up for orientation or by heading to the Shelter today. Stay in the loop of what’s going on at the Shelter and our Volunteer program by subscribing to our free monthly newsletter. Thank you all for your support and we hope to see you volunteering soon!